Help!! Need a "non-dress" hat

shodan · Dec 13, 2008

I have been lurking here for about a year; just joined today. I bought a "dress" hat a few months back. I now need a more casual hat to wear with jeans and such. I am still reading and learning. I'm not sure what to look for; style, color, brand etc. Any help would be more than welcomed.

B. F. Socaspi · Dec 13, 2008

In general, I think stingy brims are more casual, as well as wider bands. Jaxon makes a lot of cheaper stingy brimmed hats.

Geesie · Dec 13, 2008

porkpie

Not-Bogart13 · Dec 13, 2008

Casual styles include the pork pie, outback, and stingy brim, for sure. But many of the more basic so-called dress hats can be used in casual mode.

But, to be certain, I'd say keep the brim at 2 1/2" or shorter and you'll be fine. Outback styles can sometimes look too "cowboy" with jeans. Black, brown, or tan would be best in terms of color. especially brown.

Keep in mind, I consider these "safe bets." As you learn more and develop your personal style, you might find you can branch out significantly.

TopGumby · Dec 13, 2008

Casual hat to wear with jeans and such? Browse the What hat are you wearing today thread. There are lots of pics of hats with casual wear, it's almost like a school for learning what combinations are possible!

JohnnyB53 · Dec 13, 2008

It also depends on what kind of casual you're looking for. Old casual was a fedora with a thin ribbon hatband, maybe a little wider brim, and earth colors such as silverbelly, tan, or brown . See the threads on the Stetson Open Road and Akubra Campdraft. Such hats would look great with boots, jeans, khakis, and short jeans or leather jackets.

Today, depending on age of the wearer and the places he habituates, less formal might be the dance-club style fedoras with stingy brims and maybe pinstripes.

So in the Akubra offerings, it might be a Campdraft on one hand or a Hampton or Rap on the other.

A third approach would be a contemporary rugged outdoor hat such as a Safari or a traveling foldable casual fedora such as the Traveller.

Torpedo · Dec 13, 2008

Hi,

I very much echo what others have said. In my case, I feel like stingies (under 2'' brim), porkpies and thin ribbon hats work well as less formal, or casual dress hats.
I have examples of all of the above and tend to use them so, although I think they can fit with "informal dressy", too, if you understand my meaning.

Regards!

BobC · Dec 13, 2008

I wear all or almost all of my hats with jeans and casual shirts. Yesterday, I wore my moonstone Fed Deluxe IV with a gray sweatshirt and jeans. I thought it looked fine. I do the same with my Campdraft, my VS custom and my Buckaroo Hatters customs. The bottom line IMO is pick a hat you like and wear it with what you like. We live in a do your own thing society, so why not do your own thing? Some people are going to look at you funny anyway and some will make Indiana Jones comments out of their own ignorance because they're used to seeing baseball caps instead of nice looking hats with class.

RBH · Dec 13, 2008

Campdraft... a hat for all occasions.

John in Covina · Dec 13, 2008

NEWSBOY CAPS demand equal time.

Don't forget, a Newsboy Cap can easily go with the more casual jeans, workingman or outdoorsy look.

bolthead · Dec 13, 2008

Welcome.....

Today, depending on age of the wearer and the places he habituates, less formal might be the dance-club style fedoras with stingy brims and maybe pinstripes.

I'd have to agree with this as well. Age makes a difference, but you still can't go wrong with a Pork Pie. [huh]

Gilgamark · Dec 13, 2008

What about color?

What are some thoughts on casual colors? Particularly grays. It seems to me that the color has a lot to do with the casualness of a hat, and I can't decide if gray feels formal or casual.

bolthead · Dec 13, 2008

Gilgamark said:
What are some thoughts on casual colors? Particularly grays. It seems to me that the color has a lot to do with the casualness of a hat, and I can't decide if gray feels formal or casual.

IMO, gray can go either way.....and it goes with just about anything. [huh]

tandmark · Dec 13, 2008

Hi,

What Not-Bogart13 said: Porkpie, outback, stingy brim.

Plus newsboy caps of course, as per John in Covina. And to suggest another casual go-to headgear, the Greek fisherman's cap.

Those are the most generally applicable choices. Me, I often wear fedoras with work clothes, as did most American men in the '30s and '40s. Your mileage may vary.

Cheers,
Mark

bolthead · Dec 13, 2008

Me, I often wear fedoras with work clothes, as did most American men in the '30s and '40s. Your mileage may vary.

Cheers,
Mark

How true, and most of us here seem to overlook this, even ignore the fact. [huh]

glazierman · Dec 14, 2008

I wear almost any of my vintage hats on construction sites as well as everywhere else. I'm a jeans or carhart kind of guy so wearing a nice hat just makes sense to me. Most of my hats are'nt that expensive, but I don't wear my really nice ones except for more dressed up days.

B. F. Socaspi · Dec 14, 2008

The ultimate in non-dress.

JohnnyB53 · Dec 14, 2008

glazierman said:
I wear almost any of my vintage hats on construction sites as well as everywhere else. I'm a jeans or carhart kind of guy so wearing a nice hat just makes sense to me.

After all, 27 years ago the Indiana Jones character showed that a pre-War fedora looked great with a leather jacket, heavy duty pants, and 6" work boots.

carter · Dec 14, 2008

RBH said:
Campdraft... a hat for all occasions.

Exactly. The Campdraft is an affordable hat suitable for any occasion.

As observed by Mark, bolthead, etc. a fedora wasn't necessarily a dress hat in the past. Depending on materials, construction, etc., a fedora could be very exclusive.
But...fedoras were also everyday hats worn by men who didn't have a small fortune to spend on something to cover their noggin.

shodan · Dec 14, 2008

Thanks for all the replys! It looks like I have a lot of "work" to do. I will check out all the styles suggested. I just turned 50 last week so some styles may be too "young" for me. I don't think that I have ever seen a Campdraft in person. Is it too much like a "cowboy" hat.

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