STYLE Hats are off to newsboys and cowboys

Younger people are opting for hats to create looks that set them apart.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Fashion is usually all about what's new. But if an item is really on top, it seems to stay there for a while.
Newsboys are still the story when it comes to hats, even though updated versions of the sloped-front cap with a short brim have been around for years, says Casey Bush, director of the Headwear Information Bureau, NYC, a trade group.
"Milliners change colors and trims to keep things fresh, but they don't change shapes as often," Bush says. "There are only so many hat shapes to choose from."
Bush says the newsboys have gotten bolder in recent years, straying from the traditional brownish plaids and tweeds to embrace bright colors such as purple and innovative fabrics like cashmere, fur felt and novelty-print silks.
The newsboy is a versatile shape that looks good in a variety of fabrics and is appropriate for many occasions, adds Siiri Dougherty, the senior buyer of women's accessories for J.C. Penney.
For example, a nubby tweed newsboy likely falls into the outerwear category, while a satin cap can be part of an outfit worn to the hottest club -- just look at Madonna and Cameron Diaz, both of whom are frequently photographed dashing into A-list events in their newsboys.
Going west
Don't be surprised, though, if you start seeing such fashionistas in cowboy hats. They are the next big thing -- again, according to Bush.
"You're going to see real women wearing them (cowboy hats), executives, public relations people, New Yorkers. Manufacturers are telling me that junior buyers also are very heavy into cowboy hats," she says.
Bush says younger women really are driving the headwear market right now. "It used to be you were branded an older lady if you wore a hat, but younger women have taken over. Now older women will see that they'll seem younger if they wear a hat."
She adds: "Young people see hats as a way to stand out from the crowd and express themselves. It used to be that hats were a way of fitting in."
The interest in retro clothes, including ladylike suits and mod jumpers, also is sparking interest in the pillbox and the trilby, typically a soft hat with an indented crown.
Another youth-fueled trend is the resurgence of baseball caps -- always a staple for men -- which was born out of last year's popular trucker hats, Dougherty explains. The "new" baseball caps have a shorter brim and are snug on the head.
Staying warm
The cloche is "a little more serious" because it is both stylish and functional, Dougherty notes, but "typically you have to make a choice between fashion and warmth."
But that doesn't mean warm hats can't look good.
Dougherty recommends winter hats in angora wool, especially in soft pastels, which have a soft look and likely will complement the black or camel coats most women wear without "matching" them.
Outdoor sports, however, require a different approach. Most people look for the warmest hats possible that will look OK with the rest of their gear, according to Sandra Rossi, senior product developer at L.L. Bean. Women favor light blue, purple and black, while men gravitate toward red, navy and charcoal gray.
Traditional wool ski hats -- with or without tassels -- remain the top look, especially those with Nordic patterns, Rossi says.
"Our hats are made of merino wool, which maintains its warmth even if it gets wet, but hats are now lined with microfleece so you don't get itchy hat head," she explains. The lining might have wicking properties to pull moisture away from the head.
There are no rules to finding the perfect hat, Dougherty says, it has to be done through trial and error.
"A hat is something you have to try on. There is not a recipe for matching the right hat with the right head shape. The one thing you have to have is confidence. It's much more important than face shape or hair," she says.
Because hats can be relatively inexpensive, they encourage experimentation, Dougherty adds.
Hat sales were worth an estimated $97 million in retail volume last year, according to the Headwear Information Bureau, which is in line with the 5 to 15 percent increase in sales the industry has seen each year since the mid-1980s.