Chapel veils and hats!

[Penelope]

I've never really been a hats girl, instead preferring to stick to chapel veils at Mass. A few weeks ago, though, I had a birthmark removed from my scalp and I wasn't allowed to wash my hair for a few days, so I bought a hat to wear around town so that I could cover the rat's nest that my hair had become. I wore the hat to Mass and got a few compliments about it, so I wore it again to Christmas Eve Mass and tonight I bought another hat in a similar style to wear to Mass. Maybe I'll become a hats girl yet! (Though I think I'll always remain partial to the mantilla that I bought when I was in Spain this past summer...)

Ladies, which do you prefer to wear to Mass and why?

Edit: As our respected forum administrator pointed out, we have about a grand total of four women who post here, so allow me to expand this topic to gentlemen as well: Guys, which do you see more often at Mass? If you were/are married or in a relationship, which would you prefer your lady to wear?

[Lyubov]

I think veils are better just from an aesthetic point of view. It's hard to find attractive hats.

[Kaesekopf]

I think hats look better on women.  Plus, as Americans, hats were "the norm" in pre-conciliar times.  Veils, to me, just scream "Mediterranean." 

[Penelope]

I think veils are better just from an aesthetic point of view. It's hard to find attractive hats.

I agree, I do think it is difficult to find attractive hats. These are the ones that I bought recently:

This one, in brown and this one.

[Eliza]

I prefer veils. Hats seem more bold to me, and I'm not brave when it comes to how I dress! I think overall veils are more lovely and elegant. That is just my taste, of course. Pictures of Our Lady or other holy women in veils are absolutely beautiful, which is part of the reason I love them so much.

It's funny you should bring this topic up now, though. I had a dream last night that I was given a hat for Christmas, and it looked absolutely stunning on me! Lol. Most hats don't look good on me. It was one of those with a netted covering (I'm sure there's a name for that) over the face.  I woke up and decided to search for one to buy.

[Penelope]

It was one of those with a netted covering (I'm sure there's a name for that) over the face.

Do you mean like a fascinator?

Also, one other benefit that I see to wearing a veil is that it covers more of my hair--and I have way too much hair to fit it all under a hat!

[Ancilla Domini]

I prefer veils. I just think they're beautiful. And I like the way they fall forward when I bow my head and block my peripheral vision. It makes it much easier to focus on prayer and ignore what's going on around me in the pews, especially at the Novus Ordo, where I try to avoid all the hand-holding and such. Also, with a hat, I always worry that I'm blocking the view of someone behind me.

[Ancilla Domini]

Veils, to me, just scream "Mediterranean."

Another plus for veils! 

[Eliza]

It was one of those with a netted covering (I'm sure there's a name for that) over the face.

Do you mean like a fascinator?

Also, one other benefit that I see to wearing a veil is that it covers more of my hair--and I have way too much hair to fit it all under a hat!

Yeah, kind of like a fascinator. The one in my dream was more substantial than the fascinators that I googled (yeh, I had to google "fascinator", haha).

And what you say about covering the hair... yes. Hats wouldn't work at Mass for me for that reason as well. My hair wouldn't fit beaneath a hat. I try to keep all of my hair covered with my veil at Mass.

[Lyubov]

A hat like this would be my ideal.

[Penelope]

Very cute... but a bit big for Mass, definitely. Looks like Kaesekopf is in the minority on the hats versus veils thing.

[Kaesekopf]

Very cute... but a bit big for Mass, definitely. Looks like Kaesekopf is in the minority on the hats versus veils thing.

Also the only guy up in this thread.

[Vetus Ordo]

Hmmm...is it just me or does anyone else think that some hats kind of defeat the purpose of women not showing off in church?

[kayla_veronica]

I don't like the way I look in hats most of the time, but I bet they are much less of a hassle to keep in place during Mass. I have a really beautiful wrap mantilla that I got as a gift so that's what  I wear. Before I got my mantilla I was really in to wearing head scarfs.

[Bonaventure]

Hats are a bit English, no?

Most trad women opt for veils. A few wear hats.

I've noticed that Black protestants wear hats. Then again, when it comes to church, brothers are no nonsense.