The Headwear Association has announced their 2012 “Headwear Hall of Fame” inductees, “stylish individuals renowned for wearing hats.”

This year’s picks:
Lady Gaga
LL Cool J
Kid Rock
Victoria Beckham

And posthumously:
Marlene Dietrich

Fred Astaire

I’m curious what your reaction is to these nominees; for me, this is a mixed bag. Dietrich’s gender-bending style was iconic, and she wore an incredible range of hats. Lady Gaga appears to be trying to single-handedly bring hats back into the center of the fashion universe and simultaneously broaden the definition of “hat” to include everything from fascinators to sculpted wigs to lobsters. But while LL Cool J, Kid Rock, and Victoria Beckham often wear hats, I don’t see anything spectacular or revolutionary about their hat choices. I’m also not sure where I stand on Fred Astaire — sure, he wore hats, and wore them well, but he’s so well remembered for so many other things that honoring him for his hat choices seems to pale in comparison.

Oh well, at least they didn’t include Princess Beatrice.

Who would you pick for your personal hat hall of fame?