Add some style and color to your winter with a brown Henschel Leather Basketweave Fedora

Too many people fall prey to gloomy winter months with hats and caps that seem to suit that mood.

Henschel’s new leather basketweave design is a smokin’ hot way to keep warm while avoiding the winter blahs. The two-tone brown model is especially handsome with its mahogany-colored woven crown and dark-brown stingy brim. The brim is stylishly preformed. Even the all-black fedora is made more interesting by the woven leather design.

Each hat is satin lined and given a comfortable cloth sweatband that make it a treat to wear all season.

Click here to keep your look interesting all winter with the Henschel Leather Basketweave Fedora.

Kangol paid Hats Plus a fun visit on Nov. 9 and gave away plenty of free caps with in-store purchases. Photographed in front of our new Kangol display from the left are Kangol's North American sales director Mark Harris, regional sales rep Kelli Conroy and store manager Tod Canon.

If you missed the visit from Kangol on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Hats Plus, you missed quite the experience.

Kangol’s North American Sales Director Mark Harris and Regional Sales Representative Kelli Conroy were in attendance talking with customers and giving away free Kangol army caps (like the ones worn by Eminem) and baseball caps with every Kangol purchase.

Luckily, during a brief lull in the action, we were able work in a fun discussion about what it is like working for Kangol and the interactions they share with customers around the country.

Mark has been with the company for 15 years, and moved from England to New York as part of his job. His wife Nichola also happens to be Kangol’s design director.

“It is very interesting, as an Englishman, to move to America to work for such a legendary hat company,” Harris said. “New people, new cities. I’ve been to all the famous headwear stores across the country and met lots of interesting characters. Everyone has a story to tell about their hat.”

Kelli, an American, is based out of the Detroit area but covers a region that spans 12 states around the upper Midwest.

“I feel honored to work for a brand that is so recognized,” she said. “Everywhere I go people recognize Kangol. It has such a diverse retailer base. I meet all different kinds of people.”

Asking the man married to the company’s design director what his favorite hat or cap is might have been a bit of a loaded question. Nevertheless, Harris was game.

“I love the English Peebles,” he said. “It is made in England with English fabrics. I like the shape, the quality and that it is made in England.”

Conroy prefers the Kangol Diva.

“The Diva is made in the U.S.,” she said. “I like the floppy brim. You can hide behind it.”

What do they like most about meeting Kangol customers?

“Their stories and their love of the brand and their knowledge of the brand is incredible,” Mark said. “Where ever you go you get a story.”

“I would say their creativity,” Kelli said. “They always have a suggestion for things they want in their next Kangol.”

Best of all, the company really is listening to those suggestions, the Kangol employees agreed.

Kelli described the story about the Kangol Colette, which started its life a woman’s hat, but after a fashion designer started putting them on his male models, men started demanding the hats be made in an extra-large size. Kangol quickly obliged.

Mark detailed how a customer in Paris began altering his Kangol Mau. He would put the front way far forward and altered the back a little. Mark’s wife saw it and like it and adopted it for a new line of mau caps with that design and named it for the guy in Paris: Clery.

Customers in the shop also shared their Kangol loves and experiences.

Gil, who was in all the way from New Jersey, said, “My dad had a Kangol 30 or 40 years ago. I’ve worn it some, but it is getting too tight, so I thought I’d get a new one.”

This modern cloche is flirty and fun with its two-tone color scheme.

We have gotten a lot of requests recently for various different hats for women. And then we discovered Betmar, a New York based hat company that makes beautiful women’s hats that fit most budgets.

The first of many new ladies hats are now online and ready for the autumn sales rush.

This is the Betmar Nikkie. Ideal for every event from church to betting on the ponies, this ladies hat gives you some star power.

Extremely fashionable, these hats reflect many of the hottest designs of the 1920s and ’30s with a modern twist. They range from the broad brimmed dazzlers that cover the square padded shoulders of movie star Myrna Loy to flapper cloches to demure feminine hats that subtly showcase a woman’s face and all of its delicate beauty.

Click here to see all of our new Betmar hats right now.

The crew from WGN's Around Town team from the Morning News mingle with the employees at Hats Plus. From the left: Mary, Courtney, Tod, Terry, Ana, Mike, Erica and Shawn.

At the predawn hour of 6 a.m. on Tuesday November 20th, WGN sent their Morning News crew for a Live Around Town segment at Hats Plus. The store opened early and many of the employees were on hand to have fun being on TV with reporter Ana Belaval and her crew.

If you have never been around a live, on-the-scene, news cast, it is really something to see. The WGN news van rolled up, extended its satellite uplink antenna (which goes maybe 50 ft. in the air), and opened up for business. Panels lift up to reveal plugs and dials, as the van acts as a generator to power the shoulder mounted camera, mics and satellite transmission feed.

As Mary the camerawoman prepped her camera to shoot the store, Ana and her staff explored the hats and interviewed store manager Tod Canon and the rest of the employees about the store’s history, selection and points of notoriety. They were definitely interested to learn about the celebrities who have shopped here such as Michael Jordan and White Sox legend Minnie Minoso.

Here's the WGN news van parked just outside Hats Plus, as it prepared to broadcast a live segment as part of the Morning News Live Around Town report.

They were all ready to go on the air at 7 a.m. First there were brief teasers and then a 2+-minute segment just before 8 a.m. Then they repeated it all during the 8 o’clock hour. Well, they didn’t repeat themselves, but the process.

