How do folks react to your hat wearing?

I saw my first ever Tesla electric car in the flesh yesterday. in the flesh being the operative word. Just after photographing it, a young woman turned up carrying enough shopping bags to open a store of her own. The car door opened, as if by magic, she struggled with her shopping. The ground was still wet from the previous rain and she was at pains not to drop anything. She finally managed to lean into the car but in doing so she showed more than I should have seen.

I texted my Godson to tell him about the experience, adding that I looked away in case I got dubbed a dirty old man. He texted back: "What do you think that big reflective sunglasses were invented for?" He's a wicked lad, that Godson of mine.

One of the more popular entertainment's of the era was burlesque. Striptease was a big part of burlesque, but not all burlesque was striptease. Comedy too and unusual circus acts like piano jugglers; look up "Piano Juggler Cancan." Audiences at burlesque shows are, more often than not, 60/40 in favour of the ladies. The men that I have seen at these shows are always accompanied by their wives/girlfriends/partners, and while the men are quite subdued the ladies certainly are not.

Tina got into the burlesque scene by accident, she and her friend Lynn, style ladies hair in the vintage look at various festivals around the country. At one such festival one of the ladies, impressed by the way Tina did her hair, asked her if she would set up a stall at a burlesque show, the deal being that if she styled the artiste's hair, pro bono, the stall site would be free of charge and she could style audience members. This has proved very popular.

That's the background to what happened today. Tina made me a shirt to wear to burlesque shows:

The shirt, as you can see, depicts burlesque performers in various stages of undress, for that reason it only gets worn at burlesque shows, until today. It's bitter cold in the UK at present, the burlesque shirt is heavy duty cotton, if I button up the jacket who will see it?

We need a few provisions from the supermarket, would I go out on this cold day? At the supermarket I quickly bought everything on the list that Tina gave me. I was feeling somwhat grumpy at leaving a warm house to brave the cold to go out shopping. It didn't help my demeanour, when leaving the supermarket, an older couple just stepped out onto the pedestrian crossing without looking to see if there was any traffic. Pedestrians do have the right of way but it's sensible to check before crossing. A dozen other people crossed as well and everyone nodded an acknowledgement to me for stopping. But it was the last couple that this story is all about, a young couple, probably late twenties, he wore a pork pie type trilby hat and she looked like the burlesque performers whose hair Tina styled, in fact she reminded me of Christina Aguilera in the Candyman video, where she sits at the bar of the diner in jeans, crop top and head scarf, drinking a soda pop.

As the couple crossed the road the guy caught sight of my hat, he turned, took off his hat and made a deep bow, I laughed at him and touched the brim of my hat in return. His lady kept looking at me, three times she looked and finally she smiled as though recognising me. "What?" I mouthed. She tugged on her shirt, and returned a mouth of her own: "Love your shirt," is what I think she said. I had forgotten which shirt I had on and had slipped my jacket off in the warm car.

Smiling back, I said, or mouthed, "for you." She touched her temple and with that the pair were gone. Made my day especially after the miserable first couple with their selfish attitude.

There's a multi-coloured blazer called The Henley in maroon, black and other colours, that always looks the part. I have two such blazers, one is single breasted, the other, doubled. My Stetson Sovereign in a colour they call Caribou, that's a marketing word for grey, contrasts so well with the maroon of the blazer that is my, in modern parlance, default choice. But today, my missus said that I should contrast it with a black hat. Her reasoning for this is that there are so many black stripes in the blazer, they are sure to compliment the black hat.

Listen, you don't argue with my missus if you you know what's good for you, more to the point, if you're married to her and you want your conjugal rights, wear the black hat, so I did. At the supermarket the checkout lady said: "You always wear your grey hat with that jacket," WHAT! Am I so well known that the supermarket staff can predict my attire? So it would seem, she then added, "that black hat suits you," "I told you so," said my missus, in my imagination. Don't you just hate it when she knows best?
This is the grey Statson that I prefer with the maroon blazer:


And this the black Susquehana that Tina said would look the part, and which the checkout lady concurred.

Women, love 'em or hate 'em, they so annoyingly make up 50% of the population, and most of the time they are so annoyingly right.

I agree with the Mrs. (and as you say, best not to argue), the black hat fits the suit very nicely!

GHT said:

There's a multi-coloured blazer called The Henley in maroon, black and other colours, that always looks the part. I have two such blazers, one is single breasted, the other, doubled. My Stetson Sovereign in a colour they call Caribou, that's a marketing word for grey, contrasts so well with the maroon of the blazer that is my, in modern parlance, default choice. But today, my missus said that I should contrast it with a black hat. Her reasoning for this is that there are so many black stripes in the blazer, they are sure to compliment the black hat.

