Project Cubbins: Hat 258 - Bangin' Buttons Edition

Day 258 / Hat 258: Black, baseball-style cap with gold metallic studded snapback brim and front festooned with gold metallic
buttons, gold metallic spikes, faux gemstones and one gold metallic jaguar head (which you can see way over on the right if you look carefully).

The Bride picked this bangin' button lid up earlier in the week at a place she stumbled across called Pinktown USA (which is located at 868 6th Ave. between 30th and 31st streets).

There's not much else to say except that all the metalwork up top makes this a heavier hat than most of the ones I've plopped atop my head to date.

Oh, and when I tried it on in the front of the Bride for the first time she took one look at me and said: "Missy Elliot!"

Related:

PC 257: Pink Nepalese Mohawk
PC 256: Ain't Ain't Laurent
PC 255: Pompom Wonderful

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 257: Pink Nepalese Mohawk Edition

Pink knit hat with fringe Mohawk detail interior tag reads: "Nirvanna Designs, handmade in Nepal, 80% wool, 20% polyester."

This is another one of the Bride's impulse hat purchases this week. She bought this pink one for herself and a similar (but oh so boyish) one for me at the same pop-up hat store earlier this week.

"Pink Nepalese Mohawk" sound like it should be the name of a weird bar shot or a wrestling move.

But no, it's just a hat. But if anyone has weird bar shot ideas, I'm all wool-covered ears.

Nirvanna Designs' pop-up shop, for those of you might find yourselves in NYC, will be at 736 Broadway Street through February 28, 2014.

RELATED:

PC 256: Ain't Ain't Laurent

PC 255: Pompom Wonderful

PC 254: Train on the Brain

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 256 - Ain't Ain't Laurent Edition

Day 256 / Hat 256: Black knit beanie with gold all upper-case embroidery that reads: "Ain't Laurent."

The embroidered slogan is, of course, a play on the esteemed French brand "Saint Laurent" (recently shortened from "Yves Saint Laurent." It's the kind of luxury brand parody popularized by Los Angeles-based designer Brian Lichtenberg, whose riffs on famous names, logos and typefaces includes Homiés (riffing on Hermès) and Féline (a nod to Céline) appear on T-shirts, sweatshirts and yes, black knit beanies with gold embroidery.

But this hat, found at a street vendor's table by the Bride during her Wednesday headgear binge (the final total was at least four - maybe five -- lids) is most assuredly not a a Brian Lichtenberg hat. First of all, Lichtenberg's wares may mock luxury labels but they aren't made on the cheap, his black knit beanies are made in the U.S.A. and will run you $48 at retail. This one, by comparison, cost the Bride all of $5.

Second of all, when I put it on it feels like I'm wearing pantyhose on my head. It lacks any fiber content tag (never a good sign)  but my best guess is it's spun from pure acrylic and would likely catch flame within two feet of a 60-watt light bulb.

No, this is no parody. This is, as the Bride so aptly put it, a knockoff of a parody.

Once I started poking around the interwebs to see if Lichtenberg had created items with the above slogan, I did find a site selling T-shirts, sweatshirts and $36 trucker hats emblazoned with a slightly longer version (Ain't Laurent without Yves") but I agree with the Bride's conclusion: "This ain't Ain't Laurent."

True that.

Related:
PC 255: Pompom Wonderful
PC 254: Auto Train Your Headgear
PC 253: Tam o' Shouldbe

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 255 - Pompom Wonderful Edition

Day 255 / Hat 255: Rib knit blue cap by Jocelyn with fur pompom on top. Interior tag reads: "Knit 100%
acrylic, 100% real fur, dyed sheared rabbit, fur origin China, made in China, professional fur care only."

This hat was recently purchased in New York City by the Bride in advance of the current "state of emergency" storm that blew into town, dumped several inches of snow and caused subway-stalling power outages. Of its provenance she says: "I got it at a little store on Madison."

A cursory search of the interwebs indicates this to be Jocelyn's "Nolan" style hat.

As for the pompom -- which can also be rendered as pom-pom (or, less frequently, pom-pon) it can be traced to the French word pompon, which refers to a small decorative ball made of fabric or feathers.

