Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 219 - Winding Down (2013) with Washburn Edition

Day 219 / Hat 219: Brown, leather, stingy brim fedora (size large) with black and caramel patterned interior lining and matching hat band. Interior tag reads: "Goorin Bros., est. 1895."

It's a style called "Washburn," and here's the description of the hat from Goorin's website:

"Washburn is a signature Victor Reyes fedora from the XO Collection. This brown leather hat is accented by a custom woven fabric custom designed by Reyes for the XO line. Reyes is know for his bold use of organic pattern, meshed with hard edged line work."

This is the second of the hats I picked up at Goorin's sample sale in downtown L.A. a couple weeks back.(The first was Ms. Waldock's replacement hat, aka "PC 203: Trees on my Mind".)

I usually shy away from the stingy brim since my girth makes me feel like it's putting a party hat on a bowling pin, but the height of the crown on this here Washburn sort of compensates for it. 


VIDEO: Project Cubbins: The Road to 500

As this is the last installment of 2013, I feel obligated to offer a sincere tip of the hat to all those who generously donated their time, energy and much, much millinery to help make Project Cubbins a success. 
Your enthusiasm and support for my quest to don 500 pieces of headgear in 500 days has been truly amazing. 

Happy New Year!

Related:
PC 218: State Traditions
PC 217: 'Spies Like Us'
PC 216: Tschorn with Horns

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 218 - State Traditions Edition

Me with Hat 218 - in Fryman Canyon Park, Los Angeles
Day 218 / Hat 218: Green, 100% cotton baseball-style cap with gold embroidered outline of the state of Vermont (edged in white embroidery) on front and additional gold embroidery on back that reads: "State Traditions" in all caps.

Purchased at the Orvis flagship store in Manchester, Vermont, during my recent return to the 802, this hat is actually by a company called "State Traditions" (the name also appears on an interior tag). Here's a brief background from the label's website:

Based in Birmingham, Alabama, State Traditions creates top-notch, state and country-inspired apparel and accessories that reflect traditions across America and the world. The brand is the brainchild of friends Keith Brown and John McElrath, who were looking for a creative way to showcase their state pride both around town and at the stadium in the summer of 2007.

Nonetheless, the name got my brain moving in a different direction (as my brain Is wont to do) and I started thinking about state traditions in general.

Just off the top of my head (almost literally), Vermont's state traditions might include town meeting day, mud season and the mischievous practice of cow tipping -- though, as I've said many a time, I spent 30 years there and never actually saw a cow tipped or heard an earnest first-person confession of same.

I'm sure other Vermonters (aka "you shoobs") have additional traditions to add -- if so I encourage you to share them in the comments below. Same for you folks hailing from the other 49 as well. What does your home state do that none of the rest seem to do - or do as well?

I tip this penultimate hat of 2013 to the great state of Vermont, "Stella Quarta Decima," and its traditions -- new and old.

Related:
PC 217: Spies Like Us
PC 216: Throwin' Devil Horns
PC 215: A (Tiny) Fez on the Crown

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 217 -'Spies Like Us' Edition

Day 217 / Hat 217:  Trapper hat with black nylon exterior and rabbit fur trim. Interior tag reads Crowncap, Winnipeg, Canada.  

The Bride picked up this cold-weather hat - and another in blue for herself - at the Orvis Outlet in Manchester many years agon and we call them our "'Spies Like Us' hats because when we first wore them out into the Vermont snow it reminded me of the way Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase looked in the movie of that name. 

I wore this bad boy for my outing to the slopes yesterday and at one point the Bride looked over at me and said: "Your beard kind of matches the trim on the hat and you look like a mole with eyes."

Moving past the fact that moles actually do have eyes to begin with, her comment meant two things.

First, I had to add this bad boy to the Project. Second, , while it was a nice run (I haven't shaved since the moment I last left Vermont on September 29) it was time for the beard to go away.  

(Longtime readers of the Project might notice that this is far from the first trapper topper to join the ranks - see PC 135 and 145. 

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 216 - That Girl Got Devil Horns Edition

Me with Hat 216 (left), the Bride with same (center) and 'Thleen (right) at Bromley earlier the same day.

