“I assumed the butterfly was going to Bloomingdale’s to buy a hat,” Meg Ryan said, her best-friend-worthy voice delightfully chipper as she narrates her fictitious e-mail to Tom Hanks, “which would turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are.”

Maybe I’ve previously set too much stock in this piece of “You’ve Got Mail” wisdom. I frequently do that with movies that I really like, and I probably always will.

And whether my subconscious was reverting back to that quote from one of my favorite rom-coms or not, I can honestly say I’ve never owned a hat which I really and truly liked until this season.

Sure, I’ve had beanies that kept my ears warm during the high school and college football games I just couldn’t bear to miss (Bryant pun intended.) I’ve owned the odd baseball cap or two, which come in handy on days I roll out of bed and practically run to class with no time to worry about what my hair is doing.

I’ve tried on fedoras and berets in Belk, Claire’s and Target, but every time I looked in the store mirrors I found myself laughing or just looking disgusted, like some kind of knit-skinned creature had decided to take up residence on my head.

I’m not really sure what changed this season. Maybe I’m growing up or something corny and sentimental like that. But I’m not really the sentimental type most of the time, especially when it comes to headwear. I’m more inclined to think it has something to do with my hair being longer than it ever has before, or that the cute grey tweed bucket hat I tried on at Target that day had some kind of magic, like in Frosty the Snowman or the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts.

Whatever it was, it was the first time I’d ever tried on a hat I actually thought I looked good in. The weather hasn’t permitted wearing it just yet, but I hope it’ll be present in one of my next game day outfits now that things are starting to cool down a bit in T-Town.

Then, just a few days ago, the unthinkable happened. I was looking around at Claire’s in the mall, because well, sometimes it’s fun to revisit junior high (not to mention they have good jewelry.) I’m perusing the loads of shiny merchandise on the walls, and lo and behold, if my eye wasn’t drawn to another hat.

It couldn’t be, right? There was no chance I would like it, but I had to try it on because it caught my eye. I looked up into the mirror, ready to laugh at the way it made my ears stick out or something equally embarrassing, but found myself pleasantly surprised again. The red rope knit oversize beret framed my face perfectly, letting my loose blonde curls fall down to my shoulders evenly. Not a single odd poof or crease or anything.

I’ve since designated the beret my “official writing hat,” and hope it’s going to get me through National Novel Writing Month, the masochistic November writing phenomenon I’m subjecting myself to for the second time. So far, because of the hat or not, it’s going well.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, everyone deserves a second chance, even your fashion accessories. Don’t listen to what other people say about how things look, even silly fashion columnists. If you like it, go for it. Try on the things that catch your eye, even if you’re not sure about them. You just might be surprised.