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All You Need to Know About Hat Etiquette

OC Fry

Familiar Face
Messages
71
Location
OC, CO
Ok so I'm new with the whole hat wearing thing. I got tired of the baseball caps & beanies. The couple of nice fur felts I have dropped a couple hundred apiece on are the nicest things I have ever had on my head. They feel great and I like the way they look.

So I never want to take them off... I am bald so if it's cold indoors I like to have a hat on. I was used to wearing the ball caps all the time, except when seated at a table to eat in a private residence like friends houses, dinner parties, etc. I have continued that habit with my new hats. In restaurants & bars, if I am at the counter or bar the hat stays on. If I am at a table it typically comes off, but only when I have a place to put it.

So most of the time the hat stays on. Comments, input?

Oh and what about he office? Especially if it's cold the hat usually stays on...
 
Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
So most of the time the hat stays on. Comments, input?

Opinions on this are as wide as the ocean. Personally, I take my hat off indoors. I think I am already perceived as the guy in the hat but I prefer not to be the guy who never takes his hat off. I always manage to find a place to put it. Sometimes milling around at an event or an opening I will leave it on. Do what feels right.
 
Messages
17,855
Location
Nederland
Ok so I'm new with the whole hat wearing thing. I got tired of the baseball caps & beanies. The couple of nice fur felts I have dropped a couple hundred apiece on are the nicest things I have ever had on my head. They feel great and I like the way they look.

So I never want to take them off... I am bald so if it's cold indoors I like to have a hat on. I was used to wearing the ball caps all the time, except when seated at a table to eat in a private residence like friends houses, dinner parties, etc. I have continued that habit with my new hats. In restaurants & bars, if I am at the counter or bar the hat stays on. If I am at a table it typically comes off, but only when I have a place to put it.

So most of the time the hat stays on. Comments, input?

Oh and what about he office? Especially if it's cold the hat usually stays on...
I like to think of wearing a hat as similar to wearing a coat. If I would take my coat off, I would take my hat off as well. Works for me.
 

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,590
Location
NJ
Ok so I'm new with the whole hat wearing thing. I got tired of the baseball caps & beanies. The couple of nice fur felts I have dropped a couple hundred apiece on are the nicest things I have ever had on my head. They feel great and I like the way they look.

So I never want to take them off... I am bald so if it's cold indoors I like to have a hat on. I was used to wearing the ball caps all the time, except when seated at a table to eat in a private residence like friends houses, dinner parties, etc. I have continued that habit with my new hats. In restaurants & bars, if I am at the counter or bar the hat stays on. If I am at a table it typically comes off, but only when I have a place to put it.

So most of the time the hat stays on. Comments, input?

Oh and what about he office? Especially if it's cold the hat usually stays on...

my opinion is ... it is not 1940 ... do whatever you want

I personally choose to not wear a hat indoors for the most part and never while sitting at a table or in the company of someone who I am showing particular respect be it outdoors or in

at the same time ... I am not going to be insulted if someone decides to wear their hat at the table or in my presence indoors
 
Last edited:
Messages
11,894
Location
Southern California
Ok so I'm new with the whole hat wearing thing. I got tired of the baseball caps & beanies. The couple of nice fur felts I have dropped a couple hundred apiece on are the nicest things I have ever had on my head. They feel great and I like the way they look.

So I never want to take them off... I am bald so if it's cold indoors I like to have a hat on. I was used to wearing the ball caps all the time, except when seated at a table to eat in a private residence like friends houses, dinner parties, etc. I have continued that habit with my new hats. In restaurants & bars, if I am at the counter or bar the hat stays on. If I am at a table it typically comes off, but only when I have a place to put it.

So most of the time the hat stays on. Comments, input?

Oh and what about he office? Especially if it's cold the hat usually stays on...
Sounds reasonable to me, but I have long thought that the "rules" of hat etiquette sometimes contradict common sense. These days most people consider hats to be not much more than a "fashion" item, and have almost forgotten they do serve a practical purpose--to protect your head from the environment you're in. If your head is cold, leave your hat on; if anyone questions it, politely explain it to them.
 

andrew_AU

A-List Customer
Messages
330
Location
Australia
Ok so I'm new with the whole hat wearing thing. I got tired of the baseball caps & beanies. The couple of nice fur felts I have dropped a couple hundred apiece on are the nicest things I have ever had on my head. They feel great and I like the way they look.

