Hat Sightings

[StetsonHomburg]

Sadly enough, I'm probably the only one in my area that I ever see wearing one. [huh]

Me Too, but that just makes us unique, And thats where I got the idea for my signature line

 

[VitaminG]

I often see straw trilbies about. plenty of young'uns in cheap cotton stingies and very occasionally a felt fedora.

As I was waiting to cross at the lights on my way to work yesterday morning, I found myself standing next to an older gentleman in a splendid fedora. So there we were side by side waiting for a walk signal, me in a light grey suit with steel grey Stylemaster, he in a charcoal suit with what looked like a moonstone Fedora

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Unfortunately, I associate the stingy straw trilbies with Hipsters.

I have my 63 Impala for sale, it's a project car for a person who knows a thing or two about cars) and a feller from Madison (our capital city) comes out to our place in the woods, in his Volkswagon with his Trilby Hat, and John Lennon Glasses, all I was thinking was this hipster city boy is not gonna buy my car.

The car had sat since the fall before and I spent an hour with him getting the car fired up and moving, get it out and rolling, and then he decides he doesn't want it, but I digress.

 

[fenris]

Well, the only hats I've seen being worn here are native straw hats (some which look like panamas), straw or leather cowboy hats, cloth stingy brims (yeah, the hipsters) and some wool fedoras.

The Philippines is not a felt hat wearing country in general... So seeing somebody else wearing a felt hat or even an authentic panama hat is a verrrryyy rare site.

The most unusual hats I've seen being worn here in the Philippines are the following:
1. a brown felt hat (which looks like the same hat that Adam Savage wears, the one without a ribbon) with a thin brown ribbon and it was worn by a caucasian (foreigner to this country).

2. a black wool homburg (well, it looked like wool to me) worn by a local guy in his mid-20's.

3. a fawn colored fedora worn by another foreigner.

4. a black top hat worn by a tour guide in one of our old city's tours; but that was a kind of costume, not real-life hat wearing.

That's about it. Only 4 hat wearers; and 2 of them weren't even from around here.

 

[Unca Dusty]

Nice Fedora

I was in a favorite cafe and saw a university student with a nice, subtle green fedora (brim about 2", low crown, center crease with a slight pinch) and a fat dark gray ribbon. I didn't catch the brand, but the lining was white satin. It was an attractive hat that suited his head/face. He seemed a bit self-conscious and it certainly did not fit the rest of his outfit (inexpensive canvas windbreaker, jeans, athletic shoes) but everything will fall into place, I bet, as means and sense of identity and style all mature. Nice to see.

A word in defense of the cheap cotton and straw trilbies:
For a long time every few years I used to pick up a few of those cotton flat crowned bucket hats that had a short, slightly shape-able brim (I liked them because my Great Uncle Harold, who became the first member from our family to join the Post War Middle Class, always wore them on his leisure time. We forget that for many men of his generation, the dress hat was a reminder of the work week--something you didn't necessarily want to put on while at a picnic). Anyway, sometime in the 90s I noticed that those bucket hats were disappearing from the summer shelves at the department store. I realized that these cheap cloth trilbies are the modern equivalent of the old bucket--and I own several now. They're my vacay hat, just like Great Uncle Harold. They still have a certain style that is a cut above the ubiquitous ball cap, and if kids or hipsters are taking a shine to them, good for them.
Remember that weird fashion several years ago when youngsters would wear visors, backwards and upside down? That was ironic to the point of absurdity--and I'll take a cheap cotton trilby to that any day.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I completely agree. I just see them on a lot of hipsters. I have a few myself, they're cheap and who cares if they get used an abused? I have a green and brown Houndstooth one with a brown band which was my driver forever and still looks like new. I do wish that the dress hat would become part of the 'work week' once again. Nobody wears hats at the plant besides ball caps, including myself. It's easy to tuck in my lunch box.

QUOTE=Unca Dusty](I liked them because my Great Uncle Harold, who became the first member from our family to join the Post War Middle Class, always wore them on his leisure time. We forget that for many men of his generation, the dress hat was a reminder of the work week--something you didn't necessarily want to put on while at a picnic). Anyway, sometime in the 90s I noticed that those bucket hats were disappearing from the summer shelves at the department store. I realized that these cheap cloth trilbies are the modern equivalent of the old bucket--and I own several now. They're my vacay hat, just like Great Uncle Harold. They still have a certain style that is a cut above the ubiquitous ball cap, and if kids or hipsters are taking a shine to them, good for them.
Remember that weird fashion several years ago when youngsters would wear visors, backwards and upside down? That was ironic to the point of absurdity--and I'll take a cheap cotton trilby to that any day.[/QUOTE]

 

[Neophyte]

I'm on the lookout for some hatwearers. If they're out there, I will find them. I will report back later with my findings:

 

[flylot74]

Visiting my local cigar shop for a nice robusto yesterday(wearing my usual summer time Panama), I noticed more men wearing Panamas or straws as of late. Several years ago I would rarely see anyone wearing anything but a baseball cap. I find this encouraging.