Day 216 / Hat 216: White knit wool hat with red intarsia devil horn design. Additional details include white wool pompom and polyester fleece lining. Interior tag reads: "Kate Spade New York, hats off."

This hat was a gift from me to the Bride last Christmas and is symbolic of her sometimes devilish nature. It wouldn't really be fair not to show it on its rightful head, so I'm also including a photo of it in its natural habitat taken earlier today at Bromley Mountain --during our first schuss of the season.

Related:
PC 215: Tiny Fez
PC 214: Naughty Pine
PC 213: Santa Claus Cap

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 215 - Fez for Ants Edition

Day 215 / Hat 215: Tiny red paper fez with black printed tassel detail and elastic cord. This fez -- the Project's third such distinctively shaped hat -- was one of six in a package of "Mini Party Hats" by NPW that was in the "elf bag" my mom gave me this Christmas.

Trust me, you'll see the other five in the future -- I think I'll carry 'em with me in case of future hat-mergencies.

In case you were curious, the first fez was PC 17: The Fez Looks Familiar and the second was  PC 96: Warm and Fezzy.

Today's hat-tip? That would go to my sainted mother Nancy.

Related:
PC 214: Naughty Pine
PC 213: Claus Cap
PC 212: Cousin Cap

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 214 - Troublemaking Tannenbaum Edition


Day 214 / Hat 214: Custom trucker-style hat with green mesh back and white foam front with printing that reads: "Naughty Pine" accompanied by a grinning and winking pine tree logo that's so naughty it makes the Grinch look like Mother Teresa (close-up above right) . Additional detail includes green terrycloth sweatband lining.

"Naughty Pine" is the nickname for  the 802 pied a terre, which in another era (say the late '80s or early '90s) might be colloquially referred to as a "party house.," and the punny name is also a reference to the fact that my in-laws' place next door is dubbed "All Pine." (Though I had, in all earnestness, suggested "Mostly Pine and One Son of a Birch.") 

This was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law Kathleen and with it she moves into the Project's rarified "Hat Angel" status. So a tip of the troublemaking tannenbaum bough toward 'Thleen.

Related:

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!


Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 213 - Merry Christmas Edition

Day 213 / Hat 213: Red velvet Santa Claus cap with white faux fur trim and jingle bell detail.

Taken in front of a roaring fire made of my own hand for strategic purposes -- there's only room for one Claus in this Casa!

This Santa lid actually belongs to Bear -- the somewhat life-size stuffed bear with poseable paws that currently resides in the Garlodge. Bear and his holiday hat came into our possession many years ago when we were spending our first Christmas on the West Coast (living on Larrabee Street in West Hollywood at the time) and came home to find Bear  -- in a humongous box -- standing in front of our apartment door. The sender? My father-in-law.

Bear and his jaunty (and exceedingly high-quality I might add) Santa Claus cap epitomize the true spirit of the holiday for me.

Today's tip o' the Christmas cap, therefore, goes to my father-in-law (aka "the Admiral").

Merry Christmas to all - and to all a good night!

Related:

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!




Project Cubbins: Hat 212 - Cap from a Cousin Edition

Day 212 / Hat 212: Khaki-colored, 100% cotton wide-brimmed hat with four screen-covered grommet vents on crown (two on left and two on right). Brown cotton hat band has gold embroidery that reads: "  USNPS."

Additional hat band detail includes gold and white pine cone embroidery and pin that reads: "Mississippi Forestry Commission."

An extraordinary hat with an extraordinary story that comes from my second cousin Bryan Tschorn (his grandfather and my grandfather were brothers) who presented it to me today when we finally reconnected some 15 years after we last saw each other face to face. A former fighter of forest fires, Bryan says of its provenance: "After you're in a fire, the guys exchange things. This was in a fire in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2006 and was given to me by Danny Moore."

