In Country

Carolyn Landes • June 22, 2015

As every bride knows, once the excitement following the bending of the knee wanes, the reality of actually planning a wedding sets in — and one of the first and foremost decisions is figuring out where to do it.

With swamp air settling over the District, a potentially much cooler option lies nearby — in the pastoral beauty of the mountains of Virginia. Fortunately, the Commonwealth offers a number of options, particularly rustic venues that frame the pastoral setting so well.

Besides mountain views, Virginia’s countryside offers lush vineyards and bucolic meadows, all of which offer a natural alternative to incense-choking, high-arched cathedrals for the rustic wedding of your dreams. We’ve picked four of the best, within just a couple hours or so from D.C.

Goodstone Inn

Middleburg, Virginia

Middleburg’s Goodstone Inn offers a perfect balance of plush luxury and country coziness — a delightful setting for your rustic nuptials. Located in the heart of Virginia wine and hunt country, the inn combines an unhurried and intimate atmosphere with breathtaking views of the countryside and the Blue Ridge Mountains. With its historic guest residences restored in English and French country décor, an ivy-covered façade, an elegant pool and a restaurant serving farm-to-table gourmet cuisine, you and your guests will enjoy the finest of Southern hospitality and gracious service in a luxury retreat atmosphere.

Castle Hill Cider

Keswick, Virginia

This historic, award-winning indoor/outdoor venue offers couples endless possibilities to create a wedding pulled right from their imagination — from the intimate to the incredible. The property’s 11,000-square-foot, classically built post-and-beam barn provides an expansive year-round party spot. Terraced lawns with exquisite 360-degree views of Virginia’s countryside and the Blue Ridge Mountains create an idyllic backdrop for wedding receptions and photography. Castle Hill Cider received the 2014 Borrowed & Blue Honorable Mention Award for Most Desirable Wedding Venue in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area.

Trump Winery

Charlottesville, Virginia

While Trump Winery is relatively new, having opened in 2011, it has quickly established itself as one of the most sought-after wedding venues in gorgeous Charlottesville. The barn at Trump Winery is Virginia rustic elegance at its finest: high ceilings, expansive windows and French doors opening to a terrace with sweeping views of the vineyard, lake and lush countryside — make it the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable rustic wedding in high style. It is Trump, after all. And now the largest vineyard in Virginia, the winery offers a fine selection of sparkling, red and white wines to toast the new bride and groom.

King Family Vineyards

Crozet, Virginia

Another award-winning option, King Family Vineyards is tucked into the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers the rustic wedding planner the popular Carriage House: a warm, sophisticated room decked out with chandeliers, exposed beams, rough-cut oak floors and a large stone fireplace to keep the festivities going during the cooler months. The rural farm setting has panoramic mountain views that guarantee your wedding album will not disappoint. Nor will the wines, which helped the King Family win Borrowed and Blue’s 2014 Best Vineyard Wedding Venue for the Charlottesville area.

Sallie Lewis • May 22, 2015

Just 50 miles west of Washington, D.C., sits the historic town of Middleburg, Virginia, celebrated for its horse and hunt country. Driving west, the roads become slimmer as they thread through lush countryside; overhead, the treetops converge into a trellised canopy. Near and far, jagged rock walls and white fences section off sprawling estates.

Virginia’s communal culture prides itself on the state’s land, history and sporting traditions, all of which pervade Middleburg. Visitors and locals alike can enjoy the outdoors by hiking, biking and bird-watching, going to horse races and polo matches, trying local wines and shopping for antiques.”

In an age in which e-commerce and department store giants dominate, Middleburg’s quaint boutiques offer a welcome respite.
At [Foxfire Gallery and Antiques](http://www.foxfireantiques.com/), owner Kathy Alexander sits in a space that is itself a jewel box of precious European antiquities and objets d’art. In the center of the store, open for two years as of this month, a large skylight bathes the treasures below in natural light. Originally from New Orleans, Alexander seeks out these items in France and England: angel statues, heavy tapestries, trumeau mirrors and delicate tiaras, nesting amid old books on a shelf of carved wood.

