What are Your Thoughts on Fedora Hats?

[StylinLA]

#$!%&#* Hipsters!

My pinhead looks overwhelmed in a full size fedora, unless I'm wearing a suit.
Hipsters are usually way off base, but they occasionally get something right and ruin it for the rest of us.

I usually only wear mine with suit or fairly well dressed with sport coat.

That hipster look with the stingy brims is just a casual look really.

There are legions of "Raiders" fans who love wearing their Akubras or Adventurebuilts with leather jackets, but that's not a look I cultivate.

 

[Hughies_online]

IMO they make wearers look shifty

 

[Ramaniac]

I thought a hat was to protect the 'wet-head' slicked back hair do. Around the 60's-70's the slogan became 'The wet-head is dead'. Correct me if I am wrong, but at 45 I remember that. My dad had a flat top that he Butched waxed up. When the hair came out, the flat top went away. Now, I am sporting a round flat-top and a hat is appropriate. No way I am spending 125-300-500 on a Stetson. If you had long hair it would give you hat head.

 

[Topgumby]

There is a book, "Hatless Jack" that explores the myth that hats went away because Kennedy refused to wear one when he was inaugurated. He actually went back to the silk top hat for the affair!

Hats started to become less universal for men in the thirties, and it's true that Kennedy didn't help the cause of the hatters by going hatless in many appearances, but according to the author, the real killers of the hat were the car and the hat check industry.

Men used to be outside a lot more. Covered parking was rare, a lot of folks took public transit and walked out in the weather. Not everyone had a car.

The hat check industry was pretty lucrative, and it started to seem that every time a guy went indoors, there was a pretty girl holding out a hand for his hat and another for the tip. It got to be pretty onerous.

Add this in with the rise of the counterculture in the 60's, the advent of the ball cap and the general trend for suits to give way to less formal attire, and the hat was no longer an essential item.

BTW, I'm shocked it took this many posts before Indiana Jones reared his hatted head. In a way, I think that character has done for the brown fedora what Bogart did for the trenchcoat....it's so associated with the character that it's hard to wear one without somebody mentioning the association...

 

[mascarasnake21]

Oh man...I LOVE fedoras and any real brimmed hat, but only...ONLY...if worn correctly. Since they're really not worn too often nowadays, I have to give my props to anyone wearing one well (especially if it's done in a way that's not as obvious as the usual suit-and-trechcoat getup).

And yes, agreed on hipsters.

 

[Sixxtwo]

I am doin the Clockwork Orange thing for Halloween, but the site I ordered
my derby hat from has quite the selection of hats. Spotted the Barber/Steamboat style at the bottom.

http://uniformalwearhouse.com/apages/tuxedoahats.html is the site. While they are not costume-shop-poor quality,
they arent quite professionally made either. 100% wool and satin liner on my $36 derby.

I give them a (esp for having 2x fathead sizes for me )
Edit: They also have an 'authentic' Indiana Jones ferdora lol

 

[D.Irving79]

sunny and 60 today. pulling out the boater .

 

[BetterSense]

I bought a brown wool Pendleton fedora (I think) at Cabelas when I was on vacation and needed a fishing hat. But I've started wearing it nearly constantly. I've always liked wearing hats for practical reasons (helps with this texas sunshine, rain, etc.) but never wanted to observe the fashion necessary to 'make it work'.

Maybe it's that I'm married and dressing somewhat more respectably (button up shirts instead of tshirts), maybe it's because I'm getting older and curmudgeonly, maybe it's because hats go over a bit better in Texas, but this hat thing is definitely here to stay. No longer am I forgoing comfort for style. I must simply try to make the style work.

The problems I have is that one brown wool fedora (I think) is somewhat limiting if you want to wear hats all the time. I suppose I need a black hat, and a trilby, and maybe a cowboy hat or something.

Also, nobody has hat racks. I can't wear my hat to church because there's nothing to do with it. So I have to leave it in the car. Places just don't have hat racks anymore.

Also, hat etiquette is difficult nowadays, due to changing status of hats themselves. I wear my hat outdoors, in stores, in building/hotel hallways, and through checkout lines, but I take it off when I get to work, in elevators, or if I stop to talk to someone, or I sit down at a restaurant. So far this has worked but then you have kids wearing their trendy brimmed hats everywhere they wear their socks, and the etiquette kind of clashes.

 

[Sixxtwo]

I have sported my Derby/Bowler the last few days in the rain and cold with my wool coat. Quite the rave reviews from the burlesque girls and friends.

 

[Topgumby]

We just had a pretty good gullywasher here, and when I went out to deal with the leaves and the street drains, it was good to have my Resistol San Antonio available for use as a head umbrella.

 

[Poulin]

I wear mine in the Fall and on not too cold days in the Winter. I got a compliment on it while at the grocery store just this past week.

I want to get a Summer one.... Maybe next time I'm in old Quebec city I'll visit the hat shop again!