A Vintage Jewel in a Stroller Wasteland
I’m not usually a hat person, probs because the only headwear that fits my little noggin is intended for small children. 
I’m also not usually a vintage clothing person; I don’t give a shit if that musty suit jacket is Armani, I’m not paying $200 for anything with shoulder pads.
However, on the day I wandered into L. Verdi - a tiny vintage shop in Park Slope - I found I was both.
The heavily powdered and rouged proprietor initially greeted me with skepticism, and rightfully so. I’m fairly judgmental of patrons of Michael’s, Screaming Mimi’s, Zachary’s Smile, and the like - I deem them sartorial snoots willing to pay top dollar just so they can say, with feigned nonchalance, “This? Oh, it’s vintage.”
As I gingerly stepped around the racks bursting with pencil skirts, blazers and boots, I noticed that L. Verdi’s prices weren’t entirely ridiculous (if I knew anything about vintage clothing, I’d probably say they were reasonable). The clothing racks required more time for adequate assessment, so I thanked the rouged lady, complimented her store and vowed to come back. That’s when I saw the hats.
For someone who neither owns nor wears a lot of hats, I have a serious appreciation for millinery. The rouged lady enthusiastically pulled some options for me, and I had a 90s flashback of Mom and I trying on hats just for kicks at Henri Bendel. When I put on the hat pictured, we both cooed triumphantly. I wasn’t psyched that it was $55 until I saw the Stetson label stitched on the inside [high quality Stetson straw hats retail for around $200 - the material on this is so fab, it doesn’t even feel like straw!].
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Tagged: Calculated Risks • L. Verdi • Menswear