The shop’s loveliness springs from its contrasts of color and texture: rosemary candles, green topiaries and boxwood wreaths, etched hurricanes and crystal chandeliers. It is a study in chalky whites and dusty blues. In the back, a large wooden armoire filled with Fortuny pillows stands adjacent to a beautiful 1920s French birdcage with white doves cooing inside.

The immensely popular women’s clothing and accessories shop [Lou Lou](http://loulouboutiques.com/) first opened its doors in Middleburg in the summer of 2004. Another town favorite is Crème de la Crème, a classic home-goods store that exudes comfort in the familiarity of its objects, from pretty mirrors and candles to colorful glassware and paperweights.

Crème de la Crème’s small paperie invites rummagers to peruse the walls of cheeky cards, journals, photo albums and coffee table books. Most popular? The store’s array of French linens and Italian pottery.

[J. McLaughlin](http://www.jmclaughlin.com/) is the newest shop to open for business on Middleburg’s charming streets.

For lodging, the [Red Fox Inn](http://www.redfox.com/) in the heart of town is not to be missed. For a more rural, yet luxurious experience, venture a few miles to the [Goodstone Inn](http://goodstone.com/), a country retreat set on 265 acres.

Goodstone’s owner, Mark Betts, a lawyer turned hotelier, bought the estate for his family in 1996. To maintain it, he began renting the property’s existing structures until he was eventually approached about starting a B&B. The inn formally opened in 1999, and their award-winning gourmet restaurant followed in 2005. Restaurant manager Mimi Schneider proudly says that much of the food – from eggs to vegetables and herbs – are culled daily on the property, keeping true to the farm-to-table concept.

“You’ve got to try the omelets here,” said Mark, touting Goodstone’s Sunday brunch. The team has also grown their wine program considerably over the years, with nearly 500 labels now available. Wine dinners are offered every other month. On June 23, the restaurant will host a dinner celebrating the wines of Bourgogne.

The team behind Goodstone Inn just opened a sister property in Costa Rica, an eco-lodge called Playa Cativo.

A short drive from Goodstone is the new Salamander Resort and Spa, a 340-acre equestrian estate in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The interiors are elegant and airy, yet there is a certain whimsicality, evidenced in the life-size chess set that stands on the back lawn. The resort – open since August 2013 – has 168 rooms, a world-class 23,000-square-foot spa, a private dining facility in a 150-year-old stallion barn, the Gold Cup Wine Bar, a full service equestrian center with instructional classes available and an attractive Virginia-themed restaurant called Harrimans.

With a new general manager, Reggie Cooper, [Salamander](http://www.salamanderresort.com/) is prepared for a full summer season. To start it off, every Friday from May 22 to Aug. 21, the resort’s Culinary Garden will host a Farm-To-Wine Summer Music Series with live music and food and wine from local growers.

**Upcoming Events:**

• 56th Annual Hunt Country Stable Tour, May 23-24

• Zip Line Under the Stars with Empower Adventures, May 22-24 and June 5-6

• 162nd Upperville Colt and Horse Show, June 1-7

• Greenhill Wine and Vineyards Concert on the Lawn Series, Fridays from May 8 to Sept. 25

• Great Meadow Polo Club’s Twilight Polo, Saturdays from May 9 to Sept. 19
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Caitlin Franz • May 21, 2015

“Welcome to Tysons. America’s Next Great City.” So reads the sign as you enter the Fairfax County, Virginia, revitalized commercial and business center on the border of McLean and Vienna.

The Plaza

Metrorail’s new Silver Line runs directly to the hub of activity. An overpass allows visitors to cross to The Plaza, with entrances to the Hyatt Regency, which opened in April, and the Tysons Corner Center mall. The Plaza itself is an entertainment venue, with a playground, Giant Jenga, a large chessboard and cornhole. It also hosts live music and a farmers’ market.

The Stores

Tysons is home to a wide variety of stores, including Lord and Taylor, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstorm, L.L. Bean, Old Navy, the Gap, Victoria’s Secret and Everything But Water. Some highlights for children include American Girl and the Disney and Lego stores. Dining options are scattered throughout the mall: Haagen-Dazs Café, Coastal Flats, Shake Shack, Luciano, Chipotle, Brio Tuscan Grille and more. Visitors can top off the experience by catching a movie on the third level of the complex at the AMC Theatres’ Tysons Corner 16 near the food court.

