Hats Plus is loaded with everything from fur-lined bombers to stylish Kangol pull-on hats. With more than 600 models of hat in stock, there’s no telling what you’ll find that best fits your wintertime needs.

Here is the 2012 Borsalino Check Ivy Cap. It is one of the first dashing new caps to arrive for the fall season.

School has started. Football has started. I know. It is sad to say, but summer’s days are numbered and running out fast.

The good news is that it will soon be time to pick out your new hats for the autumn and winter!

At our Chicago location, we are turning over the store and readying our wool caps and fur felt hats.

Among our first new arrivals of the season are a beret and Check Ivy Cap from Borsalino. Each is hand-crafted by those Italian artisans whose work is admired the world over.

All you need to do to fall in love with Borsalino’s berets is touch them. Each is luxuriantly soft and features an equally soft leather sweatband. The wool is warm, and they are designed for both men and women to wear.

The Check Ivy Cap isn’t done any justice in the photo. It is darker in real life and the burnt yellow checks on a dark brown background, as well as the blue checks on a black background, are absolutely electrifying.

More hats and caps are coming soon, so be sure to check in with our store or website often to see what else has arrived.

This is the new European lady's hat called the Valerina by Tonak. It is made from a warm blend of fabrics including angora and wool.

Just in from Europe are some fun and flirty cool weather caps for women. With a hint of carefree retro ’20s charm the Okino cap is a light-weight wool cap you can wear anywhere.

The Valerina cap is a mostly angora and wool blend cap that is very soft and warm. It comes in many colors to match any outfit.

Best of all, these hats are fairly inexpensive, so you can get several to match your wardrobe for any occasion.

If you have to venture outside at all any time during the next three months, you’d best be dressed in layers and have a good hat. When the snow is driving or the temperature is diving, you don’t want to mess around with fashion statements. You need warmth.

If you are looking for a super-warm hat, the Mad Bomber is one of the warmest.

There are few hats as adept at keeping your melon toasty as a “bomber.” Yup, these are hats that look like what pilots used to wear. (Of course, the origins of that hat date back to Russia, China and other really cold places.) Our “Mad Bomber” is one of the most popular models we sell, as it is lined with rabbit fur and made of soft lambskin leather that is very warm. It has ear flaps that can position up over your head or be snapped down under your chin to help keep your ears and cheeks from getting frostbitten.

Bombers come in many varieties, though. Some use faux fur, sheepskin, denim and poly fabics. The pricing starts at only $29, so you don’t have to spend a fortune to battle the elements of winter.

Whether they’re actors, Halloween revelers or clubbin’ cats makin’ the scene, it is great to hear each individual story.

Jason is an actor taking classes at Second City, the Chicago comedy club that serves as the “farm system” for “Saturday Night Live.”  He has always been a hat fan.

“I’m big on the Kangols and the newsies,” he said.

But today he came in on a special occasion.

“I’m shopping for a hat for a movie I’m going to be playing a jazz character in,” Jason said.

He said it is an indie picture that doesn’t have a formal title yet, as it was just about to start production. He promised to keep us posted on the title and the film’s release. He bought a stingy brim Broner fedora he was certain would make the character’s look complete.

Tom came in on what might possibly be the last 70 degree day of the year with an eye toward the cooler days ahead. He is a prefers fedoras and already has several.

“I’m looking for a brown one for fall and winter,” he explained while discussing his visit. He was last seen smiling into a mirror with a brown Stetson Sutley perched up top.

A husband and wife came in, preparing for their trip to spend Halloween in New Orleans. Approached while staring at several hats resting on a red vest with black pin striping, Aaron said, “I’m trying to match it with my outfit.”

A red Bailey Crushable Fedora won the battle. Not only did it’s red and black coloring match the vest, it was the perfect hat for traveling.

Meanwhile, Aaron’s wife found the green Biltmore Tyrolean and gently reminded him, “Christmas is coming.”

“I really don’t think that hat would work for me,” he said.

“Not for you,” she prodded. “For me.”

By mid-afternoon, our biggest hat challenge of the day entered the store. Jeff walked in with a beautiful plum red and black fur coat and wanted a hat to match it.

“It’s made from chinchilla,” he explained, as he stroked the thick, soft fur that nearly swallowed his entire hand.

Where does one wear such a spectacular coat?

“You ever hear of steppers?” Jeff asked, referring to the dance style popular in films such as “Stomp the Yard.” “There are a few clubs I like to go to to watch them. And, well, you gotta look good.”

Matching the color was impossible, but finding a color that would accentuate the coat wasn’t so difficult. Jeff liked the red fur felt of the Biltmore Tyrolean, but he liked the look of the Biltmore Designer Series Fedoras.

Store owner Martin Mann proposed a potential solution and offered to call Biltmore directly to see if they could make a Designer Series fedora in the red fur felt of the Tyrolean. That seemed to make Jeff’s day, and the two traded information to see if Biltmore could provide Jeff with exactly what he wanted.

And that level of customer service is one of the greatest benefits Hats Plus offers its shoppers. Sometimes we can request custom designed hats at affordable rates. It really just depends on the manufacturers having the capability and materials to tackle such jobs.

Gary, on the other hand, is more representative of our average customer.

“I just like to wear hats,” he said while perusing the Borsalino leather ivies. Then, with a sheepish grin, he added, “Plus, I’m losing my hair a little and am looking to keep warm.”

No matter what reason you are looking for hats, we’ve got you covered.