Miranda Lambert Pens Foreword to “How to Style a Hat” — Read an Excerpt! (Exclusive)

The new book by The Original Hat Bar founder Brittany Cobb will teach aspiring hat people exactly that

NEED TO KNOW

• Country music starMiranda Lambert pens the foreword to Flea Style founder Brittany Cobb’s new book How to Style a Hat
• The book is “part fun, part entrepreneurial” and will show readers “how embracing individuality can translate into confidence, resilience, and business-building in real life.”
• Read Lambert’s foreword to the book, below

Lifelong flea-market obsessive Brittany Cobb grew up combing antique malls and swap meets.

Now, the founder of Flea Style and How to Style a Hat is sharing her Kentucky Derby-worthy style with the masses in her new book, How to Style a Hat with a little help from hat aficionado Miranda Lambert.

“How to Style a Hat is part fun, part entrepreneurial,” the book official synopsis promises. “On one level, it’s a joyful, style-forward celebration of hats and personal expression. On another, it’s a thoughtful look at women wearing many ‘hats’ — founder, creative, mother, partner leader — and how embracing individuality can translate into confidence, resilience, and business-building in real life.”

And that’s a reflection of its author’s mission, too. “Building Flea Style has never been about chasing trends — it’s about one-of-a-kind style and fashion that tells a story,” Cobb tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.

“With How to Style a Hat, I wanted to bottle up that magic and spirit and show women how to wear confidence as boldly as they wear a brim. Having my friend Miranda Lambert write the foreword just makes it all the more meaningful — she’s the kind of woman who lives her truth out loud, and that’s exactly what this book and Flea Style are all about.”

The country music star knows a little something about the confidence boost that can come with a good hat. Lambert, the most-awarded artist in ACM Awards history with 37 wins, received the highest honor of ACM Entertainer of the Year in 2022.

“Before I ever had a stylist or a big stage, I had a good hat — and it made me feel like I could walk into anything,” says Lambert in an exclusive statement shared with PEOPLE. “That’s what Brittany captures in this book. It’s not just about styling, it’s about finding that kind of confidence for yourself.”

Read Lambert’s foreword in an exclusive excerpt from How to Style a Hat, below.

I’ve always believed that a great hat has the power to transform not just an outfit, but also the way you carry yourself. There’s something about the tilt of a brim, the curve of a crown or the texture of felt that can make you feel a little bit bolder, a little bit wilder — and, on certain days, a little bit more like the truest version of yourself. Hats, to me, have always been more than just accessories; they’re a statement, a mood, and, when necessary, a little piece of armor.

Years ago, back when I was playing honky-tonks in Texas, trying to find my place in country music, I didn’t have a stylist or a big wardrobe budget, but I did have a good hat. It was a straw hat that I’d painted like the Texas flag with crimped beer caps around the brim. When I put it on, I felt unstoppable. I wasn’t just Miranda from Lindale anymore; I was a girl with a story to tell and a stage to conquer.

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That hat, and so many others since, became part of my identity — a little signature of strength and style that followed me through every stage of my life and career. There’s something magical about picking out a hat, shaping it to fit your style, adding the perfect band or feather and walking out with something uniquely yours.

Brittany Cobb has turned hat wearing into an art form, and she’s created a place where people don’t just buy hats — they build confidence. Hats have played a starring role in my own life — in my music, my style and my sense of self. I’ve worn them in music videos, onstage, on long road trips and even just around the farm. They’ve helped me feel strong and bold when I needed a little extra grit.

And that’s exactly what this book is about — finding the hat that fits you and letting it become a part of your story. In these pages, you’ll learn everything from how to shape and style your hat to how to wear it with pride. But what you’ll really find, I think, is the courage to own your look and lean into the part of yourself that’s fearless, stylish and a little bit untamed.

Hats have a funny way of bringing out a different side of you — the side that’s ready to take on the world. So, whether you’re slipping on your first wide-brim or adding another classic to your collection, my advice is this: Wear it like you mean it. Happy hat hunting — and, more importantly, happy hat wearing. 

With love, Miranda

Excerpted from HOW TO STYLE A HAT by Brittany Cobb. Copyright © 2026 by Brittany Cobb. Published and reprinted by permission of Abrams. All rights reserved. 

How to Style a Hat by Brittany Cobb will hit shelves on April 21 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

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