Written by Bonnie Chan

Lisa Battaglia’s Spring 2011 collection of hats is officially here. The neutral colors are a staple from last season, but this new collection features refreshing punches of colors reminiscent of the ocean: grey-blues, violets, lovely eggplants, chartreuse, and sea foam greens.

Chains, a mixture of brushed, gold, and silver metals, adorn and modernize the pieces. Shapes come in cloche, cowboy, fedora, cap, bobby fascinator, and so on; the sheer variety guarantees a spice-up of every occasion, from simple outings to special events.  

Battaglia hats are, to put it simply, gorgeous. You look at the pieces, which are predominantly constructed out of Panama straw and embellished with unique trimmings, and you can’t help but want to snap up each and every one. As usual, each hand-shaped Battaglia hat has the force of a strong personality, from the sauciness of purple, gold-chained Fly Girl to the classic jaunty air of Luke, a straw safari hat with woven leather cord.  

In fact, you could easily imagine the donning of a Battaglia hat to precede some surprising, lovely event later in the day: a serendipitous encounter with a handsome fella, finding an antique pin on the sidewalk, or looking up just in time to catch a bright balloon spiraling up into the clouds.  

“Magic?” you might say incredulously. “Really?” Yes! That’s right — there’s just something playful about the laced-with-vintage modern glamour of Battaglia hats that makes us feel like anything can happen. Paint us unsurprised, then, that they’ve been featured in such publications as Marie Claire, Glamour and W Magazine.  

Lisa Battaglia hats can be found at Malia Mills Swimwear, Westfield New Jersey boutique, Sadie, Hartford York's new women's website, Womens-Hats.com as well as Battaglia's own website.