I did a little bit of rooting around to see if I could track down whether this style of NPS hat had a name. While I couldn't find one (beyond "Wide-Brimmed Cotton Hat"), I stumbled across references to several extraordinarily comprehensive books and manuals discussing and dissecting the National Park Service Uniform in mind-boggling detail. Among them "National Park Service uniforms: Ironing Out the Wrinkles, 1920-1932" and a link to download "Reference Manual 43: NPS Uniforms" which says the following about headgear [emphasis in the original]:

Ranger Hats and Accessories
The ranger hat is the most important, recognized and respected symbol associated with  the NPS, and should be worn with pride and care with the Service Uniform outdoors or in an entrance station, and in most situations with the Field Uniform.

The same manual (which dates to October 2000) says the following about this version:

Wide-Brimmed Cotton Hat
-- Worn with the brim level (see standard for ranger hat)
-- Worn with the neck strap behind the neck unless needed to hold the hat on the head against wind, river rapids, etc.
-- Never modified to hold the brim in a position(s) different from supplier shipped (i.e., no Velcro™, pins, or other method to hold the brim up to the crown; chin strap is not used to hold the brim in a “cowboy hat” style)
-- Must be replaced once excessive fading or sweat stains are noticeable.

So today's sincere hat-tip goes to my cousin Bryan for his thoughtful gift to the Project and more generally to those who fight fires in any and all capacities.

Related:
PC 211: Tyrolean Monkey Business
PC 210: Knights of the Round Table
PC 209: Eight Oh Moose


Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 211 - Northern Tyrolean Monkey Business Edition

Day 211 / Hat 211:   Green, 100% loden wool Bavarian Tyrol hat with three-dent crown, two-inch brim Lodenhut.
folded up in the back and down in the front and braided cord hat band detail. Manufactured by

A pre-Christmas gift to the Project from my sister-in-law who found it at Orvis (here's the store's link), I discovered a couple of things in researching this hat.

First, Lodenhut (according to this description) was founded by one Konrad Stepanak and has been making headgear like this in Germany for some three generations.

Second, there isn't just one kind of Tyrolean hat -- there are several. Long-time readers may remember I featured a "vagabond-style" Tyrolean hat back at PC 02. The narrow brim and dented crown apparently make this the style prevalent in North Tyrol. North Tyrol for anyone who didn't know (I confess, I did not) is part of the Austrian state of Tyrol and according to this Wikipedia entry, borders Salzburg to the east and the Bavarian state of Germany to the north.

This style of hat, the interwebs tell me, is different from those toppers traditionally hailing from South Tyrol which apparently taper to a point on the crown and have a brim the width of a hand (so sayeth the Wikipedia entry on Tyrolean hats). Here's an example of that hat from an 1834 painting titled Knabe mit Tirolerhut und Äffchen (which translates as Boy with Tyrolean hat and monkey).

Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up.

So today's Tyrolean hat-tip goes to 'Thleen who is steadily moving into a hat-donor class all her own.

Related:
PC 210: Knights of the Round Table
PC 209: Eight Oh Moose
PC 208: Jingle Belle

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 210 - Knights of the Round Table Edition


Day 210 / Hat 210: Forest green trucker-style hat with mesh back and foam front. White embroidery on front reads (in all caps): "Knights of the Round Table, Wayside Country Store, Arlington, VT," with knight mascot in the center.

Yes, this is the second Wayside-related hat in a row, but hey, the road to 500 is a long one and a cat's gotta hat where he can.

Who are the aforementioned knights? Despite the look of the mascot (which to me screams -- make that chants -- Midwest college football)  they aren't a sports team. The Knights of the Round Table are the group of (mostly) men who congregate at the large, round plywood-top table between the deli area and my dad's S-curve rolltop desk at the Wayside starting at 4:30 a.m. on any given morning.

A rolling, loose-knit fraternity of crotchety armchair politicos, the one thing you can count on about the knights is that to the one they've got opinions and those opinions will be shared, vented and batted about around that table.

Even if the tablecloth that covers it were stripped away the table wouldn't be much to look at, but it has backstory as deep (if not deeper) than those who cluster around it, having come from the Sandgate hunting camp of a famed hunter/fisherman by the name of Lee Wulff.

