All You Need to Know About Hat Etiquette

[suitedcboy]

If I didn't plan to be cremated, I might have the funeral director put a fedora on my head for the viewing

Do it! just have them remove the hat pins and that danged little ferrule thing on the sweatband reeding. Metal pieces in the urn is bad etiquette.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

It's common sense. Hats are for your protection from the elements. What's the point of wearing a baseball cap on backwards in the sun? A porkpie in the rain? Hats are not worn to complete your ensemble!

I am as conservative as a dinosaur but having said that I have no hangups over hat etiquette other than what should be common sense: removing ones hat in the presence of mothers & grandmothers, elderly men, disabled combat veterans, personal mentors, etc. They have earned that respect. Also upon entering certain public buildings or places that hold historical reverence. I could care less if you don't remove your hat at the newest mall, in a restaurant or in my home. I could care less whether a hat goes with your outfit or not.

 

[Bob Roberts]

If I didn't plan to be cremated, I might have the funeral director put a fedora on my head for the viewing

Put the cremaines in yer favorite fedora.

 

[Frunobulax]

Put the cremaines in yer favorite fedora.

Charcoal colored felt?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Charcoal colored felt?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Yes. Caribou.

 

[Willebe]

It really boils down to self-centered ego mania. The coin flips both ways. Wherever you are, you should respect the culture and customs. If not able to do so for personal, religious, etc., reasons, then one should probably not be there in the first place.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[hatophile]

Put the cremaines in yer favorite fedora.

My wife would love that. She's convinced she will outlive me. Probably right.

 

[moontheloon]

It really boils down to self-centered ego mania. The coin flips both ways. Wherever you are, you should respect the culture and customs. If not able to do so for personal, religious, etc., reasons, then one should probably not be there in the first place.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

if that was the case then no one would take their hat off anywhere in the USA because there are no customs nor culture in place suggesting to do so.

 

[Bamaboots]

I love it when this topic comes up because of the conversation it generates and the varying opinions stated. I could not care less about others hat wearing habits, only about my own and what I perceive as proper etiquette. This all comes down to the way I was raised and the values instilled upon me by those doing the raising, not from what I've read or notions developed in my own feeble mind.

I still remove my hat indoors where it's practical and formally expected. It comes off in restaurants if I have a place to put it, places of worship where I attend, others homes, business meetings, doctors offices and most any indoor place where I have a spot to lay my hat. It always comes off in theaters as I'm fairly tall and some have trouble seeing over me w/o the hat. There, it rests in my lap. The exceptions to to these are the couple of dive bars I occasionally visit , grocery stores and most retail spots.

Growing up in the South and around people who placed a high value on manners and etiquette, I'm unable to set that aside, even if I wanted to. We seem to live in the age of the easily offended, but at the same time the manners of many people I meet seem almost non existent. It's a paradox i don't understand.

I was raised, literally, at the knee of this man, my maternal grandfather, from whom I learned everything I know about hat etiquette. He was and is my greatest hero, though he has been long gone from this world. He was a simple, 8th grade educated sharecropper who, when he was able, moved his family to a small AL town and took a factory job where he raised his five children and a grandchild or two. He was the hardest working man I have ever known and his only vices, besides tobacco, were nice hats, suits and shoes. He told me he enjoyed them so much because as a young man he always wanted them but neither he nor his family could ever afford them.
,

He took me everywhere with him except work. He always wore a hat and the only places it did not come off was the grocery store and the bait and tackle shops we visited. When he greeted people on the street, whether new or old acquaintances, whether they be men or women, the hat came off during the greeting. His hat was off before he ever opened the doors to the church and it was not on his head until he left the building. He removed it when we went to his favorite haberdasher, where he bought his hats, suits and shoes. He knocked a ball cap off of my head more than once when I forgot to remove it when sitting down for a meal.

I understand those were different times but some things just stick.

BTW, that's a Dobbs sitting on his head in the pic.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Here's to Gramps! "Cheers!"

