London Collections Men: Have a Hanky Hat summer

Of all the things that I thought I would find at London Collections, I didn't think I would find a Hanky Hat. I did though, and it was a craze that swept over every chap at the weekend, and will continue over the summer.

The history of a handkerchief hat can originally be found from the UK industrial age, when workers first started having holidays but couldn't afford special summer clothing. Later it became a comic cliche with Monty Python rocking the look. Today, it was been resurrected by the chaps at Dashing Tweeds and modernised for today's dandy.

The new hat is a cross between a flat cap (at the front), and a knotted handkerchief (at the back). The craze is set to continue with the Hanky chaps recording a cheeky song this week, to be released on iTunes. Watch this space for an update on when you can download the full track and watch the video.

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Block head wear does it in NYC

Putting your head on a block back in 18th century meant you were about to lose it, however putting your head in a block is an entirely different thing.  We present you BLOCK (Twitter - @Blockheadwear),  a New York based company paying homage to the centuries old art of hat making (or felt making), where material is moulded around a piece of wood aka 'The Block', to give a hat its shape.

Created by Ciomi McCabe in 2000, she originally honed her felt makings skills with Kangol before setting up Block.  The company can still be found in NYC creating some serious swagger wagger on the East Coast.

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