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The Fine Line of
Fashion
by Janice Ferguson,
Golf Press Association |
 What
better way to complete the look of your new golf outfit than
with a colorful belt or snazzy hat. Accessory companies were in
no short supply at the PGA Merchandise Show, Jan. 26-29, in
Orlando, Fla. -- offering a variety of ways to personalize your
fashion statement.
The trend is not, and has not been for some time, to perfectly
match your accessories with specific apparel pieces, but rather
to coordinate, blend and accent. This gives your accessories a
broader purpose, allowing you to pull together outfits in
different ways, and get more use from them as you wear them with
your golf specific apparel as well as with your street jeans.
Merely changing the band on your favorite hat from a solid to a
stripe, a fun pattern or even a braided horsehair, gives this
accessory more wearability and function.
There is a vast selection of hat styles that can add a bit of
sophistication to our cap collections. Brim sizes range from
visor to bucket to big and floppy. Materials such as raffia
crochet, woven straw, washed denim, cotton canvas and mixed
mediums, add to the variety of choices. Oil cloth fabrics are
water repellent, necessary for those not-so-perfect golf days.
An example of color palates displayed at the Helen Kaminski
booth were natural, pale rose, turquoise, crushed berry, bronze
and inca stripe. Buy a neutral woven hat that goes with
everything, or start at the top with a signature style lid and
build your outfit around it.
Want to wear a tiara on the
course? In this case, TeeAras’ safari-style hat for women come
in an array of colors and are accented with whimsical designs.
They're also functional -- a prominent feature of several hat
companies -- integrating matching tees and ball markers on the
hats, and providing 360-degree sun protection to the face and
hair.
Something new for men, Bailey Hat Company plans to introduce a
proprietary process for packable, water repellent straw
headwear. This will let you to go from sunshine to monsoon all
on the same day, or travel from Orlando to Seattle carrying the
same hat.
Classic leather to printed ribbon, belts come in as many
varieties as the waist sizes they circle. Some say that belts
aren't as popular these days because untucked shirts are the
fashion trend. Really? Extensive research and observation
indicates that most pants are still made with belt loops, so
tuck it in or leave the shirt out, a belt will always be an
ensemble staple.
LAI Golf had a beautiful display accessories, featuring belts in
different leathers and exotic skins such as alligator, ostrich,
crocodile, lizard, karung, ostrich, calf and suede. Their
canvas, stretch, and woven belts add the desired splash of
color.
Personal logos on ribbon tab belts
continues to be popular with golf/country clubs and resorts. But
if you don't want to run the risk of being seen wearing the same
accessory as your locker neighbor, then make your own fashion
statement with ribbon belts sporting every design from spouting
whales to clinking martini glasses. Colorful combination stripes
will spice up a pair of khakis in an instant.
Eliza B. from Leather Man Limited makes it more fun dressing by
matching their grosgrain belts with flip flops. Perfect for the
pool or for feet that have been cooking for 18 holes. Bugface
Belts from New York, boasts the ultimate ribbon belt, improving
upon the classic by using a thick cotton lining giving them a
sturdy feel in an elegant preppy package..
Along with hats and belts, pre, during and post golf fashion
accessories seen at the PGA Merchandise Show included
timepieces, jewelry, designer golf gloves, eyewear, scarves,
handbags, socks, and shoes. There are endless means to polish
off your look.
One stop, head to toe shopping at your favorite golf shop would
be nice, but if they can't stock it all, look to your search
engine. Find sites that sell the items you want online. Go to
specific company Web sites to find a list of retailers that
carry their products or try www.pgaexpo.com to find a complete
list of exhibitors, including the ones mentioned in this
article, alphabetically or under the accessory-apparel section. |
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