Over the years, the knights and I have not always seen eye-to-eye on things (usually politics) and I remember one morning years ago when I was opening the store one fellow (Ray Smith, I think) got me so agitated I accidentally poured two pots of water into the one-pot coffee maker.

Still, the knights have character and if there's one thing I like as much as fantastical headgear it's character, so today's sincere hat tip goes to the Knights of the Round Table at the Wayside Country Store.

Related:
PC 209: Eight Oh Moose
PC 208: Jingle Belle
PC 207: 6X Silverbelly

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!





Saturday, December 21, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 209 - Makin' a Moose of the 802 Edition

Day 209 / Hat 209: Pink baseball-style cap with black embroidery that reads "802" with brown embroidered moose detail in the middle of the "0."

For those of you unfamiliar with such things (I swear I've mentioned it in prior posts but looking back I see no evidence) 802 is the area code for the Green Mountain State. Yes, that's right --  the entire state.

And, despite there being several moose warning signs along the various and sundry byways of this southern stretch of the 802, I have never, in all my years here, actually seen a moose on the loose.

This was kindly snapped at the Wayside Country Store (where you can buy one of these bad boys for $16.99) by Liz Zakrzewski who is one of the store's employees -- and youngest child of a guy I grew up knowing as "Ted the Telephone Guy." (Go back and look at that mouthful of a last name and you'll know why ...)

So today's winter solstice hat tip goes to the Wayside -- with an assist to Liz!

Related:
PC 208: Jingle Belle
PC 207: Six X Silverbelly
PC 206: Jingle Baller [VIDEO]

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 208 - Jingle Belle Edition

Day 208 / Hat 208: Pink, sparkly Santa Hat with white faux-fur trim pomp-pom.

Gettin' my Christmas on in a big way today -- or at least headed in that direction at a high rate of speed -- with bells on.

Related:
PC 207: Six X Silverbelly
PC 206: Clone Trooper
PC 205: Jingle Baller

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 207 - Six X Silverbelly Edition

Day 207 / Hat 207: Gray Stetson cowboy hat with gray grosgrain hat band. Interior printing reads: "XXXXXX, Stetson, Made in USA," and size tag reads: "7 1/2." Brim measures approximately 3 1/2 inches and crown is 4 inches from brim to dimple. While I couldn't immediately identify this particular hat on the storied brand's website, I was able to identify the shade of gray -- which Stetson calls "Silverbelly."

This is the second loaner lid from Lisa B. (the first was yesterday's Clone Trooper helmet) and I wanted to make sure I included it in the Project before it got lost in the holiday shuffle.

It is also happens to mark the second Stetson to be featured here -- the first was some 157 hats ago with PC 50 back in July.

All those Xs mean this hat is what's called a "6X." So what does that mean exactly? I wasn't sure until I started digging. Here's what  found at Stetson's FAQ:

The quality of the hat body used to make a hat is the main factor that determines the X’s. In felt it is determined by the percentage of fur’s [sic] used in making the hat body. We use beaver, mink, chinchilla and other animal fur to make bodies. The mixture of which furs we use determines the X’s.

A non-Stetson site (which, in all honesty, I happened to like simply because it referred to the the Stetson as "the Cadillac of hats") posits that the Xs were originally a price-point designation and that the mix of animal furs used by the company in its hats over the years has changed so much that it doesn't serve any purpose at all -- other than as a sales gimmick. (You can read the more nuanced discussion here.)

Never mind the Xs, though, today's tip o' the ten-gallon goes, as it did yesterday, to Lisa Boone.

Related:
PC 205: the Jingle Baller [VIDEO]
PC 204: Adam of Arabia
PC 199: The Hipster Before Xmas

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 206 - Lone Clone Trooper Edition


Day 206 / Hat 206: White plastic Hasbro Clone Trooper Electronic Helmet with gray and black accents and smoked gray visor.

After yesterday's hat I felt like I needed a non-holiday piece of headgear as a palate (pate?) cleanser and this loaner to the Project from co-worker Lisa Boone seemed like a good candidate.

