The ivy cap shown here is a good start. From Wigens, it’s a smart yet casual, fun cap in linen that adds pizzazz to any look, but doesn’t overpower it.

Taking the red cap idea a little more out there, you might want to try a red gingham five point ivy from Makins. It’s made by hand in NYC, and has got a brass buckle on the adjustable strap. It’ll turn some heads on Valentine’s Day!

For something outstanding in seagrass, Makins offers a bright red stingy brim hat with a red, white and blue striped grosgrain band and gold metal buckle. If that’s a tad too outre, you can get extremely traditional with a bowler hat – in natural raffia! The red is in the gingham band, and it’s another special order hat from Makins.

Best thing about hats as Valentine’s Day gifts? Well, they don’t make you gain weight like chocolates can and and they come in as many colors as a bouquet of flowers — and hats last a lot longer and rarely make you sneeze.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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You can’t tell me, though, that you won’t be volubly admired in The Way (pictured above), a Sinatra wool felt fedora — which sells for a budget-friendly $75. The stingy brim is striking in two tones and features finishing details like a fancy ribbon (with bow) as trim and a rolled edge. It’s also satin lined and has a leather sweatband. The overall look is a nice, crisp silhouette and it’s just one of several in the Frank Sinatra line of men’s hats.

These really are perfect hats to be looked at in, and at prices that not only allow you to make your car payments — but (more importantly) indulge your hat passion, guilt free.

Cock your hat – angles are attitudes.
Frank Sinatra

I may have been remiss, however, in imparting to you the fact that ball caps are designed for winter wear as well. From top designers like Wigens and JB Stetson, you’ll find extremely warm and good-looking caps in luxe cashmere and rugged leather, some fleece-lined with drop-down earflaps. They come in solid tones as well as plaids, so you can wear them with pretty much any winter jacket or overcoat.

One person who bought the Stetson cadet style ball cap (pictured above) called The Byers 2, left a 5-star review, saying:

Outstanding. Bought second one for wife. The lining is comfortable and earflaps are perfect. They stop the wind, keep my ears warm, yet hearing through it is excellent. Leather is soft and durable.

Wear it in health, Jon (and Jon’s missus).

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Over the past two months, these hats have been garnering the most compliments for the men who wear them:

This is The Dressed Up Indy, a 100% genuine fur felt pinch front fedora (with 2 1/2″ brim) from the Indiana Jones line of men’s hats.

JB Stetson has been another front-runner in the compliments arena with two of its caps so honored:

The Plaid Wool Blend Hatteras, a newsboy cap with a pre-curved, leather trimmed brim and hidden earflap for added warmth when needed, shown here.

And there’s The Modesto.

This perennial favorite ivy cap is crafted from virgin wool in a rich, herringbone pattern and has a stitched-down brim for that classic silhouette.

The Carlos Santana hats have been very popular, but the most compliments we’ve seen over the past couple of months have been saved for a wool felt fedora called The Meditation.

This two-inch stingy (and bound) brim is from the Carlos by Carlos Santana collection of men’s hats, and has a classic teardrop crown shape. There’s an attention-getting silver guitar pin affixed to the grosgrain ribbon (note the faux leather overlay trim). The guitar is also featured as a screen print in the satin lining — you’ll have to doff your hat off to show your admirers.

Which one of your hats or caps gets you the most compliments?

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Cause it fits my head.

Men who wear hats often field that question — women hat wearers don’t seem to as much. And it’s only certain types of hats that get the question: ball caps are exempt as are most winter hats.

It’s when you get into the area of fedoras, bowlers and pork pies that you really get the queries coming. Some questions are from fellow hat-admirers, like “Where did you get it?” and “How much did it cost?” — but other questions are, well, questionable.

There’s the inevitable “why” and then there’s the very strange “Do you like hats?” query. How is a hat wearer to respond? Sarcasm is tempting, but probably not great for the soul, so a truthful answer might be the best approach, if not the most immediately gratifying.

Look at it this way: when you tell the questioning hatless that you wear hats because you like how they look and how they make you look, you just might have a convert at hand. Now that’s satisfying!

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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I don’t doubt it — the costumes are fabulous and that’s for both men and women, as all facets of dress are shown, from fox hunting attire to finery worn to tea parties and balls. I have a sharp eye out when it comes to hats, of course, and am in a state of near-constant drooling when I see the top hats, bowlers, tweed caps and fedoras worn by all the pre-WWI men pictured in and around this Edwardian country house setting.

