What hat(s) would you wear with this topcoat?

[Marc Chevalier]

Thanks, Michael D!

 

[Wolfmanjack]

Back in the Golden Era, polo coats were considered jaunty and sporty, not formal at all. They were worn on weekends and at outdoor sporting events, especially football games. In the '20s, polo coats were called "the poor collegiate's raccoon coat." Wearing a polo coat with a tuxedo (or even a formal dark suit) would have been considered a bit too "Hollywood" back then. Only a cad, a movie star, or rich young member of "cafe society" could get away with it. But who cares? Wear your coat as you wish; it looks great on you!

Marc, you are a fountain of fascinating information! Tell me, in the Golden Era, if one were not a cad, a movie star, or nouveau riche, what would one wear with a polo coat? A porkpie?

 

[Sardou]

Hmmm . . . Tricky . . .

Marc has it right: a camel hair polo coat is the epitome of daytime fashion, combining a certain informality (the exaggerated cuffs, the belt, the patch pockets) with an undeniable and slightly roguish "dash". I'm told that, in their original role on the sidelines of a polo match, polo coats were often worn simply draped over the shoulders (like a boxer's robe between rounds), rather than actually "put on".

In contrast, an evening suit (whether tux or tails) combines a very strict black-and-white design with a slightly glossy finish (hard-finish worsted or mohair plus satin or grosgrain). In the same vein, opera hats were typically black silk, and even the more informal smoking jacket was typically made out of dark velvet. All of these materials look great in candlelight or incandescent light and disastrous in natural sunlight -- which is why a tux in broad daylight makes any man look like a waiter and why a "morning coat" is actually matte-finished charcoal rather than hard-finished true black.

But you've happened to hit on one of those grace notes that looks fantastic while breaking all the rules. Perhaps it's because the furry texture of the coat contrasts so dramatically with the hard finish of the tux. Or because the strict black and white accommodates one splash of another color (but it clearly can't accommodate another). Yes, it's a bit "Hollywood", but in the Golden Era, what could be more appropriate? This is very Clark Gable.

So what hat?

To my mind, Homburgs are elegant and correct, but they can't stand up to the drama and romance of a polo coat. It needs to be a fedora of some kind, or perhaps a wide-brimmed trilby. But there is no, repeat no, such thing as an evening cap, whether Ivy, Newsboy or otherwise. Period.

The hat should be black to echo the glossy black of the tux. But standard felt is too flat -- it lacks interest. Go for a velour finish or silk finish (see Biltmore's offerings). There also may be something in the Stacy Adams line that works here, and if it's black, rather than blue or burgundy, it won't look at all pimped out. But such a hat WILL make a strong statement; you might consider a lower or more tapered crown than you would normally choose (but you want the drama of a wide-ish brim).

Hope this helps,

Sardou

 

[Marc Chevalier]

What [hat] would one wear with a polo coat? A porkpie?

Wolfmanjack, I just looked through my Apparel Arts trade books from 1933 and 1937. I found five advertisements showing black & white drawings of men wearing polo coats and hats.

Interestingly, each image shows the same type of hat: a fedora in a very light color (probably beige or light tan) with a dark hatband (probably dark brown). In other words, a hat very much like the Borsalino that sold on eBay. (See photo in an earlier post.)