Ever since high school, there has one been one constant in my life and that is my black and orange Chesaning baseball hat. There has never been a time in my life that I didn’t own the hat and have it in my personal possession (excluding the Appalachian Trail for weight restrictions). Now, I have not worn the exact same hat but it has always been the same style. It is a plain black hat with an orange varsity font C on the front. All of them have been fitted or stretch fit. When one wears out, I buy a new one. In total, including the two in high school, I believe that I have owned five of the hats. And now I have the sixth...and it’s grey.
For nearly a decade, when I wore a hat I did not wear any other hat than my Chesaning hat. I may have owned other hats, but I rarely wore them. Growing up, I had several hats that I bought because I thought they looked cool. But nothing fit me better than that beautiful black and orange. There was something about the colors and design that suit me. I remember playing ball on J/V and getting a light grey hat with the same C. I wore it, of course, but I all I wanted was to make it to varsity so that I could get one of those hats. Sure, I could have asked my parents to buy me one from Rehman’s, but it wouldn’t have been the same.
With any new hat that I have purchased or received, something always feels off. There is something about my head and face. I have the same issues when picking out glasses. I don’t have a universal face and it takes the right kind of accessories to work with my freckles, light complexion, and strawberry blonde hair. The dark black adds a sharp contrast to my paleness and the orange C compliments my gingerness. It just works. And when I wear any other hat, I don’t feel as confident. There’s something about that Chesaning hat that adds comfort to any outfit. I could be wearing a tux and look just a little bit better with that hat on.
So, it felt like a big deal to change the color. I didn’t have a choice though. Rehman’s was sold out of the medium stretch fit black hats. They had the child’s size and large. Despite my height, my head is a normal adult size, proportionate to my body. And although they were stretch fit, neither the small or large would work. It was like the porridge that was too hot or cold. But! The small was too tight and the large was just a little to bit to not fit snuggly. Luckily, they had a medium in the dark grey. My instincts told me no, that I couldn’t deviate from the style that has defined my hat look for so long. But it does look good and it may be time for a change.
The new one is much darker grey than the one from JV. It is close enough to black that I feel comfortable trading in the old one. And it's clean! My most recent one I have had for about five years now, still wearing it every chance I can. The sweat has soaked in and the sun has faded the fabric. The dust from sanding walls has caked on and the smell is starting to waft.
I am very happy to have a new hat. Even if it isn’t the exact model, it fits me well. I’ll have to make sure to wear it sparingly. Or every chance I get.
