I value my life. I’m not going to say it!
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll give it a try. I bought it on a whim, because I’ve never seen anyone wear a Bowler (I mean in real life).
I don’t think JFK started the trend: he was following it. I just put this picture taken in London in 1961 onto Flickr. I can’t see any men wearing hats, and I doubt if English men would be following a fashion started by an American in 1961.
There are plenty of fashion conscious people, admittedly more in some regions of the US than others. But for some reason there’s a pronounced long run trend towards informality: “Business Casual” is a recent manifestation of this.
The Economist had an article this December about the decline in politeness: their chief example was the decline in “Mr.” and “Ms.” and the growing usage of first names in a wider set of social circumstances. Sub req, maybe: Hi There: Life is Getting Friendlier But Less Interesting: Blame technology, globalisation and feminism.
Back in olden days, i.e., movies (Men With Hats Movies) made in the 30’s thru the 40’s, you will notice people going to carnivals, walking through the park, going on picnics - just about anywhere - and you will notice they’re ‘dressed up’. They’re wearing suits and ties. What goes with a suit and tie? A nice hat! All men were what we call dressed up, and no proper man went about without a hat. (common laborers could wear work clothes, but even they had a Sunday suit and hat if they were going on an outing, to see a lawyer, to see a doctor). Why? Because there was no such thing as sneakers/jeans/t-shirts until Marlon Brando and other angry young men types made such things fashionable. The young identified with the images in the movies, much more casual, much less formal, and gradually over the years hats disappeared from everyday wear. Except for baseball caps, of course, which were casual…Every year, the fashion magazines tell us women breathlessly - HATS ARE BACK!!! Well, for a few fashionistas. The majority of women aren’t going to rush out to buy a new chapeau any more than they’re going to buy girdles and little white gloves!
Not to mention that on the SDMB, in every “why don’t people wear hats anymore?” thread, someone always mentions that this is the year hats are coming back. I’m guessing it’s because there’s a disproportionately large number of … well, geeky folks on the SDMB, and fedoras seem popular among a certain geeky crowd.
Hipsters like trilbys and porkpie hats, but hipster fashions tend to be more ironic. How many hipsters wear trucker caps now? They’ll probably be wearing bowlers next year. Or biker scarves. Or fezes. Or curling stone hats.
Well, I have more than one fedora and I’m a geek, so there may be something to that…
How about wearing a fedora or similar hat today with a suit? Suits are sometimes de rigueur in some professions but hats are still uncommon.
Would it come off pretentious for someone in a black or grey or navy suit and tie to wear a fedora/homburg/pork pie/bowler?
And both of those having strong cultural associations which might not appeal to the prospective wearer. I sure hear you on the jeans / T-shirts / hat problem, though, since the first two are my favorite attire. Regardless, I own and sometimes do wear a fedora, which can be seen in Arnold Winkelried’s portrait gallery. Often on such occasions, it’s cold anyway so I’m also wearing some kind of outerwear, so any stylistic dischord, if you will, is partially eliminated.
There is a “vintage” clothing store a few blocks away from my house, a large part of whose business consists of hats. I didn’t buy my fedora there, but I did have them add the white band. FWIW they carry a huge stock and have managed to stay alive for seven years, so we might say hats are enjoying a resurgence of a sort.
(“Vintage” in quotes because I’m not sure if they actually sell anything actually made in earlier times. The hats, as far as I can tell, are all new.)
I think a fedora or homburg would work, but the world isn’t yet ready for a return of the bowler.
I wear one at least once or twice a week in London if you want to see one being worn unironically. I have a vintage black one and a lovely new grey one. They’re worn in rotation with my various fedoras and they never fail to start a conversation or raise a smile from strangers. (Especially since I wear a fresh rose in a small silver lapel vase everyday as well.)
Hats may not be in fashion, but I can assure you they never went out of style.
One of my favorite poets, Billy Collins, wrote a poem titled Death of the Hat.
Part of the problem with proper hats is, what the heck do you DO with the proper hat when you get in the car, go indoors, engage in various physically active behaviors, etc.
I only wear headgear myself for protective reasons, if I’m going to be outdoors for a prolonged time in bright sun or in cold/wet conditions(*). And in such cases I do prefer something I can fold and stuff into a pocket or tuck under my belt. Come to think of it, the fashionable hat *did *evolve from the practical protective hat. Who knows, with greater consciousness about UV protection, etc. we MAY see some movement in that direction.
(*Is there anything out there that protects the ears and does not look dorky if you’re in business clothes and an overcoat? )
I’ve got a really nice dark purple Fedora and utilitarian green army-style cotton hat (I burn easily). Lately though I think that a bowler might look better on me.
Hats are just one of those things that I can appreciate the aesthetic appeal of, but absent social pressure, I’m simply not going to be arsed to bother with. A lot of people undoubtedly feel the same way, and when released from strictures saying that you have to dress up to go various places or distinguish their social rank, will drift into wandering around dressed like slobs. Vests are another of those things. I always liked the appearance of wearing a vest, but again, I can’t be arsed. There’s a rather low limit to extra garments I’m willing to put on strictly for the purposes of fashion, I’m afraid.
Probably not. The utilitarian qualities of headgear seem to be in inverse proportion to qualities as a fashion statement. I have a sun hat which works extremely well for that purpose, but could hardly look dorkier:
http://media.rei.com/media/rr/0d03174d-a0d0-41fe-b3fc-0d09e63c1bf9.jpg
Even I’m not willing to appear anywhere but for an extended outdoor session in the blazing sun with something like that on my head.