OT - Hats?

OT - Hats?

  • I love them, and not just for fishing or bad weather.

    Votes: 101 66.9%

  • I like them, but don't own any really that I wear much...

    Votes: 29 19.2%

  • Can it, you sound like a disgruntled old fogey.

    Votes: 21 13.9%
  • Total voters
    151
KoNickon said:
A coworker and I were discussing hats the other day. He had no idea what a fedora was. It took a few minutes for him to know what I meant. But then, he's in his early 30s and doesn't remember the old days when all men who worked in offices had a brimmed hat they wore every day.
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Age is no excuse. I'm in my early 30's too.
 
They say that American men quit wearing hats as normal business attire when JFK took office - he notoriously took the Oath of Office sans chapeau.

The same was said about men wearing undershirts (as undershirts and not 't-shirts') - noticed to have dropped in popularity after Clark Gable removed his dress shirt in 1934's movie "It Happened One Night," and was revealed to be wearing nothing underneath.

Since the 1960's, beards on men outside of religious or academic circles has variously been seen as eccentric, revolutionary, or outlandish. Most polls indicate that people who wear beards are 'trusted less' by the general public. The British have a movement known as the "Beard Liberation Front." Of course.

Interestingly, the last time men commonly wore hats with suits as daily business attire, the most common hat style was the Trilby. These are hats not commonly seen today - the fedora is, but that wasn't popular in the '50s and '60s in the USA.
 
I have always seen a fair number of men at places I've worked wearing undershirts, so I don't see those going out of style very much. Never have worn them myself. Of course, since in today's no-necktie workplace you see the undershirt collar, that makes for another fashion no-no.
 
KoNickon said:
I have always seen a fair number of men at places I've worked wearing undershirts, so I don't see those going out of style very much. Never have worn them myself. Of course, since in today's no-necktie workplace you see the undershirt collar, that makes for another fashion no-no.
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That was not considered a fashion no-no at the time. In fact, if a gentleman opened his shirt collar (usually done when not in mixed company or at home), a white undershirt was considered normal to be seen peeking out - chest hair was gauche.
 
MikeCassidy said:
I get skin cancer so I wear hats; dont love though.
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That's too bad on both counts! 🙁

Hats are an acceptable ornamentation for men - one of the few ways we get to differentiate ourselves from the herd of khaki-and-polo-shirt-wearing mopes seen sporting goatees (actually Van Dykes) in every office across the US. A decent hat and a high-quality wristwatch should be required for promotion. If the best you can muster is a baseball cap and a Casio G-Shock, you get the unmarked parking space and no raise.

Hats are a great way to stand out! Put a hat on your head and be somebody!
 
bmattock said:
The best fedoras are properly made by Borsalino. They also make very nice flat caps.
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I'll warrant Borsalino are worthy of note, but of course they are new to the market, having only been around since 1857. I have one, bought in Venice. But they are not the attire of a gentleman. One should frequent James Lock, hatters to gentlemen since 1676, and still family-owned.

http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/

A gentleman will also invest in a hat jack to ensure that his investment maintains it's shape, even after a soaking:

http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/Accessories-Hat_Jack-P172.aspx

And remember - black or gray in the City, green, brown or tweed in the Country. Only a parvenu or a scoundrel wears blue, of course.

Regards,

Bill
 
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I wear a Borsolino Verdi with a suit, which is every working day. After Memorial Day and before Labor Day, I wear a Panama by Borsolino.

I have a very large head-but they will be sure your hat fits. Try Delmonico Hatter-it's where I get mine.
 
I have ten all cotton baseball hats - comfortable after washing a couple of times. Only one has a logo and that's a leftover from coaching high school soccer (football, really)!
 
BillP said:
I'll warrant Borsalino are worthy of note, but of course they are new to the market, having only been around since 1857. I have one, bought in Venice. But they are not the attire of a gentleman. One should frequent James Lock, hatters to gentlemen since 1676, and still family-owned.

http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/

A gentleman will also invest in a hat jack to ensure that his investment maintains it's shape, even after a soaking:

http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/Accessories-Hat_Jack-P172.aspx

And remember - black or gray in the City, green, brown or tweed in the Country. Only a parvenu or a scoundrel wears blue, of course.