Listen, you don't argue with my missus if you you know what's good for you, more to the point, if you're married to her and you want your conjugal rights, wear the black hat, so I did. At the supermarket the checkout lady said: "You always wear your grey hat with that jacket," WHAT! Am I so well known that the supermarket staff can predict my attire? So it would seem, she then added, "that black hat suits you," "I told you so," said my missus, in my imagination. Don't you just hate it when she knows best?
This is the grey Statson that I prefer with the maroon blazer:
View attachment 199150

And this the black Susquehana that Tina said would look the part, and which the checkout lady concurred.
View attachment 199151
Women, love 'em or hate 'em, they so annoyingly make up 50% of the population, and most of the time they are so annoyingly right.

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Last night while walking about with my wife on the town, we entered an antique shop looking for Christmas decorations. Of course I removed my hat while walking around, and upon exiting the owner stopped me and told me how nice my hat was. He went on to say he was a hat nut and my wife told him, that makes two of you, lol....

I was wearing one of my Whippets.

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Wegener hazelnut Fedora, pilot sunglasses, classic blue/white sherpa jacket, a black (cord) trousers and the teens courteous clear the way for me.

PS:
Happened two days ago in my smalltown.

I got two "Nice Hat" comments tonight on this Super Panizza. I think this may have been the first time I wore this one out in public.

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I haven't kept a running tally, but if I had to guess, I think I get the most compliments in my Stetson Junior Cowboy. I was out and about doing flower deliveries today and I got a "I like your hat...especially with your glasses," from none other than EGOT winner Rita Moreno, whose birthday is today.

jlee562 said:

I haven't kept a running tally, but if I had to guess, I think I get the most compliments in my Stetson Junior Cowboy. I was out and about doing flower deliveries today and I got a "I like your hat...especially with your glasses," from none other than EGOT winner Rita Moreno, whose birthday is today.

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Dang, Jared! That’s one to remember!! Congrats!!!!

jlee562 said:

I haven't kept a running tally, but if I had to guess, I think I get the most compliments in my Stetson Junior Cowboy. I was out and about doing flower deliveries today and I got a "I like your hat...especially with your glasses," from none other than EGOT winner Rita Moreno, whose birthday is today.

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Rita, that's my homegirl. I met her many moons ago when I was doing University theater in Puerto Rico.

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jlee562 said:

I haven't kept a running tally, but if I had to guess, I think I get the most compliments in my Stetson Junior Cowboy. I was out and about doing flower deliveries today and I got a "I like your hat...especially with your glasses," from none other than EGOT winner Rita Moreno, whose birthday is today.

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'Swoon'

jlee562 said:

I haven't kept a running tally, but if I had to guess, I think I get the most compliments in my Stetson Junior Cowboy. I was out and about doing flower deliveries today and I got a "I like your hat...especially with your glasses," from none other than EGOT winner Rita Moreno, whose birthday is today.

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Please embellish this story and tell us about the rest of the “afternooner”!
B

How many of you have heard the remark, or have been called, old school?
My missus has expensive tastes especially perfume. It helps to know a little terminology before entering the rather formidable perfume counters in the department stores. I know what an atomiser is, then you have the varying degrees of perfume, all mind boggling to the novice.

The differences are simply a matter of the amount or concentration of oils in the fragrance. The highest concentration is in pure perfume (or parfum). Next would be Eau de Parfum, then Eau de Toilette, and finally Eau de Cologne.

Those ladies on the perfume counters power dress for a reason, to intimidate the male shopper. So when I buy her ladyship's fragrances I say that I want this, that and the other, in parfum. The sales assistant will go about making the best of the sale, to no avail. My purchase will come to quite a considerable spend, often I will get presented with the pay by credit card device without even being asked how I wish to pay.

Today, however, there was an older lady working the counter, I placed my order, she went here and there, put my requested choices together, asked if I wanted it gift wrapped, I told her no, because I would be wrapping the items in Christmas wrappings, she told me the eye watering price without even blinking and said, "you will be paying cash, I presume." "Have to ask," I replied, "how did you know?" She just smiled, "I saw you walk through the door, the hat, the style of dress, the confident way you ordered," and then she said, "you are definitely old school." "I take that as a compliment," I replied, handing her the cash. "Merry Christmas, Sir," she said, offering me my purchases. "And the same to you," I answered, adding, "thanks for taking the sting out of my Christmas shopping," she just laughed, looked at my hat and repeated: "Definitely old school,"

One of the best hat conversations I've heard in a while. Keep it up, we like old school here!