The Hyatt

“We were built as an amenity to the mall, but it goes well beyond that with all the businesses coming into the area,” says Dan Amato, general manager of the Hyatt Regency, who has worked for Hyatt for 39 years. This is his 15th hotel and his fifth opening.
Many elements of the hotel’s design are inspired by fashion and the close proximity to the mall. The glittering light fixtures in the lobby, leading from the check-in desk to the elevators, are modeled after women’s tennis bracelets. A series of hanging lights by the ballroom incorporate pearl-like orbs to mimic earrings.

Amato takes prides in the unique characteristics of this hotel. “There’s not one like it in our portfolio,” he says. The hotel features a large ballroom perfect for conferences, as well as several other meeting rooms.

The corporate lounge area is cozy with books and knickknacks surrounding comfy chairs and coffee tables. Coffee and drinks are available all day long; breakfast foods are served in the morning and hors d’oeuvres in the evening.

Bushel and Barrel, the restaurant inside the Hyatt, was created specifically for the Tysons location. The menu offers classic American favorites with a twist, as well as 22 craft beers from local breweries. “There’s a lot of character in every dish,” Amato says.

The interior is modern and clean with just a touch of rustic charm. High glass ceilings and transparent walls create an open and relaxed environment. Beer kegs are on display. The wood tables have stools that swing out on a hinge for seating, but otherwise remain invisibly tucked underneath. Terrace dining, which looks out on The Plaza, is also available and a private dining room can be booked for events.

Vita

Vita, a new luxury apartment building, is opening at Tyson’s Corner Center. The 30-story building is filled with studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouse apartments. There is a rooftop pool with cabanas, a sky lounge with an indoor/outdoor cantina and an all-season outdoor terrace with grills. The official opening will take place by the fall, but leasing has begun.

Georgetowner •

To experience the Tower Club Tysons Corner, go to the Towers Crescent building and take the elevator to the 14th floor. Then – if you’re a Tower Club member, a ClubCorp member, a member of D.C.’s City Club or attending a private event – take a second elevator to the 17th floor.

General Manager Kara Carmichael discovered only recently that the Towers Crescent architects added that separate trip to the top by design – as a symbolic ascent to the building’s exclusive upper floors.

That “you have arrived” feeling was recently taken up a notch with the completion of the Tower Club’s $2.2 million renovation. But don’t call it a renovation around Carmichael. To her, it was a “reinvention.”

The grand reopening of the 25-year-old club was Jan. 8, with work continuing. The Reinvention Celebration took place April 16.
Gone are the staid hues of an earlier time. The former color scheme of dark woods and fabrics has been swapped out for a palette of light, contemporary colors. New furniture – and upgraded Wi-Fi – is suited to the modern business environment.

The new facilities include a Work Zone; the Touchdown Rooms, for four-to-five-person meetings; and the Crescent Lounge, a new “anytime bar.” The Lobby Lounge has been refreshed and the outdoor terrace dining area – with 360-degree views – expanded.
The name of the club’s new upscale restaurant, Reserve, is a play both on restaurant reservations and the term for a specially aged vintage. The wine selection is extensive and impressive.

Judging from social media, the reinvention has been a hit: “awesome” (the renovation), “stellar” (the menu), “top notch” (the experience). “The only downside was that I’m more accustomed to this in Los Angeles than Northern Virginia…made me homesick,” wrote one reviewer.

Of course, one of the goals was to add members, especially younger and female. The club has more than 1,200 members and, gratifyingly, those who have joined in the past year include a higher percentage of millennials and women than the overall membership.
Another attraction for younger business people and entrepreneurs is the ramped up calendar of events. Coming up, among others: a Bourbon & Bacon Dinner on May 27; Network After Work, hosted by the Young Executive Society on June 3; and a Harvest Cooking Class with Executive Chef Marc Wilson on June 15.

Carmichael, who came to the Tower Club in May 2014 from nearby Chef Geoff’s, pointed out the appeal in today’s business world of giving back. The club is raising money to buy 500 backpacks from Stillbrave, the club’s charity of the year for 2015, for Fairfax County kids with a cancer diagnosis.

Two private events directors are on staff to build that side of the business, including wedding receptions. The Tower Club received five stars in the Weddingwire 2015 Couples’ Choice Awards.

