A friend of mine brought it up, and while at first I mentally fought the comparison; it suddenly dawned on me: he was right.

Celebrities that have a negative track record of being able to competently style themselves are the main culprit here. How many times have you seen Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Ashlee Simpson or Lindsay Lohan sporting a token fedora without the slightest clue of how to actually pull it off…it happens all the damn time.

Men: a fedora does not automatically make you a well put together gentleman (or Brad Pitt); in one fell swoop it can do the complete opposite! If you’re shaky style ground. A friendly side note: polo shirts and fedoras never go well together (unless this is the look you’re going for).

Ladies: Please think twice before jumping the bandwagon on this trend. Just because you own a waistcoat and aren’t afraid to wear it does not give you free license to go on a fedora bonanza. Sure, the menswear trend is still a burning ball of hotness; but know when the pieces of the clothing and accessory puzzles fit together and when they don’t (this usually occurs when you’re only buying the hat because “ohmygawd Paris Hilton has one” or because you shop solely at Urban Outfitters).

Some things to consider before you dive into the great wide and ever expanding world of fedoras:

• Are you wearing it only because some “cool” person has one?
• Does your hat fit your head?
• Does wearing a fedora clash with the rest of your style?
• Is the fabric of the hat complimentary to the rest of your outfit?

A few things to keep in mind when shopping:

• If you aren’t sure of the look or fit, take an honest shopping buddy with you to help.
• Get sized at a proper hat store (Vancoverites, think Edie’s Hats in Vancouver on Granville Island)

Happy trails, hat fiends.