 

[Willebe]

if that was the case then no one would take their hat off anywhere in the USA because there are no customs nor culture in place suggesting to do so.

While I see your point as I didn't unpack my statement enough. There are still places where we consider hats to be a no wear vs wear situation. The above post show that as many of us attempt to keep certain cultural Norma and respects intact. Others have no regard for these customs as they were never taught to keep these customs. I will always stand during the national anthem and take my hat off. My son will probably never honor this custom unless I teach him or he learns it through military service. Many people that I meet have a total disregard for culture and norms. We do still have them, but they are becoming more and more buried under newer customs.

In a nutshell, people like us who love to wear hats and still feel a need to take them off as a sign of respect shows that there are still cultural norms and customs. They exist, they are just not as common place or a strong influence as they once were.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[hatophile]

I love it when this topic comes up because of the conversation it generates and the varying opinions stated. I could not care less about others hat wearing habits, only about my own and what I perceive as proper etiquette. This all comes down to the way I was raised and the values instilled upon me by those doing the raising, not from what I've read or notions developed in my own feeble mind.

I still remove my hat indoors where it's practical and formally expected. It comes off in restaurants if I have a place to put it, places of worship where I attend, others homes, business meetings, doctors offices and most any indoor place where I have a spot to lay my hat. It always comes off in theaters as I'm fairly tall and some have trouble seeing over me w/o the hat. There, it rests in my lap. The exceptions to to these are the couple of dive bars I occasionally visit , grocery stores and most retail spots.

Growing up in the South and around people who placed a high value on manners and etiquette, I'm unable to set that aside, even if I wanted to. We seem to live in the age of the easily offended, but at the same time the manners of many people I meet seem almost non existent. It's a paradox i don't understand.

I was raised, literally, at the knee of this man, my maternal grandfather, from whom I learned everything I know about hat etiquette. He was and is my greatest hero, though he has been long gone from this world. He was a simple, 8th grade educated sharecropper who, when he was able, moved his family to a small AL town and took a factory job where he raised his five children and a grandchild or two. He was the hardest working man I have ever known and his only vices, besides tobacco, were nice hats, suits and shoes. He told me he enjoyed them so much because as a young man he always wanted them but neither he nor his family could ever afford them.
, View attachment 77323

He took me everywhere with him except work. He always wore a hat and the only places it did not come off was the grocery store and the bait and tackle shops we visited. When he greeted people on the street, whether new or old acquaintances, whether they be men or women, the hat came off during the greeting. His hat was off before he ever opened the doors to the church and it was not on his head until he left the building. He removed it when we went to his favorite haberdasher, where he bought his hats, suits and shoes. He knocked a ball cap off of my head more than once when I forgot to remove it when sitting down for a meal.

I understand those were different times but some things just stick.

BTW, that's a Dobbs sitting on his head in the pic.

Excellent story.

 

[moontheloon]

While I see your point as I didn't unpack my statement enough. There are still places where we consider hats to be a no wear vs wear situation. The above post show that as many of us attempt to keep certain cultural Norma and respects intact. Others have no regard for these customs as they were never taught to keep these customs. I will always stand during the national anthem and take my hat off. My son will probably never honor this custom unless I teach him or he learns it through military service. Many people that I meet have a total disregard for culture and norms. We do still have them, but they are becoming more and more buried under newer customs.

In a nutshell, people like us who love to wear hats and still feel a need to take them off as a sign of respect shows that there are still cultural norms and customs. They exist, they are just not as common place or a strong influence as they once were.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

I stated earlier in the thread what I observe as far as "hat etiquette " ... but honestly I don't see anyone around me honor any sort of etiquette outside of maybe the National Anthem at a ballgame

and this is not just young people ... I was in a restaurant last night ... granted not a 5 star restaurant with a maitre d and whatnot ... but nice enough

at the table next to me ... 2 men in probably their 60s one wearing a panel cap and the other a panama ... a few tables away a family where the father was wearing a western straw ... and a few tables from that a guy probably in his 20s with a bad TJMaxx $9.99 cloth stingy sitting on the back of his head

I was literally the only person in the place who had a hat with him that did not wear it to dine ... and this was in NYC

not sure where these customs are

again ... I was not bothered by this at all ... took zero offense ... just observed that I was the only one

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Many people that I meet have a total disregard for culture and norms. We do still have them, but they are becoming more and more buried under newer customs.