Related:
PC 254: Auto Train Your Headgear
PC 253: Tam o' Shouldbe
PC 252: Domino's Effect

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 254 - How to (Amtrak Auto) Train Your Dragon Edition

Day 254 / Hat 254: One hundred percent cotton, baseball-style cap with red crown, black brim,  black accent embroider and black button on top. Multi-color embroidery on front depicts a train (headed toward the wearer's right) pulling three train flatbed cars loaded with automobiles. Below the train silhouette are the words: "Amtrak Auto Train, Lorton, Virginia," with the last two words appearing in a seal that includes two palm trees.

The first of many pieces of fine headgear handed off to me Sunday in a Sheraton parking lot by my kid sister Sue who presented me, I kid you not with an entire shopping bag crammed with hats! (If that's not love, I don't know what is.)

She and her family availed themselves of the aforementioned Auto Train on the way back from a Christmastime trek down the Eastern Seaboard to Florida to visit family. For anyone unfamiliar, you basically load your car on the train, kick back and let Amtrak do the driving for the 900 miles between Sanford, Florida, on the southern end and Lorton, Virginia, to the north, after which you climb back behind the wheel and drive to your final destination.)

While I have never been on that particular train, I often avail myself of Amtrak -- most recently yesterday from Albany to NYC after my original travel plans proved logistically daunting (at first) and then physically impossible due to storm-related flight cancellation.

A sincere hat tip to sister Sue and her family for loaning said hat sack.

Related:
PC 253: Tam o' Shouldbe
PC 252: Domino's Effect
PC 251: Glam White Trapper

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 253 - Tam o' Kinda Sorta Edition

Day 253 / Hat 253: Pink and black check beret with pompom. Interior tag reads: Burberry London, 100% lambswool, made in England, dry clean only."

I cribbed this cap out of the hall closet at Naughty Pine in the wee early hours of the mornin'. Based on the color, I'd have to wager it belongs to the Bride.

Why am I using words like "wee" and "mornin'"? Because I desperately wanted this to be a good, old-fashioned tam o' shanter (nothing against berets, mind you, i just like mixing up the millinery and I've already included beaucoup berets.)

Alas, 'tis not to be -- technically speaking anyway -- based on the following description posted to Wikipedia:

"Taking the form of the brimless, bonnet cap that began to be worn throughout northwestern Europe during the 15th century, the Tam o' Shanter is usually made of wool and has a toorie (pom-pom) in the centre. This distinguishes it from other folk bonnets such as the beret, for instance. Although brimless, the ToS has an external hatband which passes around the head's circumference, and this, too, distinguishes it from the beret: berets are either band-less where the beret meets the head, or have an internal hatband."

Brimless bonnet cap? Check. Wool? Check. Toorie (aka pompom)? Check. External hatband? Aye, there's the rub. This bad boy has an internal, elastic hatband, which makes it tam o' close but no cigar.

Oh, and that photobombing fish in the background wearing a warm knit cap of his/her own? That's Gilly the house trout at Naughty Pine. 

Related:
PC 252: Two Dudes and a Domino's Hat

PC 251: Glam Trapper

PC 250: A Pork Pie for Halfway

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 252 - The Domino's Effect Edition

Day 252 / Hat 252: Black, baseball-style cap with red, white and blue embroidered Domino's Pizza logo on front. Graciously loaned to the Project by my nephew Preston McClary ( in the photo with me) who, at the time of the snap was headed to his job at the aforementioned pizza chain.

I had hoped to snare a football helmet to commemorate the big game but figured this was equally appropriate given how much pizza is bound to be consumed today. (Or perhaps even more appropriate given the fact that more people will be eating pizza than playing football.)

I was in Burlington, Vermont, today for my godson Spencer's confirmation (he's Preston's younger brother). The laundry list of novel experiences that today served up --in addition to the confirmation - include: meeting a bishop, watching a man in a Winnie the Pooh costume give a smaller Winne the Pooh doll to an even smaller and freshly baptized baby, and spotting a two-hump camel (that'd be a Bactrian as opposed to a one-humped Dromedary) standing in a semi-frozen field just off Route 7 in Ferrisburg, Vermont.  (Take my word for it: Seeing a camel in an unexpected setting is more off-putting than you might think.)

