For the love of hats

Today was a very tiring but fun and productive day for me. Mae, Ana and I went on a field trip to Marikina to visit Lucban Hats, maker of hats and fascinators that are also exported worldwide. Mae has asked me to go with her several times already, but since both of us have been busy we never found the time to do so. Good thing it was our rest day from work today so our schedules matched. As for Ana, she also loves hats so I figured she would be happy to go. I was right ;)

Also, I wanted to get something I can wear to Kym's wedding reception ♥

A little back-story. When my fabulous friends and I went to Lucban, Quezon for the Pahiyas festival just last month, my Lady Godiva-ish (haha) friend Dewi bought a couple of fascinators from Lucban Hats, only to be surprised that the warehouse is located near her house! (She lives in Marikina.) She cannot join us for this outing as she had work so I just decided to get something for her :)

We almost got lost because no one among us three have been there before, but thanks to kind souls who gave us directions, we reached our destination in no time :)

When we got inside, all it took was one look, and we were blown away! There were hats of all sizes, designs, and colors in every corner; it was hat heaven! I got too excited that I wasn't able to take a lot of photos, but here are some I was able to take:

Pretty fascinators, perfect if you have some Royal Wedding to attend anytime soon ;)

Walls...

and walls...

and walls of hats!

Hats galore!

Aside from hats, the warehouse/ store also sells bags, slippers, and other novelty items made from native materials.

Ana drowning in hats, having a hard time choosing which to buy ;D

Mae trying on a purple fascinator (that I ended up buying ;))

I wanted to buy everything! But as I only have one head and not too many occasions to wear them to and outfits to pair them with, I had to rein myself in and choose wisely. Yes, shopping is a tough exercise on decision-making! To make it easier, the girls and I chose to buy one from each category: simple, everyday hat; pretty fascinator; and ostentatious hat we may never get to wear, but always nice to have in the closet heehee.

Here, the hats that I loved but didn't make the cut.

And here are the ones I bought:

My simple, everyday hat - buri hat with pretty ribbon

Pretty purple fascinator

My ostentatious hat made from molded sinamay and feathers

Navy blue fascinator I got for my friend Dewi :)

The best part about visiting the warehouse is getting the items at dirt-cheap prices! Would you believe I got all four for only P600? Plus, the shopkeepers there were very attentive and accommodating. Not once did they scowl at us for trying on almost everything there; they just looked very amused at how excited we were all through out, and answered all our questions about their products.

We left the comforts of our respective couches/ computer desks - I came from Navotas, Mae came from Quezon City, and Ana came from Alabang - to go to Marikina just to see and buy hats, and Lucban Hats did not disappoint. The two hours and more travel time to Marikina was definitely worth it. We'll certainly be back ♥

Told 'ya it was a tiring yet fun and productive day for me ;)

PS: This is not a sponsored post.