get down

I'll be honest - I'm not really a hat girl. I love the way they look on other people, but I'm too fidgety for hats. But, I always reconsider my hat-boycott once the temperatures start to dip into the forties. I begin to accept that a hat is no longer optional. Either I don a chapeau or I get frostbitten ears. And while it's truly rare for a hat to speak my language, this hat by Amy Downs is pretty adorable:

Balthazar Wool Hat by Amy Downs

Back in the 1980's, Amy struck out on her own and left Eugene, Oregon for New York City. She operated a hat shop for about 20 years. During that time her work was featured in Paper Magazine and The New York Times. She recently moved back to Oregon and is still designing and sewing every single hat by hand.

Her hats can be found locally at Physical Element (1124 NW Lovejoy, Portland, OR) where owner Jo Carter keeps a good stock on hand. Jo will be having an Amy Downs Trunk Show at her shop Thursday, November 5th, 2009.

The weather should be cold enough for a hat by then.