So a sincere hat-tip to Preston (his second - see link to PC 53 below) for the loan - and a happy Groundhog Day to all. If I had to live one day over and over again (a la Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day") until I got it absolutely right, I could hardly have picked one more entertaining. 

Camels and all.

Related:

PC 251: Glam Trapper

PC 250: A Pork Pie for Halfway

PC 52: Two Guys and a Tricorne 

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 251 - Glam White Trapper Edition

Day 251 / Hat 251: White, 100% polyester faux fur trapper-style hat with white grosgrain ribbon ties.
Interior tag reads: "Broner: Wear It."

I'm glad this glam piece of headgear is faux fur because the color and texture reminds me very much of some of the pet rabbits we had as kids. Interior tag reads: "Made in China."

Another generous loaner from The Headwear Association sample closet, it's from Auburn Hills, Michigan, based Broner Hat & Glove Company which can trace its origins back to 1933 Detroit. According to Broner's site, the name of this style (68-336) is "Destination Unknown."

While that's not exactly where I'm headed right this very moment, as the wise and sagacious Donald Rumsfeld once put it: "There are the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns."

It's that known unknown I'm getting ready to wear like a hat.

Related:
PC 250: A Slice of Porkpie
PC 249: Rappers' Red Bucket
PC 248: Stuffed into a Speedo

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 250 - A Serving of Porkpie Takes Me "Hatfway" to 500 Edition

Day 250 / Hat 250: Black fur felt porkpie hat with "Bailey of Hollywood, Est. 1922" with 1 3/8-inch snap brim,  embroidered in white on crown of black silk-like fabric lining. Additional detail includes black grosgrain ribbon hatband with bow detail and small feather tucked into bow (which is on wearer's right side). Attached hangtag identifies it as style 6104.

What makes it a porkpie (also spelled as two words "pork pie") is the distinctive shape and crease of the crown. Perhaps it actually does resemble the delicious-sounding pork-and-pastry foodstuff it's named after but I've never laid eyes on (much less consumed) a pork pie.

Despite the name, the hats aren't actually made in Hollywood, a second attached hangtag says "Bailey Fur Felts are made in our Pennsylvania factory from premium European beaver and rabbit fur felt hoods."

A distinctive lid for a distinctive guy, famous on-screen sporters of same include Walter White's "Heisenberg" alter ego in "Breaking Bad," Art Carney's Ed Norton character in "The Honeymooners," Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection," and, of course Buster Keaton whose frequent wearing of porkpies (which he apparently made himself by converting fedoras and other hats)  was responsible for a surge in popularity back in the 1920s.

And, with this generous serving of porkpie (another loaner from The Headwear Association), I cross a major millinery milestone and am officially halfway ( or is that "hatfway"?) to my stated goal of sporting a hat a day for 500 days.

I think I might just make it. Who's with me?

Related:
PC 001: Straw Scala (let the games begin!)
"Project Cubbins: The Road to 500" [Video]
PC 249: Red Kangol at Night, Rappers' Delight

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 249 - Red Kangol at Night, Rappers' Delight Edition

Day 249 / Hat 249: Scarlet red Kangol "Casual" style bucket hat with navy blue contrast edge and red, white and blue striped headband and white embroidery on front of kangaroo logo and brand name . The interior tag tells us the hat is 54% acrylic and 46% worsted wool and the headband is 100% nylon.

While the Project has had several Kangol caps in the mix over the last 248 installments (see PC 225: Mr. Bubble Player), my "safety hat" from last New York Fashion Week (PC 103) and a really early addition (PC 8), this one, described at website as blending "the classic shape of the Casual with inspiration from the famous Monty Beret" is special - for two reasons.

First, it's a special hat from Kangol's Spring/Summer 2013 collection that marks the label's 75th anniversary. (A fact noted in a navy blue patch sewn into the inside of the crown, which includes the kangaroo logo, the dates 1938-2013 and  the words "established in England.")

As such, the hang tag attached to this natty lid is jam-packed with brand history and the kind of trivia that makes me full on drool. Among the facts now in my head because of the hat on top of it:

-- Kangol was founded in 1938 by a gent named Jacques Spreiregen who came up with the name by "combining the K from knitting, the ANG from angora, and the OL from wool."

