Sunday, January 05, 2014

Project Cubbins: Hat 224 - Peacock Prada Edition

Day 224: Hat 224: Peacock-feather covered straw hat. interior tag reads: "Prada, made in Italy," and still-attached hang tag reads: "Cappello, Size: M, Art. P7126, Colour: Naturale, Group Name: Cap Piume Fenic."

This fine-feathered fashion find is from the Bride's extensive headwear collection. She says she picked it up at the Prada store at the Desert Premium Outlets on the way to Palm Springs. "It was one of the best outlet finds I've ever scored," she says of having procured said peacockery.

Based on my cursory research, it appears this hat was part of the Spring/Summer 2005 runway collection shown in Milan back in September of 2004.

What I couldn't easily ascertain is why the hang tag uses the word fenic. "Cappello" translates from Italian as "hat," (and "cap" is apparently the same in both languages), "piume" means "plumage" and I expected trusty Google Translate to tell me that "fenic" meant "peacock." So I was surprised that it came up empty -- and asked: "Did you mean: fenice?" I don't think I did, but apparently "fenice" translates as "phoenix" -- a mythical bird with eye-catching plumage no doubt, but no peacock (which, by the way, is pavone in Italian).

Whatever the answer is, there's no denying it's Prada plumage at its finest -- so today's tip o' the feathered cap goes to the Bride for the loan.

Related:
PC 223: Rally Helmet 
PC 222: Stingy Made of Straw
PC 221: Riff Raffia

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!

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