As the climate changes this fall, we shall see it this phenomena translates to more felt hats. One can only hope.

 

[Marla]

I saw a guy on campus today wearing what seemed like a fedora...except it was all LEATHER. It wasn't a stingy brim one either, but a properly proportioned hat. Usually, hat sightings delight me but this was absurd.

 

[Mav]

Ran into a fellow forum member during my occasional part- time gig driving a handicapped shuttle at the local raceway Sunday before last. He was sporting a nice- looking straw- only got to exchange brief pleasantries, so I didn't ask what make/ model.

AtomicEraTom, if I wasn't completely broke, I'd have you on the phone talking about that '63 Impala. My first car was a '66- love 'em, and you can actually work on them yourself.

 

[danofarlington]

Visiting my local cigar shop for a nice robusto yesterday(wearing my usual summer time Panama), I noticed more men wearing Panamas or straws as of late. Several years ago I would rarely see anyone wearing anything but a baseball cap. I find this encouraging.

As the climate changes this fall, we shall see it this phenomena translates to more felt hats. One can only hope.

I think you're right. I see more and more fedora-type hats also, whether felts, straws or Panamas. A lot of inexpensive fedoras too. Most interesting, young people are wearing many of them, meaning the style has energy. If you get a lot of people wearing them, so there is increasing popular pressure, then the question will become "which kinds of hats are coolest today" and "which look best on me." For that reason I like to see all the types here in the threads.

 

[Alan-Eby]

Hats

I see mostly straw and felt western hats here. Though occasionally I see some variants of what I would call western fedoras. There is one gentleman who comes into the store I work in at least once a week, who wears a nice black western hat with the brim snapped (weird out here) and a large, white, fedora style ribbon. A friend from my church and I (both rather young) have decided to try and start a dress hat trend in our respective social circles.

 

[Neophyte]

I saw a really, really cool fedora today. It was light grey and had a felt chain like you see on some of the Biltmore and Tyrolean models, but it definitely wasn't a Tyrolean. It looked really nice, and the guy wearing it was all dressed up, for what I don't know.

 

[Neophyte]

Lo and behold!

Another gem of a hat has popped up. I was walking along in my Taupe Fawn Akubra Campdraft, looking down at my watch. When I looked up at the crowd crossing the street, I noted a man in a brownish suit wearing what appeared to be a burnt orange (or tawny fawn) fedora, low crown with a medium-width brim.

There must have been a smile on my face as a I looked him. We made eye contact and then his eyes travelled up to my hat, at which time he complimented me on my hat. True to my signature, all I could respond with was "I have to say the same to you. Thanks!"...lol

At any rate, I'm going to go look through the internet and see if I can find this, as it didn't look vintage. It was certainly well-worn, though.

Edit: I knew it! I knew I had seen something similar to this hat before! While it might not be the same hat, the hat this gentleman was wearing was eerily similar to the Biltmore Canadian Suede in "coffee" offered by Hats-Plus.com.

 

[theinterchange]

Superfly Sun Hat Blues

This afternoon while out running errands, I stopped at a supermarket to pick up a few things for dinner. While I was looking for a parking space, I spotted a colourful character ambling through the parking lot wearing an untucked shirt and tie with a HUGE straw hat that I can call nothing less than "Superfly" like, the thing hat to have at least a 6 1/2 inch crown and 4 plus inch wide brim. It was one of the funniest hat sightings I've had in some time.

Randy

 

[CircuitRider]

I saw a Target commercial tonight with a lady looking at hats and visualizing all the places she could wear one.:eusa_clap

 

[The Good]

Nearly a week ago while going to see Inception for the second time, as I can recall, I walked past who appeared to be a younger guy, maybe late teens to early 20s. He was wearing a brown fedora with a darker, contrasting ribbon, and a somewhat shallow center dent crease with a front pinch if I remember. The brim width appeared to be anywhere between 2 1/4 to 2 1/2. I did not happen to be wearing mine that day, but his hat reminded me of a what a lower-crowned, narrower-brimmed version of my Fed IV would look like.

 

[Derek Cavin]

Now that I realize I have a love for hats, I see more and more. Most I see downtown Atlanta are Panamas with occassional gentlemen or ivy. Mostly straw or a bright color. As we head into fall and winter I am interested to see how it changes.

 

[Widebrim]

On my way out of Union Station in downtown L.A., I spotted a young fellow with horn-rimmed glasses in a brown (I think 3-piece) suit sporting a crisp, tan, straw fedora. I was hatless, but when the young guy saw me checking out his ensemble, he kind of gave me a self-conscious look. I should have gone up and given him a compliment...Was he perhaps a member of the Lounge?

 

[Phoenix_400]

Was at the International Festival downtown this weekend. Lot of hats around, mostly very large brimmed straw ones. Course it was still high-80's to low-90's this weekend and the humidity was through the roof.

Saw a couple of panamas and outbacks. I was wearing my sand-colored Park Royal vented straw. Gave one gentleman wearing a what looked like a white panama and his lady a slight nod when I passed them walkin' through one of the gates. Don't know if they saw me though.