Sunday, May 13, 2012

What Happened To Hats on Men?


I have often wondered why we do not see a lot of men wearing hats these days. Aside from baseball caps, most other forms of male headgear have all but vanished from North America. As I was doing my research I found an interesting article HERE that makes a pretty solid case that President Ike and the interstate highway system is to blame.


I miss the look of a nice fedora but one can't go out in public wearing one with slippers and pj pants anymore because then you will end up on one of those 'weirdos at Walmart' sites. People don't have style anymore.


When I worked on the reserves there were often calls to have the kids remove their hats in the classroom. It turned into such an identity issue that it became less trouble just to ignore the whole 'respect' part of the argument and go with tradition.

I am happy that adorable girls will forever wear large strange hats on sunny days. I can enjoy them like while swinging on the hammock. See how deadly cute they make my favorite girl Malibu look?




Yet hats are due for a full resurgence. Hats are both functional and stylish. They can cover a bad hair day, keep your head warm, and shade your eyes from the sun. They can also be worn to cover a receding hairline, which interestingly enough is why Frank Sinatra, an iconic hat wearer, start wearing one in the first place. They give you touch of class and sophistication, impart personality, and add an interesting and unique accent to your outfits. And hats are a sure-fire way to boost your confidence. A cool hat can quickly become your signature piece and give you extra swagger.



Of course men today still wear hats, but they are most often confined to ratty baseball caps, hippie beanie caps, or the thankfully almost extinct trucker hat. There is nothing wrong with these kinds of headpieces per se, but there are other hat options out there. So mix up your lids with these various options and check out a longer article on the topic by going HERE.


The Fedora


The Bowler Hat


The Homburg


Hijazi Headgear



3 comments:

Jordan said...

In one of the interviews on the The Godfather DVD set, Pacino talks about the first movie and says, "What I remember most about the first movie was walking on that gravel in that hat."

(He's referring to the scene near the end of the movie, when he's just had his final conversation with Carlo Rizzi and he comes outside to watch Carlo get loaded into the car where Barzini will kill him, and then you cut back to Pacino.)

Pacino goes on to say that from an acting standpoint that was the moment in the movie in which he tried to project the consolidation of Michael Corleone's evil and power. But I love that for him (the consummate Method Actor) it was all about "walking in that hat on the gravel."

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

That is a great story. I remember the sound of that gravel as the car drives away. I love how you can learn all you need to about great filmaking just from that one picture and its sequel.

Chase March said...

I don't know why hats have fallen out of style. It's a shame really. I love hats!