As noted above, the Tower Club has reciprocity with D.C.’s City Club, and members have access to clubs nationwide through its affiliation with Dallas-based ClubCorp, the owner-operator of more than 200 private golf, country, business and alumni clubs, which recently acquired Sequoia Golf.

All in all, the 26 members of the Tower Club’s Advisory Board of Governors should congratulate themselves on a job well done. Transported to the reinvented club, Don Draper of “Mad Men” would probably approve of everything but the business casual dress code.
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Sallie Lewis • May 11, 2015

With Washington, D.C., in my rear-view, I drove east, watching as the terrain became sparser, yet more vibrant. Wide fields of gold were scattered with grain mills and dandelions. In the distance, a small plane flew low over the countryside.

Talbot County is located on the Delmarva Peninsula, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, facing more than 600 miles of tidal shoreline. Cassandra Vanhooser, Talbot County’s director of tourism, is a woman who understands both the historical impact and the present-day attraction of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary.

“The word ‘Chesapeake’ resonates around the world,” she said. Agriculture is an important component of the county’s identity, evidenced by the many farm fields, yet what struck me most were the countless boats outside people’s homes and businesses – symbols of pride and purpose that bind the communities of Talbot County together.

Since the late 17th century, the region has been inextricably linked to the water that surrounds it. That sentiment hasn’t changed, according to Vanhooser. “The maritime history is still alive and well,” she said.

At just under two hours from D.C., Talbot County’s culture exhibits a more relaxed, nostalgic filter than its bustling, politically charged counterpart. People craving the quiet allure of small, historic settings love traveling here, as do boatmen, artists and cyclists.

I stopped in Easton first. Established in 1710, the town remains the county seat, in addition to being a center for arts and culture. I went straight to the Academy Art Museum, where the exhibition “From Rubens to the Grand Tour,” on view through July 5, focuses on two paintings by 16th-century master Peter Paul Rubens. In addition, colorful portraits by California artist Ray Turner brighten the Museum’s Lederer Gallery.

Talbot County’s titillating natural backdrop is celebrated in festivals and events throughout the year. This summer, from July 11 to 19, the town will host the 11th annual Plein Air Festival. Named for the French term for ‘open air,’ the festival is the largest outdoor painting competition in the nation. In 2015, 58 of the world’s premier plein-air painters will compete for over $25,000. Another event is the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, when it will take place from June 7 to 21.

From Easton, I traveled south to the quaint town of Oxford. Since colonial times, Oxford residents have wrapped their yards with signature white picket fences of varying designs. These fences are blanketed in rose bushes, lavender hydrangeas and other flora. My visit wasn’t complete until I sampled homemade ice cream from Scottish Highland Creamery. The owner, Victor Barlow, and his wife, Susan, use local ingredients, fresh milk and cream, along with Italian flavorings. In Oxford, I felt as if I’d jumped into a chalk drawing, a la Mary Poppins.

I crossed the Tred Avon River on the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry, America’s oldest privately owned ferry (1683), and drove to St. Michaels. The town is home to a cluster of lovely shops and restaurants, in addition to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The museum, which sits on 18 waterfront acres, has 12 exhibit buildings, a working boat barn, the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse and the world’s largest collection of traditional Bay boats. It’s a place designed to share the heritage of the region, from oystering to waterfowling and boatbuilding. This year marks the institution’s 50th anniversary; from May 22 to 24, the community will commemorate the history of the Chesapeake Bay with activities and events, including a party on May 23.

Before driving back to D.C., I had lunch at the town’s famous Crab Claw restaurant, overlooking St. Michaels Harbor. Also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the restaurant will have food and drinks specials, music, trivia and giveaways on May 22.

Still farther south is Tilghman Island, accessible via the Knapps Narrows Drawbridge, the nation’s oldest operating drawbridge. Tilghman Island is home to a working watermen’s community, with sport fishing, charter cruises and lighthouse tours available to visitors.

Whether you have a whole weekend or just a day, Talbot County is a premier escape, one that recalibrated my mind and relaxed my soul. It can do the same for you.
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Peter Murray • April 23, 2015

District restaurants may boast menus featuring local, organic foods, but if you want the real thing, the freshest food out there, head to the source (or close to it) in Middleburg, Virginia. Artisanal food is plentiful there and in nearby Upperville and The Plains, all about an hour from Washington, D.C. These small towns offer not only an abundance of country charm, but also a plethora of fresh foods in their quaint restaurants, inns, groceries and butcher shops.

