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Question: Can you wear a tan hat...

TomS

One Too Many
Messages
1,199
Location
USA.
Hi Folks:
I'm curious to know if a light tan/kahki colored hat can be worn with a black suit? I dont know too much about how hats fit into fashion.
Thanks,
Tom
 

Brent Hutto

One of the Regulars
Messages
268
Location
South Carolina, USA
I don't know what the rules of this sort of thing might be but I personally would not choose that combination. Just seems kind of icky to my taste, like the hat was an afterthought and would be better left off.
 

johnnycanuck

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,007
Location
Alberta
I would say yes. Back in the day most people only had one good hat. So it was worn with everything,
My two cents worth.
Johnny
 

danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
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3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
TomS said:
Hi Folks:
I'm curious to know if a light tan/kahki colored hat can be worn with a black suit? I dont know too much about how hats fit into fashion.
Thanks,
Tom
Maybe. My instinct is "no," but there's no substitute for some mirror checks to know for sure. If you're really in doubt, wear it outside a few times and see if you like it. I wanted very much for a charcoal gray hat to go with various things but it doesn't. Your eye will protect you from a wrong choice.
 

Brent Hutto

One of the Regulars
Messages
268
Location
South Carolina, USA
gtdean48 said:
Ever heard of a Black & Tan? :D
I wear black shirts with tan slacks, so a tan hat with a black suit or sport coat is okay-fine with me.

I'd wear a black jacket with tan slacks and hat, that's not what the original question had me picturing. I was imagining black suit coat, black suit pants, black shoes, white shirt, whatever tie...and a tan hat. That would seem off to me.
 

JimWagner

Practically Family
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946
Location
Durham, NC
I think it really does depend on the actual color of the hat. Tan covers a lot of ground (to me) - from silverbelly to a green khaki with brown sort of in between.

Silverbelly and green both can go ok with black to me. The closer to brown the color is the less I'd personally wear it with black. Even with brown it would depend on how dark the shade of brown was. I might wear a very dark brown with black but not a medium to light brown.

If you like the combination, then that's all that really matters.
 

Salty O'Rourke

Practically Family
Messages
636
Location
SE Virginia
I think it depends on the setting - funeral no, formal/semi-formal no; wedding okay, work okay, travel okay. Also, I think of a tan hat as more appropriate for Spring/Summer; I wouldn't wear one with a dark suit in Winter but that's just me...
 

Brent Hutto

One of the Regulars
Messages
268
Location
South Carolina, USA
GallatinHatMan said:
I've been known to wear an Open Road with a black suit. I wear an beige shirt with a tie that has black, beige and brown it it. People tell me it looks good.

Well of course it looks good. It's an Open Road! That's cheating...lol
 

Dewhurst

Practically Family
Messages
653
Location
USA
Generally, a tan hat should go fine with a black suit. Heck, with black clothing, in my experience.
 

BanjoMerlin

A-List Customer
Messages
477
Location
New Hampshire, USA
Any hat that has, or looks good with, a black ribbon can be worn with a black suit.

Many of the "tan" colors don't look good with black but some do. Easiest test is to put the hat on the jacket and see how it looks in whatever kind of light you are going to be wearing the hat. Sometimes it is the ribbon that will make the difference, I have a tan hat that I put a black ribbon on and it completely changed the character of the hat - now I can wear it with everything.

Silver Belly isn't really tan but looks good with black and every other color.
 

Ed13

Familiar Face
Messages
65
Location
Toronto
Tan and black can look good together.

MY issue would be why the black suit? Unless at a funeral (in which case a black hat would be a better choice) a navy or charcoal suit is more appropriate in all situations I can think of.
 

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