Imagine this comic book heroine: Hat-Girl takes over Gotham City with the flip of her chapeau. Suddenly, every Queen Mumsy headgear aficionado is turned to dust. Two-Face morphs into a stylist to fight the crimes of fashion with deposits of rockin' chic millinery confections that every It Girl covets.

Now, for the real deal: Totally da-groovy New York hat designer makes must-have hats with that certain dash of wit and whimsy to spice up any otherwise not-quite-fabulous wardrobe.

Super cool hat designer Eugenia Kim has scores of downtown trendsetters and fashionistas as her clients. Fashion-loving stars like Madonna, Beyonce, Nicole Ritchie, Lindsay Lohan, Cameron Diaz, Jessica Simpson, Sienna Miller, and Gwenyth Paltrow have all been spotted wearing a trendy Eugenia Kim hat.






These aren't heavy-handed, hatty hats for those who take themselves too seriously-- these are funky little accessories which transform an entire look with the flip of a brim. As a matter of fact, there's nothing overly stuffy or stodgy about Ms. Kim's style and she proves it with her easy-to-follow and clever how-to's in her new book, SATURDAY NIGHT HAT: Quick, Easy Hatmaking for the Downtown Girl (Potter Craft).

Her top celebrity styles are now just a DIY pattern and some supplies away. It you're in it just for a fun read or not quite ambitious enough to start your own custom hat project, each designer style comes with cute œWear It Well� tips to make your next hat wearing experience extraordinary rather than ordinary. Like, a strong lip is a must for a beret. Cloches look best on girls with short or bobbed hair and a square or heart-shaped face. Do a casual/dressy combo to make your cocktail hat look more like the epitome of downtown chic instead of like a bad 1940's flashback in a cocktail dress. Juxtapose the masculinity of a pimpin' shape fedora with a delicate floral sundress or something girly.

There are even some tips on hat care and storage, but with hats this cute, you may never want to put them away.

--January 7, 2006