HOUSTON – Before heading out to enjoy all the rodeo fun, it’s important to look the part. That means bringing out your best Western look, from boots to a blinged-out hat.
KPRC2 reporter Cathy Hernandez spent some time with Diane Painter – aka The Hat Lady – from Southern Gal Glitz to get herself fitted for a custom rodeo-ready hat.
Painter has been designing and customizing hats for over 25 years.
“If you’re gonna have the boots, you gotta have a hat. That’s just Texas style,” Painter said. “I’m going to have some glitz or something sparkly. Gotta leave a little sparkle everywhere you go. You got to have that last little kick of glamour to set your whole outfit off. If you’re gonna do it, you might as well go 100 percent.”
Painter is a firm believer that the more bling, the better, and has been creating masterpieces one cowboy hat at a time, each one customized.
“I actually cut the leather, and punch the hat, lace the hat, we have to cut this part of the brim of the hat,” Painter said. “Then we decide what band we want to put on it. And then we build and create the feather.”
Her clients return year after year for Southern Gal's talent and style that can turn any rodeogoer into a rodeo king or queen.
“We can go purple, we can go black, brown, green, purple. Whatever your imagination is,” she said. “You know I like a lot of bling so I decided to add the feather to give it a little more style and fru-fru," Painter said. “I have a lot of women come and say, ‘I don’t look good in a hat’ and I’m like, ‘Yes you do.’ You put one of these hats on with the bling on, how could you not look good?”
For custom hats, you can go the Southern Gal Glitz website or visit the Facebook page.
VIDEO: Check out Cathy Hernandez's custom hat made by Painter