-- The label provided berets to the British army during WWII.

--  Kangol also outfitted the English Olympic Team for the 1948 opening ceremonies.

-- The Kangol kangaroo logo was a relative latecomer, introduced in 1983. (Responsible, no doubt, for the mistaken belief by some that the brand hails from Australia.)

The second reason the hat is special is that it's the first of what promises to be deep bench of hats graciously loaned to the Project by members of The Headwear Association -- a trade organization that dates to 1908 and has the stated mission of  "promoting hats and headwear awareness worldwide." Two huge boxes arrived at Cubbins Central today and this was the first one I plucked out (it also happened to match my shirt).

So a sincere hat-tip to The Headwear Association and belated 75th anniversary congratulations to Kangol.

PC 248: Blackhead by Speedo
PC 247: Kitchen Detail in Kiev
PC 246: A Head for the Holidays

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 248 -- Blackhead Edition

Day 248 / Hat 248: Black latex swim cap with Speedo name and logo printed on wearer's right side. Cribbed on impulse From the Bride's headwear archives.

I have to admit, the second I put this thing on, I felt one mouth-zipper short of the Gimp from "Pulp Fiction." (Go ahead and do a quick web search, I'll wait.)

Funny stuff right?

Related:
PC 247: A Colander for Kiev
PC 246: A Head for the Holidays
PC 245: Pucci with a Pocket

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 247 - A Colander for my Homies in Kiev Edition

Day 247 / Hat 247: Silver, two-handled kitchen colander "borrowed" from an undisclosed location and unaware donor at the urging of co-worker Tom "Current Affairs" Curwen for inclusion in the Project.

Why a colander you say? Here's Tom's explanation (from last week's e-mailed entreaty):

"We had a story in the paper yesterday about the protests in Kiev. To discourage these protests, the Ukrainian government has initiated a number of restrictions, one of which is to ban the wearing of “construction helmets” (what I imagine to be hard hats). The story continues to say that in response to the ban, protesters showed up on Sunday wearing their construction helmets – and those who didn't have construction helmets, wore kitchen pots. 

Seems to me there are at least two hats here for you to wear in solidarity with the protesters in the Ukraine. I think you’d look great in a kitchen pot." 

Tom also mentioned that Stephen Colbert had donned a silver colander for comic effect on a recent episode of the Colbert Report so I went that route (we discussed the blue Le Creuset pot -- which went perfectly with my eyes -- but both of us agreed it was a bit heavy and would hardly have been practical on the street).

A tip o' the colander to TC for the suggestion.

Related:
PC 246: Xmas Season for No Reason
PC 245: Bucket of Pucci

In Ukraine, protest turns violent as opposition defines government
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 246 - Christmas Season for No Reason Edition

Day 246 / Hat 246: Green and white fabric Christmas tree hat with metal and plastic ornaments and lights by Elope.

Loaned to the Project by generous contributor Noelle "Don't Wigs Count Too?" Carter.


"But it's not Christmas!" I hear you protesting. True that. But 33 days out from the holiday, we're safely in the "irony-not-tardy" zone. (Of course, depending on how you look at it, I could just as easily be accused of jumping the Christmas gun by 332 days.)

So, when the hat was offered up on a busy Monday afternoon, I decided to invoke the Auntie Mame rule of yuletide conjuring as laid out in the song "We Need a Little Christmas.":

Slice up the fruitcake;
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough.
For we need a little music,
Need a little laughter,
Need a little singing
Ringing through the rafter,
And we need a little snappy
"Happy ever after,"
Need a little Christmas now.
Need a little Christmas now.

So leave out the milk and cookies and clean the fireplace and maybe, just maybe I'll swing by to spread some not-quite-the-holiday cheer!

Related:
PC 245: Pucci with a Pocket
PC 244: Paper Prince
PC 233: Stocking 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!

Project Cubbins: Hat 245 - Bucket of Pucci Edition

Day 245 / Hat 245: Multi-colored, swirly patterned Emilio Pucci bucket hat with white grosgrain sweatband and white lining. Interior tag reads: "Fabric: 98% cotton, 2% elastane, Lining: 100% cotton." Additional detail includes patch pocket (in same fabric) on crown of hat. (That's what I've tucked today's number into).

