Enough fedoras in Washinton for your tastes?

[Renderking Fisk]

Watching the Inauguration: I noticed a lot of fedoras among those Cowboy hats. Men and women on both sides of the isle were wearing them.

Think they’re making a bipartisan comeback?

 

[Skywlkrinc]

Think they’re making a bipartisan comeback?

We Can only hope.

Luke

 

[Cabinetman]

You know, though - and maybe this has been brought up before - how popular "should" the fedora get? Don't you feel sorta "special" (maybe on some level) while wearing yours? Perhaps that you're a bit different (not better, mind you)? I mean, if everybody soon wore them, then great. But, really, what good is there in that? Nothing bad, certainly, but we know we are going to wear ours regardless of the rest of the non-hat-wearing population, right?

I suppose another way to look at it, though, is for more folks to be wearing them, perhaps the genuine mentality that many of us seem to exhibit will be present in these folks, too. What I mean here is the traditional, basically good-natured values that we seem to share. That would be a greater comeback than simply hat-wearing, I think.

I don't know. Just some thoughts. Enjoy.

Cab

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I noticed Ted Kennedy wearing a black classy looking fedora, and I believe I saw Dick Cheney wearing either a fedora or an Aussie hat.

How's that for bi-partisan?

karol

 

[Matt Deckard]

Tom Harkin's looks like a modern Borsalino.

 

[jamespowers]

I think Rummy's might just be a modern Borsalino as well.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Renderking Fisk]

I suppose another way to look at it, though, is for more folks to be wearing them, perhaps the genuine mentality that many of us seem to exhibit will be present in these folks, too. What I mean here is the traditional, basically good-natured values that we seem to share. That would be a greater comeback than simply hat-wearing, I think.

I don't know. Just some thoughts. Enjoy.

Cab

I don’t know if fedoras are going to change the world. It’s fun to think about, though. I believe that when people stopped dressing respectfully they stopped dressing, people stopped respecting themselves and each other.

Were there villains who wore fedora back then and even today? Absolutely. But I also think that back then there were lines nobody crossed. Today, the whole mentality’s changed and I think there are only a few select who maintain the same high level of class and dignity of ‘The Golden Era’.

 

[gcollins]

Now Harkin is looking good in that Grey fedora. Best of the bunch from the event. From the crease in the front, do you think that is really a Borso? It has been creased rather nicely, and the band is wider than production Borsos, it seems.

Now for Rummy, that hat is horrible! What a cheap wool lid--he bought it for $58 at his local maryland mall and he is stupid enough to think that Pendelton really made it. Embarrassing! He looks like a suburban cheeseball, but then again he is one.

Fortunately, they'll take that hat away when he is goes to prison himself. Only a matter of time. He is such as sham, and his choice of hat confirms it.

Regards,
G

 

[Renderking Fisk]

If he goes to jail... it would be to interrogate Al Qeada members or ask Janet Reno where she hid the gas and the matches at Wako.

That is a cheese fedora. I think some of his fellow Neo-cons should clue him into an Akubra at least.

 

[Canadave]

politics...

...Fortunately, they'll take that hat away when he is goes to prison himself. Only a matter of time. He is such as sham, and his choice of hat confirms it.

If he goes to jail... it would be to interrogate Al Qeada members or ask Janet Reno where she hid the gas and the matches at Wako...

OK guys, could you take it outside (or to The Observation Bar)?

David

 

[Matt Deckard]

Now Harkin is looking good in that Grey fedora. Best of the bunch from the event. From the crease in the front, do you think that is really a Borso? It has been creased rather nicely, and the band is wider than production Borsos, it seems.

Regards,
G

Yeah I do. The felt lays like a borsy and the ribbon looks like the ones that Peter's Bros gets from the factory for their Indy grey style. Baron has wider ribboned ones too which have the same look.

 

[Aaron Hats]

I have to agree with Old Hat. I see a lot of men and women that have never worn a hat before. That style hat is a good first step into the world of hats.

 

[Slicksuit]

IMHO, if we are going to regard men wearing hats again as a good thing in general, we might have to be a little tolerant of what hats they choose to wear, at least until they get a "foot in the door" again. If we're too critical, if we show disrespect for their choices, if we insist that they should wear a specific style (or period) of hat, we're almost certainly making it less likely to happen at all.

I agree -- let's encourage any fedora wearers, and maybe just give them a little nudge in the right direction. Although, do continue to complain on this board...I trust the opinions of this group's members and need your valuable input on the 'dos and don'ts' of hats!

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I have been browsing around trying to find a photo of Ted Kennedy at the Inauguration. He was wearing what looked like a neat black fedora. I only saw it for a few seconds, would be curious what he was wearing. Wonder if it was custom made.

His head size must be pretty huge; JFK had a large hat size, if I recall.

Old Hat -- I think you are right-on about hat wearing. It is easy to get into an elitist stance, especially when we see someone who has substantial wealth wearing what we believe to be a dorky hat. I see a lot of those hats out here, mostly worn by middle-aged men who do not look to be men of means.

At least it is a hat, albet an Aussie/Fedora/? hybrid. People, when they first want to dabble in a new style, may very well not invest in the kinds of hats we on the lounge love to buy. People who aren't used to wearing and buying hats are probably not going to go out and purchase a $500 Optimo or GH hat. I only did after I learned about the hats from books, from GH, and now here at the lounge. I have some cheap wool hats, including a purple zoot fedora to wear with my purple outfits when I am feeling funky. I did not want to pay over $100 for a fur felt purple hat.

One of the reasons we are able to bid on all those beautiful old vintage hats on ebay is that someone did buy them and rarely, if ever, wore them. Many may have been bought right about the time men stopped wearing those hats, thus we get 50- and 60-year old beauties.

Once a generation has passed, a culture can get lost. If it returns, it will do so a bit at a time and most people won't invest big bucks in anything until they know they will like it and that people will like it on them. I think this change is going on now and it will take some time for classy hats to become a societal status symbol.

karol

 

[Canadave]

...His [Ted Kennedy's] head size must be pretty huge; JFK had a large hat size, if I recall.

According to the sources I've seen, 7 5/8, so not that huge.

David

 

[K.D. Lightner]

So his head size is smaller than his brother's was? I am surprized. Maybe because he is such a big guy, I was sure he was over a size 8.

I had a friend who was a size 8 (this was years ago) and despaired because he could hardly find hats in stores that were his size. I finally found him one at the Irish Shop here. It was one of those Irish tweed hats and it was an 8.

The Village Hat Shop has, on their website, a site for Big Heads (that is what they call it). Mostly Aussie and Tilley hats. My friend would be happy with the selection. He was happy to find any hat in his size.

karol

 

[Canadave]

So his head size is smaller than his brother's was? I am surprized. Maybe because he is such a big guy, I was sure he was over a size 8....

Sorry if I was unclear...I meant that JFK was a 7 5/8.

VERY few men are over a size 8...very few.

David

 

[jamespowers]

Hey! 7 5/8 is not huge. 7 7/8 long oval is huge.
Ted's head only looks fat.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Victor]

I don't think I have ever seen a size 8 hat. They must exist somewhere but I feel bad for the few huge headed men out there.I guess they can always go custom

 

[jamespowers]

I don't think I have ever seen a size 8 hat. They must exist somewhere but I feel bad for the few huge headed men out there.I guess they can always go custom

Well, they can still go to the local small boat shop and buy one for their head I suppose.

Regards to all,

J