It may be the end of August, but it has only been consistently hot for the last week. Indian summer? Could be. This means it's time to make sure we are keeping our beautiful skin protected like the women and men in the first couple decades of the 20th century did. Pale creamy skin was a beauty asset and sign of wealth until the 1920's when Coco Chanel came back from the south of France with a tan. Suddenly a tan was in fashion for those that could afford a get away. It didn't get out of hand until the 1970's with the excessive use of tanning oil. As a child of the 1980's, I was caught up in this dangerous trend. During the summers I would have contests with my Mom on who could get a darker back. After a long day of swimming in our apartment pool, I often had to pick the dead skin off my Dad's back from his terrible sunburns. Luckily I moved to sunless Seattle when I was 14 and became a cosmetologist at 18 where I learned the importance of sun protection.
Don't let the sun take your future outer beauty away from you. Wear a stylish straw hat! If you go simple, you can always spice it up on certain days with a scarf. Or...there are amazing styles and a wide variety of colors. Vintage straw hats can be found on eBay, etsy.com, and at local flea markets. There's no reason that sun protection and style can't be blended into one chic look.
Straw hats are not just for women.
