When it comes to me and hats, we have a pretty sad relationship. It’s only in recent years that I’ve really become comfortable with wearing them in both summer and winter months. Before then, I always considered them a huge nuisance and couldn’t be bothered to fuss around with a contraption on my head.

Now that I do like to wear them, however, I’ve been faced with a bit of a problem: I always lose them. This winter alone I lost three of my favourite hats! I’m starting to seriously consider bringing back that childhood trend of tying everything to yourself. Remember when mittens were strung together and pulled through your jacket sleeves? Genius!

This summer I thought it would be great to get a classic Panama hat. It would be easy to wear, provide the protection that I need, style that I want, and wouldn’t be too floppy and annoying to deal with. When I met an old friend’s stylish pop over the last long weekend, he threw his Panama on top of my head and explained that if I were to get one I would have to look out for the Ecuador stamp to know it’s a genuine Panama.

Soon I found one I loved, but it was $150. It’s not that the price of the hat is too high, but I worried that it might be too much to spend on something that I would most likely lose in a matter of weeks, or even a week.

While digging through one of my favourite antique markets near my cottage on Saturday, I found this rather high-top straw hat, for a mere six dollars! And I thought: “now that’s a price I can afford to part with.”

What I Wore: Kate Hudson for Ann Taylor skirt (courtesy of Ann Taylor), vintage sun hat, Designers Remix tank top, Sol Sana sandals from Sauvage, Celine sunglasses.

Get The Look: Womens Insight Swimwear,  Silk cream maxi skirt from Tibi,  Pamela woven sun hat by Inverni, Smokey brown sunglasses by Tom Ford, Charm & chain ava name necklace by Sarah Chloe, Ryan neon-leather sandals from Juicy Couture