GHT said:

How many of you have heard the remark, or have been called, old school?
My missus has expensive tastes especially perfume. It helps to know a little terminology before entering the rather formidable perfume counters in the department stores. I know what an atomiser is, then you have the varying degrees of perfume, all mind boggling to the novice.

The differences are simply a matter of the amount or concentration of oils in the fragrance. The highest concentration is in pure perfume (or parfum). Next would be Eau de Parfum, then Eau de Toilette, and finally Eau de Cologne.

Those ladies on the perfume counters power dress for a reason, to intimidate the male shopper. So when I buy her ladyship's fragrances I say that I want this, that and the other, in parfum. The sales assistant will go about making the best of the sale, to no avail. My purchase will come to quite a considerable spend, often I will get presented with the pay by credit card device without even being asked how I wish to pay.

Today, however, there was an older lady working the counter, I placed my order, she went here and there, put my requested choices together, asked if I wanted it gift wrapped, I told her no, because I would be wrapping the items in Christmas wrappings, she told me the eye watering price without even blinking and said, "you will be paying cash, I presume." "Have to ask," I replied, "how did you know?" She just smiled, "I saw you walk through the door, the hat, the style of dress, the confident way you ordered," and then she said, "you are definitely old school." "I take that as a compliment," I replied, handing her the cash. "Merry Christmas, Sir," she said, offering me my purchases. "And the same to you," I answered, adding, "thanks for taking the sting out of my Christmas shopping," she just laughed, looked at my hat and repeated: "Definitely old school,"
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Rmccamey said:

I agree with the Mrs. (and as you say, best not to argue), the black hat fits the suit very nicely!

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Rmccamey said:

One of the best hat conversations I've heard in a while. Keep it up, we like old school here!

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You are very complimentary, it's much appreciated. Old School is right, it does more or less describe me, and being old school means that I do get comments, not always with regards to the hat, just my appearance in general. One of the security guards at the supermarket that I use adores the floral shirts that Tina makes for me, but on a recent shop, I went in a collar and tie. He saw my attire and said, "only you can get away with wearing a leather jacket with a neck tie." He's something of a leather aficionado, so he did make me smile when he added, "but you always like to go against the grain." I told him that I was going to steal that last remark.
What will the Loungers on the leather jacket threads say?

GHT said:

You are very complimentary, it's much appreciated. Old School is right, it does more or less describe me, and being old school means that I do get comments, not always with regards to the hat, just my appearance in general. One of the security guards at the supermarket that I use adores the floral shirts that Tina makes for me, but on a recent shop, I went in a collar and tie. He saw my attire and said, "only you can get away with wearing a leather jacket with a neck tie." He's something of a leather aficionado, so he did make me smile when he added, "but you always like to go against the grain." I told him that I was going to steal that last remark.
What will the Loungers on the leather jacket threads say?
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Leather jacket with tie and hat works. So does a beard too:

TheOldFashioned said:

Leather jacket with tie and hat works. So does a beard too:
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I don’t know anything about leather jackets, but that second jacket (where you are clean shaven) looks very nice (don’t tell Bowen).


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GHT said:

A few years ago my car was used for a vintage photo shoot, I have posted the pictures up a number of times. If you go onto the photographer's website https://www.adrianlambert.co.uk/summerbreeze you will see, amongst others, a picture of a group of girls pushing my car. It's meant to be as though it had broken down. It's one of a series of shots that tell a short story. In the background you can clearly see a young lady laughing, Tina teased me and said that the lady was laughing at my hat.

Yeah right, on the photographer's gallery the background just shows the quay, but on the photos that Tina took you can clearly see why the young lady is laughing. Look between the girl pushing the car and the girl behind her. No wonder she's cracking up. (Cracking up, geddit?)
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That's a class act, right there.

deadlyhandsome said:

I don’t know anything about leather jackets, but that second jacket (where you are clean shaven) looks very nice (don’t tell Bowen).


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Ha ha
Too late Brent but yes you are correct. That is a World Class jacket of impeccable color, hide and construction. Pretty sure it’s the same jacket as in pic #1 just diff lighting....just like hats! Lol
B

TheOldFashioned said:

Leather jacket with tie and hat works. So does a beard too:
View attachment 201348 View attachment 201349

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Both looks work great.

Best,
Joe


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