All You Need to Know About Hat Etiquette

[Midwest Boater]

ill tell you what my folks told me, if there is a place to put your hat put it there, if not leave it on.

 

[WineGuy]

Leave it on. But really today there are no more rules since most public places are no longer set up to accommodate hats. I was just a guest at the exclusive Lotos Club in Manhattan the other night...this is a place where mega millionaires socialize, I gave my vintage Borsalino to the coat check girl and when I retrieved it after dinner it was crushed AND the moron wedged the octagonal plastic number tag in the hat band thus stretching it. If a place like this abuses a hat why would anyone take theirs off in more pedestrian places.

 

[Blackthorn]

Leave it on. But really today there are no more rules since most public places are no longer set up to accommodate hats. I was just a guest at the exclusive Lotos Club in Manhattan the other night...this is a place where mega millionaires socialize, I gave my vintage Borsalino to the coat check girl and when I retrieved it after dinner it was crushed AND the moron wedged the octagonal plastic number tag in the hat band thus stretching it. If a place like this abuses a hat why would anyone take theirs off in more pedestrian places.

OH man, that would stop me from ever using a hat check service. And if you take them off and put them in your lap or on a chair next to you, it's a matter of time until coffee or wine gets spilled on them. The only way you can keep them relatively safe is on your head.

 

[Tomasso]

In winter I take my hat off indoors; not for reasons of etiquette but for the ridiculously high heating temps of buildings these days. That or I'd be sweating like a pig in a NY minute.

 

[danofarlington]

Leave it on. But really today there are no more rules since most public places are no longer set up to accommodate hats. I was just a guest at the exclusive Lotos Club in Manhattan the other night...this is a place where mega millionaires socialize, I gave my vintage Borsalino to the coat check girl and when I retrieved it after dinner it was crushed AND the moron wedged the octagonal plastic number tag in the hat band thus stretching it. If a place like this abuses a hat why would anyone take theirs off in more pedestrian places.

You're right, in the hat check at many places I've been to (not so elevated as the one you were in though) often the attendant is a hat ignoramus and grabs it by the crown, crushes it, and so on. I find that I have to explain to them what to do with it. And then I'm afraid that someone else will identify it as their and walk off with it, though that hasn't happened yet. What has happened is that a beaver Borsalino I had was stolen off the hat rack in the entry of my church during a flea market sale--I thought hat racks were safe but they're not for hats and jackets. You may say "duh," but it was a lesson to me. So to readers I say, don't leave any good hat on a hat rack.

 

[scottyrocks]

Leave it on. But really today there are no more rules since most public places are no longer set up to accommodate hats. I was just a guest at the exclusive Lotos Club in Manhattan the other night...this is a place where mega millionaires socialize, I gave my vintage Borsalino to the coat check girl and when I retrieved it after dinner it was crushed AND the moron wedged the octagonal plastic number tag in the hat band thus stretching it. If a place like this abuses a hat why would anyone take theirs off in more pedestrian places.

This type of thing has happened to me more than once. Each time I had to explain to the person about how and where I wanted the hat placed. Generally its never a problem. I have them put the hat upside down on an upper shelf with the check ticket inside. And I watch them do it. I tell them to remember my face (as I make a silly face that I presume no one else would make while wearing a suit or a tux), and all end up well.

 

[MarkD]

I am a telephone service man. My work day cosists of making service calls to businesses in my area. I have developed a routine wherein I will enter the waiting area and announce myself to the receptionist and then wait for my contact all with my hat on. When the contact arrives if female I will remove my hat to introduce myself. If male it stays on. While walking to the phone equipment room the hat is (back) on. I like to give them a treat as I walk through the hall(s). If any stops are made in an office within it comes off. Once I get to the phone room it comes off while I do my work until I leave. I can almost always find something to hang it on in the phone room. I do a lot of work above drop ceilings and phone rooms are not always well lit so I usually have my "third hand" miner's light on my head while working. When complete I don my hat and proudly exit. I like to leave them dazzled... lol

 

[danofarlington]

I like to give them a treat as I walk through the hall(s). . . When complete I don my hat and proudly exit. I like to leave them dazzled... lol

