This has been a particularly rainy week in Madrid, and I have noticed that, like mushrooms, rainhats have been sprouting on the heads of even the most stylish Madrileñas. I mean the good, old-fashioned canvas "Colonel Blake of MASH" rainhats that your fisherman uncle would hook his trout flies on. This is a mystery to me. I can't remember seeing them before during the winter. Is this a spring tradition? Or did "Vogue" or "Elle" or one of the other fashion magazines suddenly declare these rainhats to be "in"?

Do you mean the "round" rain style hats with the little brim all the way around? Yes, I think it's a trendy style caused by fashion designers. I have seen them in every San Francisco store this spring, but so far haven't seen many women or girls wearing them, even though we've had a lot of rain this spring as well.

I was wondering if what's "in" here (SF) is "in" there (Madrid) and judging by a couple of recent posts* it seems to be so at least in the stores.

*The other post mentioned hip hugger flared jeans which are very trendy here.

That girl, yes, the hats I see have brims all the way around. Glad to know that I wasn't imagining things, and that they are making their appearance in U.S. stores as well.

What is fashionable in San Francisco will probably be fashionable here, though no one wears anything baggy (which is still trendy among American kids?). Tight and tailored-looking are the watchwords here.

In my neck of the woods, only males wear their clothes baggy...read the crotch hits at about the knees. The girls have someone spray paint their clothes on in the morning before they leave for school. I assume that is how the pants are put on...I couldn't get into them if I did the old "lie back on the bed and suck in your stomach while you zip your levi's" routine! Mmmm....maybe if I used 10W40?

Same here in San Francisco - only young men and teen boys wear super baggy clothes anymore, but clothes for men still seem to be cut overly large. My guy friends, who prefer the clean-cut tailored look, constantly have problems finding shirts and trousers that actually fit properly. (ie a Med is really an X-large sometimes)

I cannot wait for the day when the "pants 4 sizes too large, hanging down around the ankles" look goes out of style. In my opinion, it has got to be the #1 most ridiculous style ever invented.