Spend or Save: Panama Hat

{J. Crew vs. Forever 21}

The Panama hat is big this summer, my friends!  It’s a bit more adventurous than the fedora, but doesn’t require an overabundance of bohemian gravitas to pull off (ie. the floppy hat).  If you’ve been around the blogosphere a time or two, you’ve probably surmised that the J. Crew Panama is le chapeau du jour.  However, at $58 it’s a little steep for a style statement that a lot of my friends have told me they’re still weary to try out (though in LA wearing hats is no thing… I guess in other parts of the country they feel it’s harder to pull off?).  Personally I love wearing hats, but it’s still a bit more than I like to spend on accessories.

Luckily, as usual, Forever 21 steps in to save the day.  At $12.80, their ‘Wide Brim Fedora’ is too good to pass up!  Not to mention the band around this one is a dark brown, which is great if you’re like me and don’t have all that much black in your wardrobe.