---delete & I'll recuse myself from further posting.

 

[Jeremy T Garner]

I will take my hat off in most buildings I enter and hold it in my hand if standing or place it down if sitting and I have a spot for it. Not sure if that is right or wrong but how I was taught. THough last night I wore my Etchison to dinner and sat and the bar and did not take it off...

 

[hatsRme]

I love it when this topic comes up because of the conversation it generates and the varying opinions stated. I could not care less about others hat wearing habits, only about my own and what I perceive as proper etiquette. This all comes down to the way I was raised and the values instilled upon me by those doing the raising, not from what I've read or notions developed in my own feeble mind.

I still remove my hat indoors where it's practical and formally expected. It comes off in restaurants if I have a place to put it, places of worship where I attend, others homes, business meetings, doctors offices and most any indoor place where I have a spot to lay my hat. It always comes off in theaters as I'm fairly tall and some have trouble seeing over me w/o the hat. There, it rests in my lap. The exceptions to to these are the couple of dive bars I occasionally visit , grocery stores and most retail spots.

Growing up in the South and around people who placed a high value on manners and etiquette, I'm unable to set that aside, even if I wanted to. We seem to live in the age of the easily offended, but at the same time the manners of many people I meet seem almost non existent. It's a paradox i don't understand.

I was raised, literally, at the knee of this man, my maternal grandfather, from whom I learned everything I know about hat etiquette. He was and is my greatest hero, though he has been long gone from this world. He was a simple, 8th grade educated sharecropper who, when he was able, moved his family to a small AL town and took a factory job where he raised his five children and a grandchild or two. He was the hardest working man I have ever known and his only vices, besides tobacco, were nice hats, suits and shoes. He told me he enjoyed them so much because as a young man he always wanted them but neither he nor his family could ever afford them.
, View attachment 77323

He took me everywhere with him except work. He always wore a hat and the only places it did not come off was the grocery store and the bait and tackle shops we visited. When he greeted people on the street, whether new or old acquaintances, whether they be men or women, the hat came off during the greeting. His hat was off before he ever opened the doors to the church and it was not on his head until he left the building. He removed it when we went to his favorite haberdasher, where he bought his hats, suits and shoes. He knocked a ball cap off of my head more than once when I forgot to remove it when sitting down for a meal.

I understand those were different times but some things just stick.

BTW, that's a Dobbs sitting on his head in the pic.

Fantastic, Greg. Thank you!

 

[hatsRme]

I will take my hat off in most buildings I enter and hold it in my hand if standing or place it down if sitting and I have a spot for it. Not sure if that is right or wrong but how I was taught. THough last night I wore my Etchison to dinner and sat and the bar and did not take it off...

Bar or counter seating generally (historically) allows us to keep them on.

So, now I wonder about the recent trend of "bar height" table seating. We're good there, too, right?!

 

[Bamaboots]

Here's to Gramps! "Cheers!"

Thanks, Bob. Gramps thanks you as well.

Excellent story.

Thank you, hato.

Fantastic, Greg. Thank you!

Thank you, Charlie. Both for posting the story that revived this thread and bringing back some cherished memories of mine.

 

[BobHufford]

If I didn't plan to be cremated, I might have the funeral director put a fedora on my head for the viewing

Wouldn't it be more proper for you to be holding it over your heart?

 

[Bamaboots]

Wouldn't it be more proper for you to be holding it over your heart?

Yeah, you don't want to be messing up the brims on any of the great hats you have.