Boone says of its provenance: "It was left at our house by one of my son's friends who was using as a protective helmet when they were playing Airsoft." (I felt like the world's most out of touch dude when I had to ask what this "Airsoft" thing is. Four words: one of them is "guns" and the other three are "spherical non-metallic pellets.")

I have to admit that when I started this post, I wasn't exactly sure what sci-fi property this referenced so , before I started digging I pinged my nerdwing (I just made that up -- it's a your wing man or wing woman for all things nerdish) -- my sister-in-law Kathleen with a photo to get positive identification.

'Thleen did not disappoint -- she responded in less than five minutes. After initially thinking this might be a "Star Wars" Boba Fett situation (which would have made for an awesome "Boba Fettish" headline) she pinged me back to let me know that while it is, indeed,  from the "Star Wars" franchise it's actually a clone trooper. Her e-mail included this actual line: "Apologies - subtle difference in the mouthpiece shape."

She also included supporting photographic evidence -- of a figure from her work pod's Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar.

So, while today's tip o' the helmet goes to Lisa Boone, the assist definitely goes to 'Thleen! (Best. Nerdwing. Ever.)

Related:
PC 205: The Jingle Baller [VIDEO]
PC 204: Adam of Arabia
PC 128: Skywalker Firefighter

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!  

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 205 - The Jingle Baller Edition [VIDEO]


Day 205 / Hat 205: Red and green polyurethane foam Christmas elf cap with red bell and Christmas light details. When a button on the side is pushed, a mechanism inside the cap starts playing the song "Jingle Bells" and the bell-festooned tip of the cap starts flopping back and forth like a beached carp. Interior tag reads: "Dan Dee Collector's Choice, made in China."

I chose this hat (which I believe was originally procured by 'Thleen)  for today since it's the annual  Features section holiday potluck lunch and this treads -- and then quickly crosses -- the festive/annoying line.

Since it's the motion of the millinery that makes this lid so magic, I couldn't resist including a video of it in full flapping glory (the fancy camera work is courtesy of the Bride).

It's embedded below, and if it doesn't put you in the creepy office party holiday mood then I don't know what will.



Related:
PC 204: Adam of Arabia
PC 202: Big Head / Tiny Cap
PC 189: Elf Off the Shelf

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!  

Monday, December 16, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 204 - Adam of Arabia Edition


Day 204 / Hat 204: White cotton keffiyeh held in place with a with blue- and gold-colored agal. Perhaps the oldest piece of headgear in my possession, my friend Eve brought it back for me as a memento of her trip to Israel and Egypt in the summer of 1985 after spending a year studying abroad in France (we'd met during my freshman year at UVM).

I've had this special piece of headgear ready for the Project since wearing it on Halloween, and when I heard that Peter O'Toole had passed away on Saturday, I knew it would be an appropriate homage to the"Lawrence of Arabia" star, who could rock the keffiyeh like no other actor before or since.
Peter O'Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia."

To tell you the truth, I wasn't actually sure until I started poking around the interwebs  this morning that it was a keffiyeh --  I'd always associated that term with Arafat's distinctively patterned signature number -- but according to the Wikipedia entry for the headdress:

"British Colonel T. E. Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) was probably the best-known Western wearer of the keffiyeh. He wore a plain white one with agal during his involvement in the Arab Revolt in World War I." 


A little trivia for you: it apparently takes its name from the city of Kufa (currently in modern-day Iraq near Najaf) and alternative names for it (the headdress, not the city) include ghutrah and shemagh.

While today's hat tip goes to my dear friend Eve for the memento from many moons ago, we feel it necessary to momentarily doff our keffiyeh in the memory of the later, great Peter O'Toole.




Related:
PC 203: Tree Squirrels
PC 202: Teeny Tiny Elf Cap
PC 201: Fish-Morphic Millinery

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!  

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 203 - Trees on My Mind Edition


Day 203 / Hat 203: Brown knit hat with three horizontal stripes of light brown and one of white with brown intarsia letters that spell out the word: "TREES." Additional details include white pom-pom on top and light brown embroidered squirrel. Interior tag reads: "Goorin, Est. 1895. Sample not for resale, made in China."

