When peacocking gets annoying

[Wozo]

A good while ago I was in this club with a hat I had borrowed from a friend so I wanted to be careful with it, try not to lose it. So there I am in the club mingeling (or whatever) and this bitch (prob a goodlooking) grabbed my hat and fucking ran of. I later saw her with my hat so I took it and said something stupid like "That´s my friends hat." I was a AFC and I still am. What should I have done or said? And have something similar occured to you?

[Thomas]

What you need to do is be quick about it, and stop her from taking it in the first place. Or at least stop her from running away with it.

I regularly wear a hat, a really nice old Borsalino that I won't let just anybody touch. Be confident, be assertive. If someone takes it, take it back, and if they get mopey, and you want to play along with it, tell them they'll have to do something for it. It could be anything from asking nicely to buying a drink to kissing you, depending on your style and your perception of what the girl would be comfortable doing.

The idea is that you should convey that being allowed to wear your hat is a privilege, and she'll have to earn that privilege.

[Wozo]

There was no way I could have stoped her since she took it from behind my back. Im not superman. Thanks for the tip. Ill try that next time instead of getting all hysterical...

[Thomas]

Turn around and take it back, before she has the time to run away.

Getting hysterical is the last thing you want to do. You can get annoyed, and if she runs away with it, you're in your full right to get angry (she basically just stole your hat).

Personally, if a girl took my hat and ran away with it, I'd get annoyed and march straight over to her to get it back, asking her rather sternly why she did it. If my gut feeling says she did it to get my attention, and the girl is worthy of my attention, I'd let her have it, if I wasn't already engaged with something more interesting.

[Dude911]

When you see the girl wearing your hat, make sure she will see you too.
Just stand confident, make eye contact and make a gesture with your finger that she has to come to you, just like a parent would do this to a child. Be playfull. Make sure to smile. She will remember you 'cause stealing your hat was an IOI. If she comes to you, you get your hat back and say: "Your time has ran out. There are other people who want to wear this hat, geez." "And next time ask me, I won't bite [pause] if your lucky". And then go into another story. She openend YOU, what else do you want? ;)
If she doesn't come to you, she is playing a little game with you. But you are not going to her. Every little game you play, you win. Period. So talk to your friends, other girls, open another set or dance with somebody else. She will be watching you and everything you do should be a DHV. Then try again. Gesture her to come to you. She doesn't? Try again! :) :p

Ps. If they take your hat without asking, don't try to get it back using strenght. This is the most AFC thing you can do. Let them take it, and then take it back gently, making a comment, joke, or DHV line.