by Robyn Yager | Wearing a hat requires confidence. To many of us, the addition of a topper to our everyday attire can feel entirely foreign, but when done right they can add a little extra personality to every outfit.

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Rachelle Cashato, head of Hastings Hattery (no pun intended), one of the newest arrivals to the western edge of Gastown and a descendant of The Granville Island Hat Shop, a retail store that doubles as a studio where hat enthusiasts can customize, alter, repair, and personalize their existing hats. Here’s what she had to say about how hats fit in your personal style and what we can expect when on the hunt for the perfect one at Hastings Hattery.

How do hats fit into personal style? Hats are really the defining accessory in personal style. Most of the people I have worked with over the years have a relationship with their hat. It becomes an old friend, a companion. It gives on the ability to express themselves in a way that no other fashion accessory does. I think our personal style is developed as we experience life and typically your hat is along for the ride.

For someone looking to start wearing hats, what kind of tips would you recommend to them to find the perfect one to suit their style? The basics are to find something that compliments one’s features. Making sure that you are wearing something you reall love and feel confident in will only accentuate your existing style. The nice thing about our new space is that we offer full restoration and custom work, so even if someone has a hat that they haven’t committed to wearing, we can often help find a way to adjust it and make it really work for them, so sometimes its not even about buying new, just working what you already have.

Hats can be a really tricky accessory – it can either pull a look together or totally throw it off. Why would you say hats are so dramatic in this sense? Drama is relative; 80 years ago you couldn’t walk down the street and see someone NOT wearing a hat. It’s all about confidence. Wear what you want and you will feel as comfortable as you do in your pj’s.

Do you have any favourite hat brands that you think do it really well? Any Canadian brands? Aside from all the amazing hats we make in our own studio here, I love Akubra – their Sydney is my go to hat; you can it in so many ways, and Cha Cha’s House of Ill Repute from New York. We have a lot of Canadian talent: Magill and Canadian Hat in Montreal, and Lilliput in Toronto.

Are there any particular styles of hat that you see as a trend right now? What do you think will be a trend in the next few seasons? Toppers, traditional and non-traditional – either super classy or very eccentric allowing for a lot of for personalization. I also have a lot of people bringing in hats they received from parents or grandparents that have sentimental value. We restore old hats to be worn so they can be enjoyed. We are also going back to personalized embossing on interior hat bands. We have a machine from the late 1800’s that we have had refurbished, embossing in gold leaf. It lets you put your own stamp on your hat, literally.

Hastings Hattery is located at 157 West Hastings Street (follow them on Instagram). Their sister store, Granville Island Hat Shop, can be found at 4-1666 Johnston Street at the Netloft.

– Photo of Rachelle Cashato by Anita Alberto.

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