The Opportunity - building your hat/scarf collection

Now, many of my friends know that I LOVE shopping and I take my wardrobe very seriously..... so now, instead of getting up each morning, washing my hair, blowdrying it, putting lots of conditioners etc into it, I will spend this time 'dressing my head'.

I began by searching the internet for hats/scarves..... now we always knew it would be challenging to live up to my expectations but it was grim..... I felt really depressed!!! What was going to compliment my Alannah Hill wardrobe???

So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I emailed Alannah Hill and explained my situation. I asked whether they would have any previous summer/spring hats in their head office that I could purchase from them directly. The marketing manager wrote back to me instantly. She explained that they have just done a photo shoot for the new season's collection in which they featured head scarves.... oh my god, I was sooooo excited! I replied and said I would love to purchase them from her to which she wrote back the next day to say that Alannah would love to give them to me; as a gift! This made my day, my week!!! I was going to be the new owner of a limited edition headscarf collection all designed by Alannah Hill. I felt honoured!

It has been encounters like this that have really touched me. I was so appreciative of this amazing generousity from Alannah Hill and from all of my friends and contacts from everywhere. That said, I have six -12 months of headwear to collect, so I still had to keep shopping.....

I hope this list of contacts will save you some time. Here are the best websites I have come across to purchase new headwear to date....

http://www.headcovers.com/ - I had a selection of hats delivered from here; some were really great and others were disappointing.

http://www.alannahhill.com.au/ - there is not a big selection on her website but the hats in her store are simply gorgeous. Perfect for special occasions and work.

http://www.bestwigoutlet.com/ - you have to search through this site but there are a couple of little gems

http://www.ebay.com.au/ - there is a surprising number of new hats, particularly that are shipped from Hong Kong; some very cheap, casual hats on offer. I had never been an ebay fan before now.... they are all new and you can purchase for up to $3! They are the same as hats you would purchase in DJ's for $30!

http://www.internationalwig.com/default.asp - again you need to search hard, but there are a couple of great hats on here

http://shop.nordstrom.com/?origin=tab-logo - some great designer hats but they charge a lot of shipping. If you purchase, buy a few to make the shipping costs worthwhile.

http://www.tlcdirect.org/products/sku-7707__dept-23.html - this sleep cap is quite beautiful but I haven't purchased it.... yet!!

http://www.hatsinthebelfry.com/ - I haven't purchased from here yet but the cloche hats are quite beautiful for dressy occasions.

http://www.hatsandhair.co.uk/christineheadwearcollection - I love the scarf and ribbon combo

http://www.etsy.com/shop/annmag?section_id=5104608&page=2 - some very cute handmade winter hats