Here are a few highlights of the artisanal and organic food offerings in the Middleburg area:

The Hunter’s Head Tavern

The Hunter’s Head is a must-see – and must-eat – attraction in Upperville. Originally built as a log cabin in 1750, this English pub-themed restaurant maintains all the charm and character of the 1700s in its ambience and décor, with original log-cabin walls, fireplaces, floors and mantels. While those are the most striking features when one enters, the food is the real selling point here.

The menu leans heavily toward English fare: meat pies and sausage dishes, sometimes with an American twist (sweet-potato biscuits with gravy, for instance). There are also a number of internationally-inspired dishes, including vegetable curry, whole-wheat pizza, risotto bites and stroganoff (topped with melt-in-your-mouth veal). The menu uses icons to tell patrons which items are made with organic and local ingredients, the large majority falling into one or both categories. The Hunter’s Head team prides itself on the local-ness of their food, even displaying a map of vendors by the restaurant’s entrance to show customers where their food is coming from.

The Hunter’s Head Tavern, 9048 John S. Mosby Hwy., Upperville. Monday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (opens 11 a.m. on Sunday for brunch). 540-592-9020

The Whole Ox

Housed in an old train station, the Whole Ox is owned and operated by Derek and Amanda Luhowiak, two impressively badass characters living their dream of butchering humanely-raised local meat. “We carry humanely raised, antibiotic and hormone free meat from our neighboring farms and various small distributors around the country,” the duo says on the company website. Their offerings include beef, lamb, chicken, turkey and a huge, ever-changing selection of sausage.

6364 Stuart St., The Plains. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
540-253-5600

The Home Farm Store

The Home Farm Store, the outlet for meats and produce from nearby Ayrshire Farm, is becoming as much of an institution as the former bank that it occupies. Located in the heart of Middleburg, the store sells Certified Humane and Certified Organic pork, beef, veal, chicken and turkey. Larger orders for special occasions include succulent meats and delicious, inventive side dishes. The Home Farm Store also sells local wines, ciders, honeys, jams and fresh-baked goods, and sandwiches for lunch.

1 E. Washington St., Middleburg. Seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on Friday). 540-687-8882 [gallery ids="102024,134912" nav="thumbs"]

Theodore Putala •

As a barman, I do not get to travel for my wine-related work. Yet I’m often thinking of maps and countryside. My wine information comes largely through importers, the people who fly to France, hire a driver, visit wine regions, taste, buy, ship.

A good importer’s website, like that of local Wine Traditions – offering excellent wine, often from off the beaten paths – yields condensed information, pictures, a general sense of land, grape, grower and wine. Wine importers tell great stories, and, of course, to find good wine, there is nothing like paying a visit to a promising vineyard.

The sommeliers who do get to travel are another source of information. The excellent Facebook page of Julian Mayor, sommelier of Bourbon Steak, reveals extensive far-flung travels to wine regions of note (which some of the rest of us look upon with envy). There are pictures of distant lands, tasting rooms, vineyards, wine-making operations. The rest of us get to taste, if we’re lucky; Julian visits in person, learning all the while.

One might even garner a good general sense of things watching the Tour de France on television, as the aerial coverage will quite often linger over chateau and vineyard. You can see the lay of the land, how vines fit in.

Wine books are, for good reason, filled with pictures, with detailed geological maps down to the layers of soil underneath.

The grape must be a wise creature. Its lives attract us, country boy or not. One too-hot-to-move summer day in D.C. an out-of-town friend coaxes me to come along on a trip to the Virginia wine country, and as soon as we are out on the hillside of Three Foxes, yes, I get it. Further on, we make an enjoyable visit to Linden, simply refreshing. We are a part of the land again, understanding the human scale in nature’s surroundings.

And then there are the pros at this, people who’ve developed an interest in wine organically over the years of their careers, who then combine talents to offer for the rest of us wine tours of the most intelligent, circumspect and rewarding kind. Annette and Christian Schiller of Ombiasy PR and Wine Tours are a husband-and-wife team, organizer and blogger respectively, with a shared passion.

