People ask me all the time: What’s with the hats?
The truth is, my love of hats goes way back. As early as I can remember, I felt like a hat made the whole look complete. It wasn’t just an accessory. It was the finishing touch, the attitude, the exclamation point.
My grandmother passed down the hat-hoarding gene to me. She also passed down many of her hats, which made them even more meaningful. She passed away in 2005. In one of those beautiful full-circle moments, my daughter was born exactly one year later, to the day.
A hat is a great expression of individuality.
Hats are more than fashion to me. They remind me of my grandmother. They carry memory, style, and spirit. Over time, they became part of how I express myself.
At this point, I have more than 50 hats, and I love that they’ve become one of my signatures. Once I took a strategic branding class, I decided to be even bolder about wearing them in my everyday life. After all, I’ve worn many hats in my career: dancer, DJ, student, producer, entrepreneur. It only makes sense that I wear them in my daily looks too.
I’ve worn many hats in my career, and a few fabulous ones on my head, too.
In the future, I’d love to create my own hat line. I’m inspired by longtime family friend Gladys Tamez, whose designs have been worn by artists like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift. What I love most is that her hats capture an attitude. When you put one on, you can’t help but feel like a badass.
The hat I’m wearing in the photo below is one of my favorite Gladys Tamez hats.
So if you’ve ever wondered what’s with the hats, now you know. They’re memory, style, confidence, and a little bit of personality all in one.
Jen X ♡