Hot Hat

Ever since our friend J got a new chapeau at John Helmer, Dave's been getting that look. The one that says he just might be in the market. Not to buy one, mind you, but just look.

You see, he used to be quite the hat guy. You may have noticed the Kangol driving hat in the picture at left from a previous post. It rarely left his noggin even in the coldest of winters, when he was an intrepid reporter and photographer for a local paper. Maybe because he grew up experiencing the arctic conditions of winters in New England. (With the frostbitten ears to prove it.)

He also wore a hat when he posed rolling his own cigarette (yes, he used to smoke but gave it up long ago) when he sent the photo on the right to his pals back home. Just to let them know he'd given up the civilized life back East for something a bit wilder, more appropriate to a Northwesterner.

So when the chance came to go on a quick field trip to take some hat-loving friends to John Helmer, he jumped at the chance. To look, not necessarily to buy. But when he put on the gorgeous straw panama shown above and everyone in the shop gasped in awe, well, what could he do?