# Why a buckle on a hat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788 "2013-01-02T01:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788/21 "2017-09-17T03:29:40Z")
Everything I’ve read says that the whole hat buckle thing was made up long after the real events happened. As for weird fashions, the world is full of them, past and present. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788/22 "2017-09-17T04:44:03Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > [This guy](https://www.guitarinteractivemagazine.com/media/1666/ritchie_blackmore.jpg?mode=pad&quality=70&width=758&height=505&bgcolor=ffffff&rnd=131029556930000000) wore a hat with a buckle…some people have considered him a dickhead. 😃 Who is he? He’s not identified in the photo. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788/23 "2017-09-17T10:05:06Z")
Richard Hugh Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was one of the founding members of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard-rock music which mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788/24 "2017-09-17T10:08:53Z")
Having established that buckles were an illustrator’s fancy - this is from an authoritative site: > [@](#): > > Men’s clothing > For the upper body, men usually wore a long, short-sleeved, off-white linen shirt, with collar. On top of that he wore a doublet, which was relatively close-fitting, with long sleeves, broad padded shoulders, and buttoned down the front with tabs at waist. A cloak was sometimes draped over the shoulders. A lace collar and cuffs were worn, as was a felt or knit cap. Older or more revered men often wore over the top of everything a full-length wool gown. For the lower body, breeches or drawers were usually worn. These were front-buttoning, rather baggy pants which extended to the knee level. Stockings were knee-length, often made of wool; they were held up with tied ribbons referred to as garters. Shoes were either low cut leather shoes, or higher-cut leather boots. > > [Clothing — MayflowerHistory.com](http://mayflowerhistory.com/clothing/) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788/25 "2017-09-17T11:03:41Z")
…so their heads don’t fall down? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788/26 "2017-09-17T11:05:37Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Richard Hugh Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was one of the founding members of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard-rock music which mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. Wikipedia. I know who Ritchie Blackmore is. I just don’t what he looks like on sight. The only guitarist I know with a big hat is Slash. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-a-buckle-on-a-hat/645788.md?page=1)