A Hat Renaissance?

Red McCutcheon · Oct 16, 2008

I'm curious about TFLers' attitudes toward their minority status. By minority status I mean, of course, the fact the we are members of that well nigh extinct tribe known as hat-wearers (I exclude baseball cap-wearers from our little society).

Cutting to the chase, do you cherish the fact that you are so distinct by virtue of wearing your hat? Do you like standing out from the crowd and being noticed? Or would you like to see a hat renaissance--a return to the sartorial splendor of the 30s through the 50s, even if it rendered your fedora commonplace?

Come to think of it, the two positions are not mutually exclusive, necessarily. One could like the uniqueness of hat wearing yet still pine for a forest of lids as an indicator of cultural renovation, I suppose.

Anyway, fire away.

Lefty · Oct 16, 2008

Due to environmental restrictions, the new society may not be as strong as the old society. Further, our rough edges, even with welting or binding, will never be held to society as they once were, when a common purpose fused us to one another.

However, a cultural re-block could help to bring back some of society's form and bash a little character into everyone's crown.

I'm brimming with excitement about it.

Knot!

A bow, and a heart-felt tip of the top.

carter · Oct 16, 2008

Bowled me over.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Never feel like a minority. Aren't there enough of those these days?

I like wearing a hat.

A forest of lids? Ok with me as long as the under brush doesn't cause them to spontaneously ignite.

Jfala · Oct 17, 2008

I love wearing my hats, and I don't mind feeling different. However, I would like to see hats make a true comeback, as I think it alludes to more sophisticated attitudes. But, I could be wrong.

Delthayre · Oct 17, 2008

The common badge of a wandering, uncommon few

I don't mind being unique or common in regards to what I wear upon my head, although I will probably always instinctively err toward the former. A man wearing a hat is simply the sort of man that I am. I do, however, enjoy the few puzzled looks and occasional complements that it wins me. Yet I also revel in seeing another hat upon a passing head.

I think that I'm set to be content no matter which way the wind blows. Not the actual wind, of course, because the actual wind forces me to grasp the brim of my hat at and thus hold my arm at an angle that is sometimes awkward.

HarpPlayerGene · Oct 17, 2008

Delthayre said:
A man wearing a hat is simply the sort of man that I am.

............................

Yet I also revel in seeing another hat upon a passing head.

I'd comment for myself but can't sum it up any better than this^!

indycop · Oct 17, 2008

I think it's like when I used to ride a motorcycle. I loved being different but also loved the wave when passing another rider.

I don't know what i'm trying to say, it's early...

PabloElFlamenco · Oct 17, 2008

True enough, I'm seeing much more people wearing hats this year than last;
two kind constitute the change:
-the "mature" (looking) gents wearing the ubiquitous Stetson hats, fore and aft brims down, "Stetson" pin present. I consider it to be a new phenomenon, probably brought about by autumn and some or other fashion.
-the (mostly) skinny young 'uns with hardly any brims at all (yet they overbrim! go figure!)

As for the jewish gents, they've always worn hats, nothing's changed.

Then there's the rare, usually very old "ethnic" (doesn't mean a thing) "belgian" sporting, depending on his (old time) social standing, a working man's cap (very rare) or a well-worn-in and probably old felt hat (very rare).

And there's me: Stetson 25 would be "open road", a few Borsalino's, a fedora-ized Stetson 100, a series of large cowboy hats, even -sporadically- a black german homburg, a different thing altogether.

I wouldn't quite yet talk about a hat renaissance, however if the economic crisis deepens and people start going more ecological, take public transport, etcetera, then we'll see more hats when the weather is cold.

grey ghost · Oct 17, 2008

I have always loved hats but was not comfortable being the only guy with a lid on.....
After I found the lounge and chatted with all of you, I now dont really care whether I am the only guy with a lid on.

Thanks for the support

I would love to see the popularity increase .....................

Ghost

KeyGrip · Oct 17, 2008

My chain of logic: More people wear hats > hat companies increase production > economics of scale allow those companies to produce current quality hats for less money, or to raise the overal quality of their hats > The hat wearer benefits. I also support hat wearing because I like the style. I would sacrifice whatever uniqueness I have to see more people wearing real hats.

