A couple weeks ago, I did what many of you might have done: I spent some online time doing a little shopping over at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale, where items that are typically obscenely expensive become, for a very brief period of time, only moderately overpriced.

And by shopping, I mean filled my cart with approximately $536.27  worth of things that I absolutely did not need. BECAUSE THEY WERE ON SALE.

Then, I made myself a cup of iced coffee, gazed into my closet for a long minute, and slowly went through and removed every single item from my cyber cart, one by one. Because truth be told, I really did not need any of them. I say I do, I say that I NEED new jeans like these, since my Madewell ones (yes, the saga continues!) ripped straight down the thigh after less than six months of moderate wear.  But I don’t really need them, because my back-up jeans are more than sufficient. And I say that I NEED these leggings because everyone swears by their perfection, but I have a couple old pairs that still make noble appearances when I wear them around the home. And when I say that I NEED a new cute fall dress like this one, I really meant hat I just wanted something cozy and fresh.

I’m trying to do this when I buy things, trying to ask myself if I really, truly, need whatever it is. Ever since my massive closet purge, I have really enjoyed having less. Plus, my almost six week stint in a carry-on showed how wonderful a tiny wardrobe can be. I’m not opposed to adding something this fall to give my clothes a fresh look, but I don’t just want to pile on fabric , I don’t want to just fill my closet with random sale purchases.

[I interrupt this post for a public service announcement. Yes, I am mentioning that fall is coming. But not for awhile, and I abhor all premature fall welcoming. Go home Pumpkin Spice Latte- you are not welcome here. We are still summering.]

When I thought over my wardrobe for the coming months, I tried to ask myself if there was one thing that I was missing, one thing that I really wanted to jazz up everything else that I already had. There was. This summer I have lived every day in my cheap French panama hat, and I would really like some sort of fall hat. Something felty and colored, and not too much like a cowboy hat, but not at all like a beanie.

And most definitely NOT AT ALL like this, because this abomination of a head covering should not be allowed to exist. I mean, let she who has never worn a bucket hat and thought it was cool cast the first stone… but still. Please tell me these floppy messes aren’t coming back in.

I did a lot of hat trying-on at the mall the other day, coupled with lots of hat perusing online and I’m loving this plum/maroon number, this one in green (not shown online), this grey one, and this one — though it is flirting dangerously with the cowboy hat line.

But then again, I get nervous, because sometimes wearing a hat just feels… so pretentious. Am I the only one who feels that? In the summer, it’s one thing. Sun protection, heat shield, humidity hair– hats are obvious solutions to all these things. But in the fall? They just seem reserved to the stylish elite, of which my member card must have gotten lost in the mail.

All the same, and much to the dismay of my husband, who might have confessed that he was a tad weary of ye old panama hat that I have worn daily all summer, I want to take the fall hat plunge. Any good ones that you ladies have found floating around the fashion world?