Put on your Easter Bonnet!

I had some fun with my Easter Sunday wardrobe this year, so I thought I'd share.  I kind of have a thing for hats, and was so excited when I found this fascinator on eBay:

Normally I spread my crafty wings and make my own Easter bonnet out of various materials.  But after last year's Peeps in Easter Grass millinery confection, I thought maybe I would delve a little further into the world of hats and purchase a legit chapeau made by someone with experience.

Hats aren't really a popular accessory these days, at least in the United States.  It makes finding anything beyond a simple straw hat or fedora rather difficult.  And I wanted a real hat, like the Brits would wear. 

British women seem to have a hat for every occasion, and I'm always jealous of their style and flair.  I don't know why American women don't strive for a little more class, but I think it probably has something to do with Kim Kardashian and her "trampy hooker" style being featured on the cover of every magazine.

Anyhow, as with any item I can't find locally, I plugged my request into Google, and found my fabulous fascinator.  I feel like British royalty in it, which was exactly what I was looking for.  I wanted a look that said "Kate Middleton".

If I'm ever on Project Runway (unlikely, as I'm not the most skilled seamstress, but a girl can dream) I'm totally naming Kate Middleton as my style icon.  I just love her.  She dresses so elegantly and age-appropriate, but still looks adorable and young and fresh.  And I love that she wears clothing more than once.  I wish that more girls would try to emulate her style instead of the tacky, over-priced, disposable looks that are so trendy right now.

I decided to pair my gray hat with a frothy little dress that had some gray bits in the fabric.  Despite Tim Gunn's hatred of "matchy-matchy", I just can't help myself: my OCD requires that articles of clothing are color coordinated.  I probably would have chosen sheer stockings and sandals for my look, but Upstate New York is a bit nippy even at the end of March, and I have eczema that requires hiding, so I went with gray tights and found some cute flats that wouldn't make my twisted ankle any worse.  Finally, I dug around my jewelry armoire and found some cute enamel earrings and a pearly bracelet.

I think it's pretty cute.  I won't be winning any style awards for my look, but I felt comfortable and fabulous in it!  I'll never be considered "fashion-forward", and I've decided that I really don't care.  I am going to start making my own style and stop worrying about what other people think about it!

And I am totally embracing the hat movement.  Seriously.  I am not only going to wear a hat to every special occasion, I am going to ROCK it.