This was liberated momentarily from the Bride's headwear collective for purposes of the collection. I chose it because I found the color combination - a swirl of pink, orange, green and yellow with a dash of black and white - to be a much-needed dose of cheer.

I'm not sure what I'd exactly carry in my Pucci hat pocket -- more than likely it'd be a credit card.

So I could buy more hats, of course.




Related:
PC 244: Watch the Throne
PC 243: Stocking Cap
PC 242: Poquito Sombrero

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 244 - Sitting Down in a Paper Crown Edition

Day 244 / Hat 244: Red tissue paper crown from one of the Christmas 2013 holiday crackers (the noise-making kind, not the snacking kind). 

Photographed for the Project in the royal chambers of Castle Naughty Pine at approximately 5 a.m. whilst sitting upon the throne. 

Which brings me to this observation: You can't reallly use the word "throne" any more - at least in parts of the world without  honest-to-goodness royalty - without it sounding like a reference to "toilet."

Obviously I didn't take this photo of myself sitting on the can but admit it, that's exactly the mental image that popped into your mind when you read that second paragraph. 

(For the record, if I was going to do a toilet selfie, you can bet your kingdom I'd use the ermine- and sable-lined crapper in the royal water closet as a backdrop.)

Related:
PC 243: Stickin' with the Stockinette
PC 242: Poquito Sombrero
PC 241: Major Domo

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 243 - Stickin' with the Stockinette Cap Edition

Day 243 / Hat 243: Cap crafted from white stockinette knit tube dressing.  Crafted for the Project by a nurse named Andrea (note,the jaunty topknot!). Apparently this stuff is like the duct tape of the hospital - caps like this are made for patients in the operating room, lengths of it are used under sequential leggings on legs and under blood pressure cuffs on arms and the like.

The idea for this hat's inclusion in the Project came from my sister-in-law (the brother's wife not the wife's sister) which means she deserves today's tip of the hat.

Oh, and Project sticklers need not worry about the timing of today's hat - rest assured that it is technically past the midnight hour here on the East Coast. West Coasters, you can simply think of this as a hat from the future -- but just for a few hours.

Related:

PC 242: Sombrero for Ants
PC 241: Domo on my Dome
PC 240: Batten Kill Brain

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 242 - Poquito Sombrero Edition

Day 242 / Hat 242: Folded paper sombrero in straw-colored weave pattern with yellow and red hat band and brim detail and elastic cord.

Another of the "Mini Party Hat" collection, this marks the third of the six portable lids in the package to appear in the Project (see also PC 237: Tiny Toque and PC 215: A Fez for Ants).

It is also - for those of you who keep track of such things - the third sombero. The first was really, really big (PC 139: Some Sombrero) and the second one was medium-sized (PC 229: Deadline Sombrero). At this rate, expect the next sombrero to be thimble-sized.

Related:
PC 241: Six Degrees of Domo
PC 240: Battenkill Brewery
PC 239: Russian Rabbit

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 241- Six Degrees of Domo Edition

Day 241 / Hat 241: Brown polar fleece, trapper-style hat with multi-color embroidered mouth and eyes detail. Interior tag reads: "Domo."

[Updated 1/23: My sister-in-law sent along this link that explains a little bit about Domo. My favorite characteristics? He loves watching television and is known for passing gas when he gets nervous. He also has a fear of apples, since his ancestors became extinct after eating them.)

This hat comes to the Project from a kind and generous soul with whom I had the pleasure of speaking during a quick road trip ("road trip!") to Rutland (aka "Rut-Vegas") today to pick up a folder full of paperwork my folks left behind (dad blames mom, mom faults dad) at the Rutland Regional Medical Center. 

Mystery Donor (despite her generosity in the hat department she kindly ask that her name not be used) told me she was actually born at the Rutland Regional Medical Center. In response, I told her that it reminded me of one of my favorite Vermonter jokes, which goes something like this:

"Flat Lander to Vermonter on the opposite side of a  early impassable mid mud season road:'Excuse me, sir! How did you get over there?' 

