Like any good San Diegan, I like to wait until the last minute and battle huge crowds for my Halloween costumes, sparkly New Year's dresses, and of course, the Ugly Christmas Sweater party season. Getting my fancy hat for Opening Day at the Del Mar Racetrack was obviously not an exception.
What IS exceptional is that this is my first time going to the racetracks, let alone Opening Day! It falls on a Wednesday every year and so I've never been able to make it. But as I found out last week, this year I'll get out of work early enough to meet Ryan and his parents at the tracks and that meant I needed a hat.
Fancy hats are a huge part of the Del Mar Racetrack experience, but never is it as extreme as during Opening Day. And THE place to get your Opening Day hat in San Diego is The Village Hat Shop. The Village Hat Shop has a huge selection online, but more important for procrastinators like me are their store locations in San Diego. I'm lucky enough to not only have their online store's warehouse as my neighbor, but to live about a mile and half away from their Hillcrest location. So tonight, I rushed over after work to pick out my hat. As predicted, the store was buzzing with girls in the same boat as me. I claimed a mirror and got to work.
I tried on at least a dozen hats, most of which were adorable, some of which were just for fun, but as is typical for me and pressure shopping, I ended up falling for the first hat I saw. Now I just have to find a dress to match! Another first for me: planning an outfit around an accessory and not the other way around.
As for the hat I picked out, I'll wait until Opening Day to show it off. In the meantime, if you're anything like me and you waited until the last minute to get your hat, head over to The Village Hat Shop tomorrow or Wednesday to pick it up before the races! See you at the track, San Diego!!!