So where, to what fresh air, do you want to go? And with whom would you like to travel? [gallery ids="102056,134556,134557" nav="thumbs"]

Linnea Kristiansson •

“We are very proud to be able to bring three-day eventing to Great Meadow. It is probably the most difficult of any of the equestrian sports, since it involves all three disciplines,” said Robert Banner, president of the Great Meadow Foundation, which operates the famous field events center and steeplechase course in The Plains, Virginia.

On April 3, Banner announced that, in connection with building a new arena, the foundation will bring back three-day eventing to Great Meadow.

Three-day eventing is the sport of horse trials. It presents the ultimate challenge of horsemanship because it requires horse and rider to perform three totally different activities within the same competition: dressage, cross country and show jumping.

Construction of the new arena will start July 1, so that it can be ready for Nations Cup 2016, should Great Meadow’s bid be selected. A new acquisition of land has provided 174 acres dedi-cated to this type of competition. The new, world-class arena will be 300 feet by 250 feet, with a warm-up arena 400 feet by 70 feet. It will have an all-weather surface or footing, which will pre-vent competitions from being canceled due to rain.

Great Meadow’s new international-level venue will host top horses and riders from around the world. At the Olympics in London, the U.S. team failed to medal at all, their worst performance since 1956. This venue will raise the bar by bringing the nations that won to the U.S., so that the team can train and face the competition at home. This is expected to help the U.S. reclaim its rightful position on the international medals podium.

The new competition will be called the Land Rover Great Meadow International and feature the Nation’s Cup format annually. There are plans to live-stream coverage on the internet this year. Next year, the plans are to broadcast the competition on NBC Sports.

A big spectator-based event, FEI Nations Cup is organized by Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), the international governing body for all Olympic equestrian disciplines. It is the most prestigious competition series for national teams in the world.

”The Nations Cup has been going on for a long time for show jumping, but we have never had one for three-day eventing,” said Banner, former publisher of the Chronicle of the Horse.

Banner and the Great Meadow Foundation expect the new facility and level of competition will draw numbers similar to those for the Virginia Gold Cup races and other major events at Great Meadow.

Great Meadow will host a Concours International Combiné (CIC) 3 Event, which means the competitors do their dressage on Friday night. The show jumping takes place on Saturday night, and they run over a shortened version of the cross country course on Sunday morning. There are VIP dining and entertainment options throughout the weekend. CIC competitors are required to qualify for the same level of CCI competition, therefore the horse/rider combinations in the CIC tend to be slightly less experienced than in the CCI.

Course designer Mike Etherington-Smith, chief executive of British Eventing, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, has already completed renderings and layouts. The groundbreaking ceremonies and pep trials will be held June 19 to 21.

Linnea Kristiansson •

Each year, horses have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to run in the Kentucky Derby. To earn a spot at the starting gate, they must travel the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” a 10-week series of 35 designated races at tracks across the country and around the world. A sliding scale of points is awarded to the top-four finishers in each of the 35 races, includes 16 significant events that make up the ”Kentucky Derby Championship Series.” The 20 horses with the most points will be at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

The horse to keep an eye on at this year’s Derby is named International Star, the fourth colt since 1992 to sweep the Fair Grounds series of races for three-year-olds on the 2015 Kentucky Derby trail. In capturing the Lecomte Stakes, the Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby, International Star joins an elite group of colts to win two or more of these Derby preps without a loss.

Linnea Kristiansson • April 13, 2015

With summer on its way, so is the equestrian season. Perhaps you want to buy a dramatic hat for the Derby or the Oaks, the Royal Ascot or the races in Middleburg.

Of course, every woman needs a casual hat for everyday shopping, travel, the garden, the beach, “bad-hair days” or to stay cool and out of the sun. Wear a hat and be treated like the lady you are.

Remember to buy a hat that’s comfortable and has a wide brim. Choose the color carefully since dark colors tend to get warmer. The most easily worn hat is the one with a light pastel color – mint green or apricot pink, for example. Combine the outfit with a light-colored skirt and a top in the same color as the hat. Or simply wear a summer dress that matches your hat. [gallery ids="102040,134726" nav="thumbs"]