"HAT STUFF" - MARTIN WEBB IN TOKYO

Under the headline "Blazing summer becomes boon for haberdashers", Japan Today reports that sales of men's hats at Seibu Department Stores Ltd.'s flagship store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, more than doubled in July from a year earlier.

"Buyers include salesmen who make their rounds by bicycle and those who are now riding trains and buses as they minimize use of their cars ... Collapsible hats, which users can take out of their bags when necessary, are selling well", say Seibu officials.

At Toraya, a venerable hat retailer in Tokyo's posh Ginza district, foldable Panama hats are said to be in strong demand. Mitsuhiro Yokoyama, spokesman for the Tokyo Hat Club, is quoted as saying "Hats have become a necessity in summer for today's middle-aged and older men as many of whom are quite fashion-conscious and often go out with their wives".

Anyway, I've deemed this article a good enough excuse to post some of my favorite headwear looks from the A/W '08-'09 season.

Lanvin Homme

Number (N)ine

Number (N)ine

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

Louis Vuitton

All images via Style.com