FASHION SNOOPS Hat Trick Fall ushers in a new personality accessory Afler a seemingly endless run as the look-defining accessory of choice, dorky personality glasses are finally being replaced by a more sophisticated piece. In a nod to old time elegance and practical fall dressing, girs are wearing hats, indoors and outdoors, as an everyday accoutrement to make their look distinctive. Stockholm has been the breeding ground for so many trends - from skinny jeans, of course, to the suddenly ubiquitous bun hairstyle- and tho girls hore are already showing off their new fall styles, launting their giant drawstring coats and angular, draped capes, and capping it all off with distinctive hats. Of course, i's already cold here, so the girls here get a jumpstart Con bringing out their cold weather goods, but it looks lke the hat is the style investment of the season, | have to admit, | love this trend. In the last couple of years, the cold weather has ushered in a slew of berets and even bowler hats, but this year has new choices- modem, original choices, to be worn everywhere and with every- thing. | cheered when | saw Galliano's dramatic leather cloche hats on the runway for Fall Couture, and Louis \Vuitton's towering hat design for fal like a mix between a fez and a top hat- is the most commanding and innova- tive hat style I've seen introduced for women. These hats are much more than weather protection, they are the es sential accessory that makes a look. Hats can be incredibly flattering, and are more striking and memorable than any other accessory, certainly more than bags and glasses. Hats say so much about a woman, about her glamour, or her quirkiness, and it's because hats have always been such “statement pieces that many women have shied away from wearing them when not absolutely forced to by the weather, and those hats of necessity have generally been hair-ruining, knit disasters. Now with women cutting down on their clothing budget, hats are taking center-stage as an investment piece. Rather than invest in a designer's dress that can be worn only on rare occasions, women want a piece they can wear everyday and feel incredibly stylish in. I'm saving up for my leather cloche. by Laura Rysman