Lefty · Oct 17, 2008

You forgot that it would also completely kill off the supply of vintage hats, which is both good and bad - bad, because we can't afford to buy vintage hats from ebay, good because we can sell our vintage hats on ebay for really high prices.

duggap · Oct 17, 2008

However, ventage hats will run out. It is not as if they were still being made.

shortbow · Oct 17, 2008

I don't know what this says about my character

, but when I see another guy in a fedora, I feel like what I presume women do when two of them turn up at a party wearing the same dress.

suitedcboy · Oct 17, 2008

shortbow said:
I don't know what this says about my character, but when I see another guy in a fedora, I feel like what I presume women do when two of them turn up at a party wearing the same dress.

So you think the other person looks fat in their hat???????

(I couldn't resist, the little devil on my right shoulder was screaming a whole lot louder than the little angel on my left shoulder...)

carter · Oct 18, 2008

Maybe there is a renaissance of appreciation. (?)

Here's what I liked,so far, about wearing my VS Dark Moss Forrestor today:

The Assistant Principal at my daughter's school said, "That's a fine chapeau.".

An older lady at Steinmart Clothing walked from her register to mine and handed me a 20% discount coupon that saved me $22.00 on my purchase. I remarked that this was very sweet and the clerk said, "She likes your hat.".

At Jos A Bank earlier this week one of the salesmen remarked, "You always have a fine hat. I know you appreciate nice clothes.".

Most of the men's stores and clothing stores have wool fedoras for sale. Now we need to influence them to step up to fur felts.

KeyGrip · Oct 18, 2008

Lefty said:
You forgot that it would also completely kill off the supply of vintage hats, which is both good and bad - bad, because we can't afford to buy vintage hats from ebay, good because we can sell our vintage hats on ebay for really high prices.

You're probably right. At this point I'm not too familiar with the workings of the online vintage hat market so I didn't really factor that in.

Yohanes · Oct 18, 2008

In Indonesia, fedora-like hats or brimmed hats are mostly worn by villagers or people in remote areas. Not in big cities. I have no ideas where they get such hats, cause sometimes I see some of them have great shape! Anyway, these recent months I found out that fedoras now available in some clothing and accessories stores / small counters in malls! OK, they're terrible, cheap products, mostly from China and local producers who may try to produce fedoras. Straw or canvas, or undescribable material. Mostly in small size, possibly intended for females. Anyway, it's a big improvement as I see some teens start wearing those cheap fedoras, not just the baseball caps.

Mike in Seattle · Oct 18, 2008

We went to the Symphony last week. Loads more fedoras there than there was a year ago. And last year had loads more than the year before. I think it's growing. And weather was similar (cool but dry) and not more hats due to rain or the threat of rain. (I've only made it a point of comparing at the first concert we attend in the fall.)

Red McCutcheon · Oct 20, 2008

d

carter said:
Here's what I liked,so far, about wearing my VS Dark Moss Forrestor today:

The Assistant Principal at my daughter's school said, "That's a fine chapeau.".

An older lady at Steinmart Clothing walked from her register to mine and handed me a 20% discount coupon that saved me $22.00 on my purchase. I remarked that this was very sweet and the clerk said, "She likes your hat.".

At Jos A Bank earlier this week one of the salesmen remarked, "You always have a fine hat. I know you appreciate nice clothes.".

Most of the men's stores and clothing stores have wool fedoras for sale. Now we need to influence them to step up to fur felts.

It is very nice to receive such compliments. Thing is, if fedoras become commonplace, those compliments will disappear. So, the selfish side of me hopes that fedoras remain a rarity, while the more altruistic side hopes for a hat renaissance for the common good.

byronic · Oct 20, 2008

Yup, even in sleepy Ireland i see more and more fedoras each day, amongst the ubiquitous Tilleys and 'chain store trilbys', but perhaps these latter types that we deride so much are partly responsible for the resurgence of 'real' hats?
i myself started wearing a Tilley years ago, before moving upmarket to fedoras, so perhaps we owe them a pat on the back?

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