So I never want to take them off... I am bald so if it's cold indoors I like to have a hat on. I was used to wearing the ball caps all the time, except when seated at a table to eat in a private residence like friends houses, dinner parties, etc. I have continued that habit with my new hats. In restaurants & bars, if I am at the counter or bar the hat stays on. If I am at a table it typically comes off, but only when I have a place to put it.

So most of the time the hat stays on. Comments, input?

Oh and what about he office? Especially if it's cold the hat usually stays on...
I will wear my hat if it "feels right" or if I just feel like wearing it. I won't wear it in my office or in a formal meeting situation. But at a Cafe or casual restaurant I will probably wear it. In a private home I usually take my hat off indoors but sometimes in my own home I wear my hat.

Honestly, most people I encounter don't seem to care. And I'm not too troubled about what others think anyway, although I would never want to offend someone deliberately.

As others have said, do whatever feels right for you.
 
Messages
19,096
Location
Funkytown, USA
my opinion is ... it is not 1940 ... do whatever you want

I personally choose to not wear a hat indoors for the most part and never while sitting at a table or in the company of someone who I am showing particular respect be it outdoors or in

at the same time ... I am not going to be insulted if someone decides to wear their hat at the table or in my presence indoors

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suitedcboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,346
Location
Fort Worth Texas or thereabouts
I think it has been so long since hats were widely worn that moms and pops are not teaching their kids to fuss about hats.
You only know to be offended if someone tells you to be offended AND you don't question it.

I will say this: maybe the take the hat off at every possible chance crowd of yesteryear may have improved the chances of finding nice vintage hats today since they ended up wearing their hats so little since they had so damned many reasons they thought they should take them off.
 
Messages
12,384
Location
Albany Oregon
Maybe its the historian in me, but wearing a hat from a bygone period such as the 50s, causes me to unconsciously follow some of the same rules of hat etiquette that the hat enjoyed in it's heyday. Not for everyone, but I'm a history geek in all ways. I took my hat off in an elevator the other day when a fine looking woman entered. She did notice the gesture, and started a conversation about the civility of fine hats and society in general today. College campus, not seen often.
 
Messages
19,096
Location
Funkytown, USA
Maybe its the historian in me, but wearing a hat from a bygone period such as the 50s, causes me to unconsciously follow some of the same rules of hat etiquette that the hat enjoyed in it's heyday. Not for everyone, but I'm a history geek in all ways. I took my hat off in an elevator the other day when a fine looking woman entered. She did notice the gesture, and started a conversation about the civility of fine hats and society in general today. College campus, not seen often.

I kinda like the little nuances myself, and also enjoy observing them. But like Sly said, "different strokes for different folks."


Sent directly from my mind to yours.
 
Messages
17,535
You only know to be offended if someone tells you to be offended AND you don't question it.
Wow, now I'm offended! ;)

I will say this: maybe the take the hat off at every possible chance crowd of yesteryear may have improved the chances of finding nice vintage hats today since they ended up wearing their hats so little since they had so damned many reasons they thought they should take them off.
Maybe they got beat up more by all the handling? They certainly got dirty quicker when being removed in every greasy spoon they ate at.
 
Wow, now I'm offended! ;)


Maybe they got beat up more by all the handling? They certainly got dirty quicker when being removed in every greasy spoon they ate at.
Agreed about the greasy spoon......while I generally like to folow "ye old" hat etiquette, You do have to use common sense and pay attention to your environment. IF there is a place to put my hat indoors at a resturant, I whill take it off. Unless there is a coat check, the hat MUST BE in sight and largely under my control. I will not sacrifice my (sometimes expensive) hat to be lost, stolen, or soiled.......
M
 
I like to think of wearing a hat as similar to wearing a coat. If I would take my coat off, I would take my hat off as well. Works for me.

This is a good "rule of thumb" kind of thing. My thoughts on hat etiquette are well known, if even unpopular. But first and foremost, a hat should be practical. It should be stylish, yes, but it is like a coat or shoes. It serves a purpose. People often ask why I don't wear a hat at night when the weather is warm. For the same reason I don't wear a jacket when it's 100 degrees. I don't need it.
 

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