Uniform Hats

[Andykev]

Spinning off from another post, consider this:

The old days of the "hat wearing" era, workers of all trades wore hats as part of their uniform.

The delivery man, the milk man, the mail man..etc, all wore hats just like the "Maytag Repair Man" on TV ads.

Now, trades people never wear hats!

Part of recognizing the "cop" was his seven point hat, the taxi driver with his yellow "Yellow Cab" hat. Even the independent workers, like a plumber or carpenter used to wear a fedora ALL THE TIME, with their overalls and tool belts.

It seems those days age gone.

Today, the only people who wear hats at work are the baseball players, and the door men at swank hotels. I occasionally see a tall white cook "Chef's Hat". but most wear those throw away paper hair nets.

It is really sad that those recognizable symbols are gone. So is the Milk Man too for that matter.

SO: have I missed anyone? What does your local cop wear for a hat? I bet it's a ball cap. Some of your agencies back east are more traditional. When I went to Chicago to visit Optimo hats, there were a few Chicago cops wearing the black and white checkered hats. That was neat.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Good to know that in Japan the uniform hat is alive and well. Strict culture with strict rules. Their street workers have on matching jumpsuits and helmets too.

 

[Engr-Chas]

Don't military personel have to wear a "cover" when going outdoors?
In Sacramento, we still have milk men running around, but they wear baseball caps.
Our police officers don't wear hats.
At the State Train Museum, they wear the appropriate hat (porter, conductor, engineer).
Our mail carriers wear these foam safari looking hats sometimes. Heck, sometimes someone in a t-shirt and shorts delivers the mail.

Chas

 

[BD Jones]

I for one, refuse to dress like Harry Dinkle. I'd be laughed out of the profession. Instead, I wear one of my fedoras when out on the marching field, to football, games and contests. However, I do have a complete vintage band director's uniform complete with hat.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Andy, I wear a panama every day at work in the summer and felt in the winter as a bricklayer. Most do, but unfortunately they are ball caps.

 

[The Wolf]

As far as paper hats go, printer's used to wear a square hat that was folded out of the the newspaper.
Besides hats alls orts of workers used to wear ties,Hacks and manual laborers used to wear leather (!) bowties.

 

[up196]

Originally posted by Andykev
What does your local cop wear for a hat? I bet it's a ball cap.

Most of the agencies around here issue both a traditional uniform cap and a ball cap. Most of the time, though, no cap is worn except on special occasions, such as Mardi Gras parade duty.

I had a Captain once who didn't like the traditional cap because, as he put it "Ther're uncomfortable, they don't keep the sun off of you and your horse can't drink out of them."

I think the trend toward ball caps is partly a matter of budget. Most of the officers I know keep their hats in their cars, usually on the rear deck, where the heat causes them to shrink. Then they have to be replaced at a much higher cost than a ball cap, which is adjustable.

 

[PrettyBigGuy]

Chicago police still wear the uniform hats with the black and white checkers. Also, Illinois State Troopers wear campaign (aka "Smokey Bear") hats. Just watch The Blues Brothers for evidence of this. LAPD and officers don't wear hats unless they are in their dress uniforms. I'm not sue about other places' police forces.
Postmen still wear their pith helmets in my neighborhood. Most eveyone else wear ballcaps or paper.

 

[BD Jones]

I think most police forces leave the hats at home except on special occasions. Our state troopers wear (what else) tan cowboy hats all the time, regardless of the occasion. Our very own Texas Rangers wear cowboys hats when on duty as well (though they are able to choose their own color and style).