It was a wonderful experience being on WGN and helping the city wake up to a fun time in the hat shop. Ana and her crew are such experienced professionals they put everyone at ease about being on live TV, and they made being up that early just as much fun as it looked on the broadcast.

This is City Sport's handsome Wool Plaid Ivy Cap in brown. It is one of many great new caps this season by City Sport.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see Hats Plus’ 2012 collection of caps by City Sport. These handsome caps are among the highest quality we sell! Plus these new colors will blow your mind.

This season’s collection also features classic Harris and Donegal tweeds! These 100% wool caps are warm and perfect for cool weather. And even when it gets super cold, City Sport has you covered with extra warm cashmere-and-wool caps with earflaps!

All of the caps are expertly made with longetity in mind. Each ivy cap and newsboy cap features a stitched bill that will help the cap hold its shape. Most of these caps are insulated. Plus, they are satin lined to protect the outer shell from the oils in your hair.

There’s one last thing to especially keep in mind. Once these imported caps sell out of a design, City Sport won’t likely make that design again! Indeed. Get them while they are hot!

Here is the 2012 Borsalino Check Ivy Cap. It is one of the first dashing new caps to arrive for the fall season.

School has started. Football has started. I know. It is sad to say, but summer’s days are numbered and running out fast.

The good news is that it will soon be time to pick out your new hats for the autumn and winter!

At our Chicago location, we are turning over the store and readying our wool caps and fur felt hats.

Among our first new arrivals of the season are a beret and Check Ivy Cap from Borsalino. Each is hand-crafted by those Italian artisans whose work is admired the world over.

All you need to do to fall in love with Borsalino’s berets is touch them. Each is luxuriantly soft and features an equally soft leather sweatband. The wool is warm, and they are designed for both men and women to wear.

The Check Ivy Cap isn’t done any justice in the photo. It is darker in real life and the burnt yellow checks on a dark brown background, as well as the blue checks on a black background, are absolutely electrifying.

More hats and caps are coming soon, so be sure to check in with our store or website often to see what else has arrived.

With drought and prolonged heat waves ravaging much of the country today just as it did when this photo was taken in the 1930s, it is important to protect yourself from the sun's harsh rays. It isn't too late to consider a good summer hat to keep you safe.

With almost the entire country embroiled in drought and intense heat waves, it isn’t too late to get a good summer hat.

What makes one summer hat better than another?

As always, there’s a matter of personal preference. However, there are many features to consider when selecting one that works best for you.

How much shade do you need? If you have sensitive skin, you are going to want as much protection from the harsh summer sun as possible. Straw hats by the nature of their weaves can’t give you the greatest protection on their own.  However, some straws, such as Stefeno’s New Mexico Panama Straw Downturn Hat, offer cloth liners in the crown and under the brim. These guarantee that the sun doesn’t get through the weaving while still providing an appealing straw hat exterior. The Stefeno New Mexico is especially nice because it has side vents and an extra wide brim.

Of course, if you aren’t worried about getting as much shade, some very loosely woven hats provide a lot of ventilation, which can be just as important in this intense heat. A good example of this is the Bailey Nichols.

There are myriad choices in between with different sized brims, ventilation and materials. If you don’t like straw and want tons of shade, maybe a  Tilley hat is perfect for you. Or maybe you don’t like straw or big brims, in which case a bucket hat might be perfect.

Whatever you do, be sure to remain covered and well hydrated. Intense heat and sunlight will sneak up on you and overtake you faster than you might think.

Fans of straw fedoras will love the Monterrey Tracy. It is a teardrop crown fedora with a vented crown weave. The rakish bow band keeps the hat looking classy. The brim snaps up or down, depending on your preference. Plus, inside the hat is a liner in the top of the crown for extra protection from the sun and extra protection for the straw against the perspiration and oils in your hair.

The Monterrey Copa Gardeliano is a trendy, compact center dent straw fedora.  It is perfect for those who don’t like the vented weaves. Plus, it s brim can be customized with a snap up or down.

The other three hats are gambler-style sun hats. They are the Falcon, Copa Colada and San Juan. Each has a broad brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes and off of your skin. Each also has a unique hat band that gives it a special style. The Copa Colada has a vented crown that allows for better air flow.

ALL of these great hats are priced to sell. Order one today and keep the sun at bay all summer.

Bigalli has delivered 8 new models of panama straw hats for the summer. At these bargain prices, they are already selling quickly!

Genuine panama hats get expensive in a hurry, but Bigalli is able to save you money this year on the ultimate toppers in summer fashion.

Hats Plus recently received 8 new models of summer straw hats. They range from the sexy Diamond Stitch short-brim fedora to the distinguished Godfather homburg to the relaxed seagrass beach hat called the Palermo. Plus there are many others. All of them are hand woven and blocked in Ecuador.

These toppers are already competitively priced, and already selling quickly, and it’s only April! Order yours today, and be ready for all the sunshine summer has to offer.

Stetson's latest creation is based on its super-popular Stetson Whitehall. With funky colors and a professional-looking center dent hat design this summer fedora is perfect for work and play.

In summer 2011 the Stetson Whitehall was a top-selling straw hat. This year Stetson has continued the Whitehall and introduced the brand new New Hall.

The New Hall is a center dent design with a handsome bow band, compared to the teardrop crown and bowless band of the Whitehall.

Yet, the popular colors of the milan straw are the same for both hats.

The New Hall also features an absorbent, soft cloth sweatband. It is extremely comfortable, perfect for a light-weight summer hat.