Vermonter to Flat Lander: 'Born here.' 

Flat Lander: 'Have you lived there your whole life?'

Vermonter: 'Not yet.'

Oh, and the "six degrees" mentioned in the post title isn't just for alliteration's sake, that's what the temperature was in Rutland today (yes Fahrenheit) - It's currently hovering at the zero mark and last night the mercury plunged to ten degrees below zero outside the window. That's why I had to shoot the photo inside the car. 

So a hat tip on a road trip to the Rutland-born Cubbins contributor. 

Project Cubbins: Hat 240 - All Hat No Bottle Edition

Day 240 / Hat 240: Forest (river?) green, baseball-style cap with embroidery on front that reads: "Battenkill Brewing, Arlington, VT" accompanied by an embroidered trout facing the wearer's right. Addition hat detail includes a black and white pin that reads: "Obama's Last Day: 01.20.17."

According to my dad - from whose head I snatched today's installment (and who appears with me in thew above left photo) -- the Battenkill Brewery is a currently in-the-works brewing operation, the founders of which had approached him about using the Wayside Country Store's name on one of its eventual beers. (He said yes.)  He can't remember what kind of beer it's supposed to be, but I know my dad's a fan of a good IPA, so maybe that's what it will be when the future beer is ready to quaff.

As for the button? That's actually what prompted me to include it in the Project in the first place. My dad thought I might not want to because of its political sentiment, but I assured him that I'm a "hat agnostic" -- at least as far as my quest to reach 500 goes. If the last 239 hats has taught me anything, it's that every hat sends a message -- some are just a heck of a lot easier to decode than others.

And the fact of the matter is, the guy who makes those "Obama's Last Day" buttons has been laughing all the way to the bi-partisan bank ever since launching his original range of products emblazoned with: "Bush's Last Day: 01.20.09."

Here's an idea: Maybe 260 days from today I'll get him to make me an "Adam's Last Hat: 10.08.14" button.

In the meantime, Dad gets a tip o' the trout fin and a raise of the beer mug for loaning his lid.


Related:
PC 239: Russian Rabbit
PC 238: Feelin' Blue, Devil
PC 237: Toque it Up

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 239 - Russian Rabbit Edition

Day 239 / Hat 239: Black rabbit fur ushanka with black diamond-pattern-quilted lining. The final hat in the Steve Konigsberg troika of toppers coming all the way from Moscow.

According to my research (that'd be Wikipedia), the literal translation of ushanka is "ear hat" due to the ear flaps that can be (and are in this photo) tied to the crown.  It is also called a "shapka-ushanka" or "trooper hat."

Here's an excerpt from the entry: "... is a Russian fur cap with ear flaps that can be tied up to the crown of the cap, or tied at the chin to protect the ears, jaw and lower chin from the cold. The thick dense fur also offers some protection against blunt impacts to the head. While no match for a helmet, it offers protection far superior to that of a typical beanie cap should the wearer fall and hit his or her head against ice or packed snow.

The word ushanka derives from ushi (у́ши), "ears" in Russian."

Ears to Steve Konigsberg for the thoughtful contributions to the Project! 

Project Cubbins: Hat 238 - Feelin' a Little Blue Devil Edition

Day 238 / Hat 238: White, 100% cotton baseball-style cap with blue embroidery on front that reads: "DUKE, Duke Blue Devils."

This hat is loaned to the Project from the Bride's vast headgear collection and she says she thinks she's had it ever since she was a student at Duke University (her 20th-year reunion happens to be this year).

Why is Duke University's mascot a blue-hued devil instead of, say, a red one? Funny you should ask -- I was thinking the very same thing. Luckily William E. King (the university archivist from 1972-2002)  has addressed that topic in an article at the Duke University Library website titled: "Why a Blue Devil? The Story of the Duke Mascot." 

There's a good deal of nuance to it, but in sum, the name traces all the way back to the World War I French soldiers known as Chasseurs Alpin who were nicknamed les Diables Bleus due to their distinctive blue uniform "with flowing cape and jaunty beret."

How the nickname went from being applied to mountain-savvy soldiers to a North Carolinian sports mascot is the nuance part.