Regards,

Bill
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Thank you, Bill. Always good to compare notes with a gentleman. I've always referred to what you call a 'hat jack' as a 'hat block', but otherwise, I agree.
 
visiondr said:
Bill, et al,
Have you been to or seen the website for John Helmer in Portland (my town). A hat shop, if I ever saw one.

http://www.johnhelmer.com/
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I got mine at the Man's Hat Shop in Albuquerque, NM.

http://www.manshatshop.com

Where Arlo Guthrie and Don Imus get their hats too.

Of course, I used to live there - it was quite easy to drive over and say hey.
 
I think it would not be too OT to point out that a gentleman should also choose his umbrella supplier with care:

http://www.james-smith.co.uk/

I went to them some years ago when I needed a walking stick after an ankle injury. I came away with a green canopy gorse handled solid stick umbrella. The most impressive thing was that they sell them "unfinished". They cut them to length for the individual and finish and ferrule them while you wait. Since I am 6'3" this was the only way I could get something long enough and strong enough for my purposes.

It is a work of art, and built to last. Smiths of course maintain and repair their products, so this is a true investment.

Regards,

Bill
 
BillP said:
I think it would not be too OT to point out that a gentleman should also choose his umbrella supplier with care:

http://www.james-smith.co.uk/

I went to them some years ago when I needed a walking stick after an ankle injury. I came away with a green canopy gorse handled solid stick umbrella. The most impressive thing was that they sell them "unfinished". They cut them to length for the individual and finish and ferrule them while you wait. Since I am 6'3" this was the only way I could get something long enough and strong enough for my purposes.

It is a work of art, and built to last. Smiths of course maintain and repair their products, so this is a true investment.

Regards,

Bill
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This would be good if I used a 'brolly, but over here those of use raised in the West consider them a bit...eccentric. It rains. We get wet. Life goes on.

Now, for shoes... Alden of New England, of course. Black Wing Tip shell cordovan Oxfords. Suit - my one and only semi-bespoke suit - Samuelson. Super 130's wool, dark grey with a sotto voce striped pattern. Sad that my only fedora is brown...so it's a no-go with that suit.
 
Of course... worrying about brand of hat is as silly as worrying about brand of camera. 😉

I like Borsalino and James Lock hats just fine - but like with Leica, I can rarely justify the cost. I'll stick with my Canon P - err... Biltmores and Dobbs for now.

I do need to get a spring hat. Maybe a lighter grey. Then a Monte Cristo panama fedora for summer...
 
bmattock said:
This would be good if I used a 'brolly, but over here those of use raised in the West consider them a bit...eccentric. It rains. We get wet. Life goes on.

Now, for shoes... Alden of New England, of course. Black Wing Tip shell cordovan Oxfords. Suit - my one and only semi-bespoke suit - Samuelson. Super 130's wool, dark grey with a sotto voce striped pattern. Sad that my only fedora is brown...so it's a no-go with that suit.
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Dude,
Now that's good taste!
 
rogue_designer said:
Of course... worrying about brand of hat is as silly as worrying about brand of camera. 😉

I like Borsalino and James Lock hats just fine - but like with Leica, I can rarely justify the cost. I'll stick with my Canon P - err... Biltmores and Dobbs for now.

I do need to get a spring hat. Maybe a lighter grey. Then a Monte Cristo panama fedora for summer...
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Oh, but what about a wristwatch? Makes the man, they say. My favorites run to the classics, just like cameras. My best watch, wear it with anything, is a 1953 Omega Seamaster bumper wind in stainless steel. Dress watch, Oris City (a modern, but mechanical movement). Love my Hamilton's and Elgin's too. If I wore a waistcoat, it would have a proper watch pocket and my grandfather's 1903 Elgin pocket watch in it.
 
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