This is just one of the many pieces of fine-looking headgear I snapped up today at the Goorin Brothers sample sale (despite the admonishment in the tag I did buy it - and  the others) in downtown Los Angeles today.

Rest assured you'll be seeing the rest of the lids in further installments of the Project, but after today this hat is off my head, out of my hands and in the mail to one Ms. Margaret Waldock -- former flame and loaner of hats 194 ("Knights in Gray Plastic") and 192 ("Leaning Letter Lid").

See, I take these headgear loans very seriously, and when MW sent me a box o' hats she sent a whole hat trick's worth - but the box arrived open, damaged and with only two hats inside. The missing hat, I'm told, was apparently the kind one uses to insulate one's self from the cold seasonal weather common on the East Coast this time of year and Ms. Waldock had hoped I'd send it back post-haste.

Due to what I can only assume was its theft while in U.S. Postal Service custody (personally I'd have made off with the chada - hardly as practical but much more of a conversation starter) I am unable to "get it back safe and sound" (as I promise below), but my hope is that this hat might be some measure of recompense.

I thought the "TREES" hat was an appropriate choice since MW in her efforts on behalf of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation (she directs the foundation's environmental grants) probably spends a good deal of time thinking about trees and the like. (Yes, come to think of it you could say she went from hugging me to hugging trees.)

So today's hat tip goes to she who speaks for the trees (and the fields, and the rivers and park lands) -- thanks Mags!




Related:
PC 202: Big Elf - Tiny Cap
PC 201: Fishy Headwaters
Walter White's Heisenberg hat from 'Breaking Bad' is back for the holidays


OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 202 - Tiny Hat, Big Elf Edition


Dry 202 / Hat 202:  Red and green felt elf cap barrette with jingle bell detail. Loaned to the Project form the Bride's accessories vault.

She bought this two Christmases ago at the Claire's after-Christmas sale at the University Mall in South Burlington, Vermont, during a visit with my sister and her family. (We had dinner at Applebee's if I'm not mistaken.)

"Let it never be said that I can't find something to buy in any corner of the world," notes the Bride.

It should be noted that as I lack anything hair-wise for the barrette to clip to, this photo required the use of a quite long -- and painful to remove -- strip of Scotch brand cellophane tape.


Related:
PC 201: Convertible Fish Head
PC 200: Rollin' Toward 500
PC 199: The Xmas Hipster

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 201 - Convertible Fish Head Edition



Day 201 / Hat 201: Pink and white corrugated paper fish decoration with pink foam top fin and plastic eye details that folds out into a full-blown hat!

Possibly the coolest of the series to date, this piscatorial piece of headgear was loaned to the Project by our Travel section editor Catharine Hamm (who previously provided PC 71's hachimaki). She says she picked this sea creature up back in October at the Village Venture Arts & Crafts Faire in Claremont, Calif.

Although I've tried to give you an idea of what it looks like before and after in the above photos, it's the kind of thing that begs for a video of the transition from decoration to headgear which, at first, made me sad that I'd left my trusty iPhone at home today.

Then I found the below video on Youtube which is even better for several reasons. First, dude man has a British accent. Second, he seems deadly serious about his demonstration. Third, at the end of the video he puts the hat back on in a way that makes me laugh really, really hard.

So, today's hat tip goes to Catherine Hamm for her gracious loan of an awesome creation -- and random Youtube video guy for bring a little lid-related levity into my day.



Related:
PC 200: Rolling Like a Stone Toward 500
PC 199: The Hipster Before Christmas
PC 198: Total Rykiel

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 200 -- Rolling Like a Stone Toward 500 Edition




Day 200 / Hat 200: Black, baseball-style snap-brim hat with red button on top, red, black and white embroidered Rolling Stones lips and tongue logo on front, red and white embroidered "50" on wearer's left and "The ROLLING 5T0NES" embroidered on back. Interior tags read: "The Rolling Stones 50 Years" and "2013 Musidor B.V. Under license to Bravado Merchandising. All Rights Reserved."

Video: "Project Cubbins: The Road to 500"

Loaned to the Project by Team Boucher, I felt it was an appropriate milestone hat for number 200 since the Mick and the boys have reached a milestone of their own, rolling as they have for a full half-century now -- well 51 years at this point (the band formed in London n 1962)..