A tip of the Blue Devil horns to the Bride for the loaner.

Related:
PC 237: Tiny Toque
PC 236: Tubeteika Topper
PC 235: Hat in the Fast Lane


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 237 - Tiny Toque Edition

Day 237 / Hat 237: Folded miniature paper chef's toque blanche with elastic cord. It's the second of the six NPW "Mini Party Hats" from the Christmas elf bag from my sainted mother to appear in the Project so far -- the first was PC 215: A Fez for Ants.

I've included an image of the Mini Party Hats above right and I have to say and I think I'm rocking the tiny toque way better than that Chihuahua.

Just sayin'.
 
Related:
PC 236: Tubeteika Topper
PC 235: Fly Like an Eagle
PC 217: Toque Times Two

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 236 -- A Tubeteika Up Top Edition

Clockwise from left, me in the tubeteika, the interior, and the exterior -- in partially folded mode.

Day 236 / Hat 236: Black layered paper and fabric tubeteika with white embroidered detail on exterior and black, red and green floral patterned fabric interior, It comes to the Project from our Moscow-based donor Stephen Konigsberg (who also provided PC 232 (aka the "Bath Hat Edition".)

Of it, Steve says: "[It's an] Uzbeki tyumbotyeka. They are sold everywhere for like 2-3 U.S. dollars. Very typical of Central Asia lidwear." He referred me to several websites, the most comprehensive of which, Oriental Express of Central Asia, describes it as the Uzbek national headgear and explains that the name derived from the Turkish word meaning "a top, a summit."

Here's an excerpt from the site:

"The most common form of the Uzbek tubeteika is tetrahedral and slightly conical. Such a form is assumed due to the special method of folding the cap right after the making of it has been finished. Tubeteikas are made of two or more layers of fabrics, all quilted and stuck with silk or cotton threads. In most cases, ready-made caps would be embroidered with silk, or gold or silver threads."

As a little geopolitical refresher (I confess, I needed one) the Republic of Uzbekistan is a Central Asian country that was part of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1991. (A fun piece of trivia: apparently Uzbekistan is one of only two "doubly landlocked" countries in the world -- a country that is completely surrounded by other landlocked countries. Can you name the other one?)

The aforementioned site also notes that the tubeteika is also  worn by other peoples in Central Asia (including Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey) and that there are different types for different ages and genders.

"The tubeteika is divided into types for men, women, children (for boys, girls, and babies), and old men. Old women don't wear the headgear. Children's tubeteikas (called "kulokcha, kalpokcha, duppi, kulupush") differ in the variety of materials and colours, in cap bands, fluffiness of tassels and balls made of silk or paper threads, in patterns embroidered, spangles and number of amulets".


So a tip of the tubeteika to Steve for the sweet lid and golf clapa to Uzbekistan for having something as awesome as a national headgear!


Related:
PC 235: Fly Like an Eagle
PC 234: I, of the Tschornado
PC 233: Montana 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!

Project Cubbins: Hat 235 -- Fly Like an Eagle Edition

Day 235 / Hat 235: Navy blue, 100% cotton baseball-style cap with gold embroidery in the shape of a U.S. Interstate Highway Shield that reads: "Eagles" above the number "72." Additional gold embroidery on back of hat reads: "Eagles 2014."

I purchased this hat at last night's Eagles concert at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California. It was opening night at the renovated venue and the first night of the Eagles six-night run there.

During the show (which was truly too fabulous for words), Glenn Frey said of the Forum: "it's the best-sounding big room in the world - and we've played them all."

The "72," in case you're not an Eagleophile (Eagle head? Eaglet?) is a reference to 1972, the year the band released its debut self-titled album.

And, because I'm kind of obsessed with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, I can't help but mention that according to the Federal Highway Administration's website, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a trademark registration for the shield in September of 1967.

The actual Interstate 72, in case you were curious (I was), runs between Hannibal, Missouri, and Champaign, Illinois and is just shy of 180 miles long.

For some reason we were really, really hoping to find out that it ended on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.

Related:
PC 234: Tschornado / Sharknado
PC 233: Montana Moose
L.A. Times: Don Henley talks about upcoming Forum shows

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!