Mujer con sombrilla frente a una sombrerería, 1914
Fuente: https://fineartamerica.com/
They’re a temptation.
Whether they’re fedoras, Panama hats, short-brimmed hats, wide-brimmed hats, handmade hats, or famous brands like Borsalino, Stetson, or Brixton.
I have a collection, because I can’t resist, and every time I go on a trip, I buy a new one.
Yes, hats and their magic.
I’m writing these lines from Barcelona, Spain, where I’m visiting family.
Aside from its Romanesque, Gothic, and Modernist architectural wonders, I have three must-see stops in this beautiful city: La Casa del Libro (Book House), Vestopazzos, a jewelry store where they make wonders with scrap metal, and Mil, the oldest hat shop in Barcelona.
I swore to myself I would visit, but I wouldn’t buy a single hat.
Opened in 1856, this hat shop has been serving locals and celebrities for more than four generations, including Ingrid Bergman, Tony Curtis, and Francis Ford Coppola, and more recently, Robert de Niro and Scarlett Johansson.
I took to the streets and, after getting lost in this vibrant city, I found it.
Crossing its threshold is a journey back in time.
There I was, surrounded by elegant hats that seemed to tell stories.
I tried on a few, but said to myself: no!
I stumbled upon a wonderful, velvety yellow one, and again, I said: no!
The rest is history.
I left the hat shop radiant, proud of myself, with a huge smile.
So big so that as I stepped out onto the street, a mysterious gentleman approached me and said:
“Never lose your smile.”
I thanked him with a wave of my hand over the brim of my splendid, very yellow new hat.
As Oscar Wilde once said, one can resist everything except temptation.
