Nice Hat
by Joshua Wait
Along a cobblestone street in Budapest, a small hat shop sits a top a simple, stone step. The garish stores next door seek to crowd out its neighbor. With grace, charm and dignity, the little hat shop rose above the noise and invited us to come into the store.
The proprietor stood properly, quietly, and elegantly in her black dress. My wife browsed the rows of luxurious hats. She gave me that smile that says, “It’s pretty.” I gave her that smile that said, “So are you.” She expressed some worry about whether should we spend the money and I replied, “How often do you buy a hat in Budapest?” Of course a hat became a whole outfit, but she looked great. Who could say no?
The owner explained to us that she makes the hats and designs the outfits. While she coached us on how to properly wear the hat, she reflected on how we interacted with the clothes. Clothing design, she explained, requires an element of sociology because clothes create a message. A hat, when perched just so she explained, expresses a certain “je ne sais quoi.”
A nice hat needs an occasion to show themselves. Baseball caps take the trashing of everyday use, but a nice hat requires a moment. The hat can shout today’s my birthday, claim the universe for the dark lord of the sith, or simply say “I’m having fun. How about you?”
Back in the US, we drove along a nondescript street to a wedding in San Rafael. We saw dozens imperial stormtroopers from the Golden Gate Garrison lined up outside a plainly marked building. Yup, that would be my friend Garet’s wedding. Garet and his now wife serve as a part of the Golden Garrison of Star Wars. True to their love of a good time, and Star Wars, they had a Star Wars wedding.
We danced with R2-D2, we ate tie fighter burgers and we drank blue Bantha milk. I can’t get over how much fun we had. My wife wore her outfit from Budapest and I wore a suit with a nice hat from Munich. Sometimes a good hat helps you have a good time. A good hat can put you in a good mood and help you say life is worth celebrating.
May being the month of budding leaves, budding revolutions, and budding love, we sought to celebrate my wife's birthday amidst the parade of parties and protests. Having recently visited Paris, we decided on French cuisine. Our local expert for everything French recommended that we try out Chapeau! in San Francisco. We munched and crunched and swilled some of the most delightful food west of the Atlantic Ocean. When we finished the meal, the waiter called us a cab for us without our even having to remind him. The bill came to us in a nice hat. A chapeau, that is.
Buy a fun hat. Dress up. Pretend you're someone important. Because you are. You’re the one with the nice hat.