Caring and wearing tips will prolong life of a hat

Once upon a time, everyone wore hats. Men, women; old, young. You wore hats for work and for play. It was just the way things were.
These days, hats are a bit more mysterious to most of us.
The Web site for the Village Hat Shop (www.villagehatshop.com) is a wealth of information about proper hat etiquette as well as tips for taking care of your topper.
These days, gentlemen aren't expected to tip their hats to ladies, but they should take them off indoors or as a sign of respect, for instance, when saying the Pledge of Allegiance or hearing the National Anthem.
Women, however, don't have to doff their hats in the same way. In fact, ladies are expected to keep their hats on just about all the time, indoors and out. This is probably due to the fact that women's hats are often pinned on and are harder to remove easily.
There are a few exceptions, however. No less an authority than Emily Post advised that it is incorrect to wear a hat with an evening dress.
Some authorities also say that daytime hats should not be worn in the evening.
And common courtesy demands that hats should be removed if anyone's view is being blocked, as at the theater or a concert.
Keep it clean
Taking proper care of a hat can make it last for many years. Hats should only be handled with clean hands and placed on clean hair. Hat wearers should pick up the hat from underneath, by both the front and back brim, to maintain the brim's shape and set.
Hats should be stored on a hat stand or block; resting a hat on a flat surface will eventually warp the shape. Bailey Hats (www.baileyhats.com) suggests storing the hat upside down, on its crown, to keep the brim shape like new.
Cleaning hats depends on the material they're made from. More detailed information on hat cleaning and shaping can be found at www.villagehatshop.com, www.baileyhats.com, or www.millerhats.-com.