James Wah-Shee
First of all, it’s very comfortable. I usually wear it during the spring and summer. I can’t wear it during the winter months, of course. It goes well with my casual outfit, and also when I wear a white shirt, a tie or dress pants, a hat also goes with that quite well. I got it from Mark’s Work Wearhouse. It’s not only me that wears a hat like this. I’ve seen this kind of hat worn by a lot of young people. They always ask me ‘Where did you buy your hat?’ I wear other hats as well. I wear a cowboy hat. A muskrat-fur hat during the winter months. But I find this particular hat is very comfortable. Very comfortable.
Walter Brown
Describe your hat for me.
It’s a beret. A purple colour, a beautiful purple colour. Made by Wit’s End on Denman Island, B.C., and I’ve had this hat for, I think, 20 years almost. It still holds together really well. Light as a feather, really well-made. It’s warm, and it’s good in the sun or the rain. And I often get mistaken for being from Europe or something.
Is it something you wear just during spring, or all year round?
Whenever it’s warm enough to wear it. I’ve got other hats for the real cold winter days.
What drew you to it?
I met the guy who was making it. Through friends here. I was down on Denman Island visiting and I saw what he had and it just struck me as something really practical. And at the time I actually bought 10 of them and gave more or less the rest of them away. I think I still have one more stashed away.
Frank Chaffee
I’m wondering about your hat. How long you’ve had it for, where you got it.
Couple years. I had another one, but it got spoiled. I picked this one up in Calgary. Travelin’ down to Saskatoon.
Do you wear it often?
Always. Pretty well.
What’s the style? Is it a cowboy hat?
It’s just something I like when I seen it. Usually I wear a bigger one, one of those floppy Australian hats. That’s the kind I like. This was a good price. Forty-nine dollars.
Robert Sexton
Describe the style of your hat.
It is a salt-and-pepper hat from Newfoundland.
How long have you had it for?
Ooh. At least 20 years. It was given to me by my grandfather.
How often do you wear it?
Usually in the spring and summer and fall, when it’s sunny. Maybe several times a week.
Do you have any other hats?
No. Just this one.
Ana Strbac
Can I get you to describe your style?
I’ve been really into black and white lately, because when I was in school our dress code was actually all black — yeah, it was really weird. So ever since then I’ve kind of stuck with very simple black and white pieces because they’re super basic and just kind of easy to put together. And if you want to dress it up more, like having a bolder colour with it, like a bright neon kind of pink, or a bright blue, I just think it kind of pulls everything more together.
Do you often wear red lipstick? Or is this just a spring thing?
In the winter, I’m more into burgundy, into more darker colours. In the springtime, I really like white more than black. I think it looks a lot fresher and more put together and professional, too. You can really wear it anywhere and it just brings brightness into the room and you can contrast it more with a brighter, bolder colour.
Lynda Yonge
I notice your jacket. I’m wondering if you can tell me a little bit about it.
Sure. This is the first thing my husband ever bought me off eBay. Many, many, many years ago. It’s from the 1960s, and it was the beginning of a bit of an obsession for him, with both leopard-skin and eBay. Luckily, he’s now been cured.
Find the previous installments of Angela’s fashion photography here.