I agree with you 100%. A hat is to be worn conspicuously, and with pride, if it looks good, which it should if you're wearing it. That's the whole point. To me a hat is not principally a weather item or shade protection, but style. Ever notice on reality TV-type interview shows how the interviewees often have a hat on during the interview? Clearly the producers are saying "wear a hat" or "wear your hat" to impart some character to the speaker. That's a big reason I like to wear hats--then I don't look like everybody else, at least some of the time. We all look enough alike already. I believe that was the origin of guys wearing ballcaps, and it's the same logic I use. It adds a little character and makes my own mark.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I agree with you 100%. A hat is to be worn conspicuously, and with pride, if it looks good, which it should if you're wearing it. That's the whole point. To me a hat is not principally a weather item or shade protection, but style. Ever notice on reality TV-type interview shows how the interviewees often have a hat on during the interview? Clearly the producers are saying "wear a hat" or "wear your hat" to impart some character to the speaker. That's a big reason I like to wear hats--then I don't look like everybody else, at least some of the time. We all look enough alike already. I believe that was the origin of guys wearing ballcaps, and it's the same logic I use. It adds a little character and makes my own mark.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. My hats have become a part of who I am, and people have begun seeing me as "the fedora guy" or "the flat cap/newsboy guy". I have even begun using a fedora in the logo of my business, further solidifying my identity.

 

[bumphrey hogart]

Strangely I have been wearing hats so long I don't even consider the effect wearing them has on others,I wouldn't leave the house without one and when to leave them on and take them off is so second nature it doesn't take any conscious thought.I think you just need to wear a hat for a while and it just begins to make sense without thinking about it. watch the guys in the old films they weren't wandering around thinking 'what should I do with my hat now',anyone doing that just demonstrates an unfamiliarity with hat wearing,that's fine,only one way to change that:WEAR YOUR HAT!

 

[scotrace]

Merged Threads.

 

[monbla256]

Must be an age thing....

... having been brought up in a family of hat wearers ( and many of the rest of my surroundings with men who wore hats, mostly western down here in Texas) we were taught "manners" and part of those were that a MAN tipped his hat to a lady, took it OFF in the house, did NOT touch another's hat, and took it OFF in an office and courtroom, ( though in the courthouse halls most staid on their owners head till they went in the courtroom) and you ONLY saw them kept on in a bar and NEVER in a resteraunt, though this is sadly not the case down here much anymore We were taught this both overtly by our parents and by example on the streets. Though the times change ( except in courtrooms as I witnessed while doing jury duty last month. A 20 something Buba walked into the courtroom wearing his black resistol and the judge almost charged him with contempt of court ! ) I'm not ( BTW we also were taught to "...NEVER THROW a hat on the BED" Bad luck )

 

[DesertDan]

Strangely I have been wearing hats so long I don't even consider the effect wearing them has on others,I wouldn't leave the house without one and when to leave them on and take them off is so second nature it doesn't take any conscious thought.I think you just need to wear a hat for a while and it just begins to make sense without thinking about it. watch the guys in the old films they weren't wandering around thinking 'what should I do with my hat now',anyone doing that just demonstrates an unfamiliarity with hat wearing,that's fine,only one way to change that:WEAR YOUR HAT!

Absolutely. When a hat is a intrinsic part of your daily attire over a long period of time proper etiquette is not something one has to think about, it just becomes habit.

... having been brought up in a family of hat wearers ( and many of the rest of my surroundings with men who wore hats, mostly western down here in Texas) we were taught "manners")........

And that's just it, it is about being courteous, civil and respectful towards others. What many people (even some hat wearers) fail to realize is that the hat creates a whole set of non-verbal communications whether one likes it or not. While it is true that the majority of modern society no longer recognizes the finer points of the "body language" there are still plenty of them that are (no hat at the table, etc.,etc.) and therefore need to be learned.

However, due to the fact that it has been several generations since hats were the societal norm many of those who wear them have not had the opprotunity to be taught basic manners. Those who have been taught (or learned on their own) should lead by example.

 

[fendaren]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, I just discovered it last night. I'm not sure if any of this has been covered (I did read the etiquette list at the beginning, very helpful, I might add) but at the University I attend and teach (I am a Master's student in History and a Physics adjunct) I usually wear my hat in the university union, which is a common public indoor area, but in my office and the classes I teach and attend, I never wear it. Beyond that I wear it in bars and stores, but never in restaurants. It has helped that I was in the Navy years ago and many of the same points of hat etiquette exist as rules for the uniform cover (hat).

 

[Mulceber]

When you say you don't wear it, do you mean you just don't bring it with you, or do you mean that you take it off as soon as you enter? -M

 

[fendaren]

Sorry, I meant in classes I attend, I remove it and place it under the desk, and in my office I remove it and place it on the desk. I never even wear it to the classes I teach.

 

[Mulceber]

Sounds about the same as the rules I typically follow. -M

 

[jamespowers]

Holy Crimony! Six years later and this is still being added to?! :eusa_clap

 

[Undertow]

Holy Crimony! Six years later and this is still being added to?! :eusa_clap

At least people are concerned!

Imagine if the title was "I wear hats everywhere - including the bathroom; am I crazy?"

 

[jamespowers]

At least people are concerned!

Imagine if the title was "I wear hats everywhere - including the bathroom; am I crazy?"

That would last ten years.