Happy First Day of School to all my fellow teachers out there! In celebration of summer ending, I vacationed to good ol' Colonial Williamsburg, which I have dubbed, "The Loveliest Place on Earth." While there, I had to do what Colonials did and wore a gorgeous straw hat; lest me remind you all, I am 
so not a hat person, so the fact that I wore a hat all over Virginia definitely made it to the top ten list of "Things Olivia Does Not Do." However, I adore this hat. The straw was light to wear, easy to hold when not on my head, and totally jived with every one of my outfits. Either with my loose white top and white jeans, or with my dress and jean jacket, even with my cowboy boots, the hat went perfectly. I was more than pleasantly surprised that it didn't bother me to wear it, the brim didn't hinder my eyesight, and it looked good with my hair up or down. Sounds like the perfect hat to me.
Even though my ideal hat is as simple as can be, I love the idea of ribbons and bows on hats, as well. This is why I love the Natural Straw Sun Hat from Nadine New York. The Panama style hat is "Trimmed with grosgrain ribbon roses that are sweet but still a little on the wild side. Ribbon edge binding finishes the look." I think the roses are classy, traditional, yet add a perfect twist to a straw hat; the wide ribbon adds a very elegant character to the hat, making it able to be dressed up or down. Also, contact Nadine if you want another color ribbon (perhaps to match a dress or coat of yours?).
What to wear with the hat?
For the perfect...
...date night style: Pair the hat with the Knotted Back Floral Dress.
...first day of school outfit: Wear the hat with the Blurred Floral Knit Dress.
...night out with the girls ensemble: The hat will complement the Dainty Flower Chiffon Dress.
...errands around town look: Match the hat with the Nina Ruffled Dress.