I couldn't resist including a little background on what may be the most famous logo in rock 'n' roll. Designed by Jon Pasche in 1970, and first appearing on the band's Sticky Fingers album, the original artwork is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, which bought it at auction for $92,500.

Here's an excerpt fro the V&A Museum's website:

"Pasche was commissioned to produce the logo after Jagger approached the Royal College of Art in London in 1969 to help him find a design student - the Stones had been frustrated by the bland designs offered by their record label Decca Records. Subsequently, Jagger visited Pasche's degree show and this led to discussions for a logo and other work for the Stones's own label, Rolling Stones Records, after the group's contract ended with Decca Records in 1970."

So it's a hat tip to Team Boucher, a shout out to the Stones as I keep on rolling toward 500 hats.

Oh, and I don't usually tip my hat hand but I've got to say tomorrow's hat is going to be something really, really special.

Related:
Hat One: Let the Games Begin
Hat One Hundred: Natty Boater
Hat One Hundred and Fifty: Austin-Powered Beanie

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!





Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 199 - The Hipster Before Christmas Edition


Day 199 / Hat 199: Black-and-white-striped woven fedora with black grosgrain hatband screen-printed with the smiling visage of Jack Skellington from "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas." Interior tags read: Disney Parks, Authentic, Original" and "100% straw, Made in China."

Another loan to the Project from the magical millinery holdings of Team Boucher, I'm not sure what amazes me more: the fact that is is just one of several  available options for an authentic Jack Skellington themed fedora (go ahead, search the interwebs, we'll wait) or the fact that the movie came out twenty years and two months ago.

Oh, and if anyone happens to own one of these Goorin Brothers Walter White Heisenberg pork pie hats, I'd love to borrow it for the Project.

So today's hat-tip goes to Team Boucher who just keeps bringin' it!

Related: 

PC 198: Total Rykiel
PC 190: Makin' Census
PC 128: Skywalker Firefighter

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 198 - Totally Recalled Rykiel Edition

Day 198 / Hat 198: Fuzzy black knit beret with gold "SR" pin detail and interior tag that reads: "Sonia Rykiel Paris, made in France."

This is the last (at least for now) of the bountiful headgear series served up to the Project by Ingrid "How Many Hats?" Schmidt, and one that she brought into the office then took away and then, at my urging, brought back for its close-up.

Consider it the recalled Rykiel.

A sincere doff of the beret to Ingrid for her tireless efforts at populating the Project!

(Oh, and if you look hard enough you can see the number 198 in the upper left of the photo on the whiteboard - the contrast was not as good as I'd hoped but it's there!)

Related:
PC 131: Black, Hairy Beret
PC 176: Luxe Leather Beret
PC 185: Sparkly Barry Beret

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Monday, December 09, 2013

Project Cubbins: Hat 197 - Winter Laker Lid Edition


Day 197 / Hat 197: Purple, gold and white striped cuffed knit  hat with shag pom-pom in the same colors. Details include an embroidered Los Angeles Lakers logo on one side of the rolled up cuff, and a purple Adidas logo on the other.

Interior tags read: "100% acrylic," "adidas.com," and one tag simply bears the NBA logo and the Los Angeles Lakers logo side by side.

A cold-weather Lakers lid both a nod to the unusually cold L.A. weather (I actually had to scrape my car window this morning - the horror!) and the Lakers superstar point guard Kobe Bryant's return to the basketball court for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon back in mid-April.

It wasn't exactly a triumphant return for Bryant, and the Lakers ended up losing to the Toronto Raptors, 106-94, but I'm confident that Bryant -- like the L.A. weather -- will be warming up to what we're used in no time at all.

Oh, and since this cozy piece of headgear was pilfered from the Bride's hat-stash, she gets today's obligatory hat tip.


Related:
PC 196: Antler Clause
PC 157: Let's Go Lakers!
Kobe Bryant on boxing shoes, muses and sutures, Nike unveils the Kobe 9 shoe

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!