Last update - 00:00 31/05/2007
The hat lady
By Ilanit Shamia
Why hats?
"I used to wear wigs, but I got tired of them and switched to hats - they're more colorful. I like colorful hats, special ones, not small ones. I'm daring in ways others aren't, let's put it that way. My daughter said to me once about a crazy hat I bought: Mom, how much attention does one person need?"
Doesn't this contradict the religious intent?
"I don't know. I didn't ask a rabbi, let's put it that way. My daughter once came to a family event I was attending - my extended family is more ultra-Orthodox - and she asked the waitress where the woman with the crazy hat was sitting. This was around the time of the disengagement, so I allowed myself to wear an orange hat, as a political statement. They looked at me, oho. But my family accepts me as I am. I may embarrass them, but I don't care. I uphold what's important, but I won't give up stylish clothes and hats."
How many hats do you have?
"I buy a lot more than I need. I have a hundred hats. Is that normal? It's on the brink of sick. I buy by the kilo, not a week goes by without me buying something. And if I like so many things, I have to buy them cheap. A secular girl wears black pants and she's dressed, but for us it takes effort. We have synagogue, celebrations. This month alone I have five weddings - it's a hefty part of the budget. I don't go to the hairdresser and I don't have a cleaning lady. Instead of a cleaning lady, I buy myself a holiday present. I have a friend whose husband is a psychiatrist, and I say to him: 'Instead of giving my money to you, I gave it to the shop.'"
How do you decide what to wear?
"It takes me exactly five minutes to get dressed in the morning. Before I go to work, I exercise at the public gym at the entrance of the community, I iron, clean the house, cook and bake, and then I shower and get to work by 9:30 A.M. For everyday wear I have simpler skirts, but they're still stylish. But the main thing is the hats - this bombastic hat, let's say, I won't wear everyday. I have comfortable hats that can be worn all day. I have a client at work who imports hats. She shows me the catalogue and I order, and it's a lot cheaper than at a store."
What are you wearing today?
"The vest I bought in Ra'anana, next to where I work. I went out for 10 minutes and bought it for my son's wedding. The skirt I bought from Shulamit, a neighbor of mine who is a designer, and the shirt I bought in the Rosh Ha'ayin market. They also have trash there, you have to know where to look. I also shop at the Bezalel market [in Tel Aviv]. I'm a champ: I can stick my hand into a pile of rags and pull out the only good item. I'm also a champ at going to the store exactly when designer clothes are 70 percent off - that happens to me all the time. The necklace, the bracelet and the earrings - they are real pearls and that's the only expensive thing I'm wearing. I have a neighbor who is a jeweler, and my husband bought them for me - he's not cheap like me. The shoes are Nine West, I bought them in Eilat when I was there on holiday, but that's an exception. I was with my girls and they told me: Stop being cheap. My daughter also found a good deal there."
Do they say that to you a lot?
"All the time, but I don't care. If I see an overdraft, I go into crisis mode. It's the same at the supermarket: If I see a special on a drink, I buy six cartons."