Of course, the war changes life (not just fashion) dramatically in every way imaginable. Read Country Houses in Medical Service for a great overview on how each aspect of society was irrevocably altered.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Wigens Cashmere Ball Cap with Drop-Down Earflaps - The HY Exclusive at HartfordYork.com

There’s an article called Top Reasons Why Cold Weather Exercise Beats Hot Weather Workouts at DNAInfo.com that might help those of you who hibernate all winter come outside once in a while. It seems that “exercising outside in the cold is better for you than working out in the warm.”

Several reasons are listed, including the best — you burn more calories! So, whatever your mode of exercise (a brisk walk is fine), it’ll be more effective because your body is burning more calories in its effort to stay warm.

Also, it seems that dehydration is not as much a problem in sub-zero conditions because (if you’re dressed properly in layers), you simply don’t sweat as much as you do when jogging on a hot summer day.

Finally, “you can work out much harder in chilly temperatures than in hot ones — heat taxes the body so much more and the dangers of working out in excessive heat outweigh the benefits.”

To be honest, I don’t think that last reason helps me get off the couch in a blizzard. I consider just putting on my boots a pretty hard day at the office, but still, it’s good to know that my usual jog/walk/collapse routine pays off so well in cold weather.

Don’t forget those all-important layers to wick sweat away from your body, and make sure you’re wearing gloves and a warm winter hat as well. Exercising in a deep freeze is hard enough without courting frostbite!

Why Measure Your Head?

Did you know that your head size frequently changes? Something as simple as getting a hair cut or losing just a couple of pounds can change the size of your head, which of course means that your hat size changes.

For this reason, measuring your head, each and every time you order a hat, is vital.

Measuring Tips – Before You Start

To get an accurate measurement, use a non-stretch cloth measuring tape instead of a plastic one. If you don’t have a cloth measuring tape, you can use a ribbon or string (as long as it is non-stretch).

Measure your head repeatedly until you get the same measurement a few times in a row.

When measuring, choose a comfortably snug fit, not too tight and certainly not too loose. The use of a hat may also determine its best fit: a tighter hat stays on better when its windy outside.

Take Time To Measure

Place the measuring tape around the widest part of your head, resting it where you like your hat to sit.

Usually a hat is worn slightly above the center of the forehead and the ears. At the back of the head, a hat tends to rest about halfway up — on the bump (which I first thought was a personal deformity, but now understand to be something we all have), called the occipital bone.

There is no right or wrong to this. Fit is subjective: some people wear their hats low, some at an angle and some quite high. Some prefer their fedoras to be angled while porkpies or bowlers sit level.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Leinburd/Crown Cap Fur Hat - The Mink Trooper at HartfordYork.com

Pricey hats, like The Mink Trooper from Leinburd/Crown Cap, sometimes need a little consideration before ordering. Budgeting may be required, and second-thoughts enter in. Even though your brain tells you a top quality all-mink fur hat from a trusted brand name is going last for years and do a bang up job in keeping you warm and dry (and make you look damn good all the while), your wallet might still be tenaciously stuck in your back pocket.

A customer who bought The Mink Trooper recently talks about his initial hesitation, and then goes on to say what made the decision to buy ultimately worthwhile:

I waited a long time before purchasing this mink hat, and guess what? It’s beyond my expectations. It’s soft, warm, luxurious and the size that I ordered (2XL which is my real size) fits perfectly. I am happy with it and it matches my brown shearling coat. SO, if you want it get it, don’t think twice.

There’s nothing more satisfying than an expensive purchase that turns out to be something truly worthwhile and that you are really pleased with.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Unless you’ve experienced the cold where it actually hurts to breathe, makes your eyes water and freezes your nostrils, you may not understand completely the importance of high quality troopers. These hats, made by such brands as JB Stetson, Wigens, Sam Saba and Woolrich, are often crafted from rugged leather, impervious to hail and wet snow squalls, their earflaps lined with fur to keep frostbite at bay.

The most luxurious trooper at HartfordYork.com has got to be The Mink Trooper, a Leinburd/Crown Cap fur hat. You simply can’t find a richer or warmer winter hat, and it’ll keep you warm in style for years to come.

Troopers come at every price point, of course, and you can’t do much better than the $100 leather and sheepskin trooper from Sam Saba. Made in Canada, it’s a classic hat with earflaps and leather ties, warmly lined with plush lambs wool. We’ve also got troopers on sale right now, so you can get a hat like The Leather/Raccoon Trooper from JB Stetson, at 25% off.

If that doesn’t warm your cockles, then I don’t know what will!

Thanks for reading,

Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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