Alternatives to a fedora

[The Wolf]

my alternative

Felt fedoras have been terribly warm sometimes in California and I sweat through a nice hat making it a grungy hat. It can then be worn in the garden fine.
I wear a straw Panama for hot weather.
If I want a roustabout hat I were a flat cap (eight-piece? Whatever they're called) that I can stick inside my jacket if need be.

I usually get compliments on my fedora and acquaintances expect to see me wearing it. If you are worried about it looking out of place you need to wear it all the more. If we want fedoras to be an acceptable hat for men we need to lead the charge.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[tonyb]

The short answer to your question, qwerty: There is no alternative to a fedora. Nothing against those other types of headwear, but in my view (and that of a few others who have already weighed in), the fedora is THE definitive statement of stylin' masculinity. Fortunately, the category is wide enough that there is a fedora for just about every man, no matter his age or proportions or whatever other characteristics he wears under his hat.
I certainly wouldn't dispute what your experience has told you, and I wouldn't argue the point(s) that older, balder, larger men are generally regarded as looking more like they belong in hats than their younger and smaller brethren do, but if you like the way your hat looks on you, to hell with the general regard. I'd wager that you'll soon enough grow accustomed to that hat on your head and will come to feel naked without it.

 

[Russ]

Let's face it, in today's world there is not much place for fedoras. Hats are mostly forgoten and only several kinds of hats are widely acceptable. Let's change it.
What is a good hat that kinda looks like a fedora but that can be used today as everyday hat. That hat needs to be practical as well as beautyfull, rugged as well as sophisticated and it needs to be just right for today.
What is that hat?

Oy did you open a can of worms! Perhaps the cultural climate in Serbia justifies your reluctance to wear a fedora, who knows? Still, it is no secret that wearing a fedora takes a little courage if you are young, and not accustomed to doing it. The fedora is not for everyone. It has never died out, and never will; those who love them will wear them. And I am happy with that

I also never leave the house without a felt brim hat on my head, and it is usually a fedora unless I'm going out in the field or forest, where my bush hats seem more in place. I never wear my hats in the house; no need for it.

If you want protection from the sun, rain and cold, no other hat is more versatile than the felt fedora. It looks good with a suit, overalls, even a kimono. It looks great in the city, and not out of place in the country. It has been the hat of choice by men in countries all over the world for over a century. Even in countries at war, men who would not hesitate to kill each other were in complete agreement when it came to the fedora. It is the universal, timeless headpiece.

Of course, the baseball cap has also become a universal headpiece, but it is not in the same class as the fedora; lacking in both protection and class.

With the exception of its felt brim hat uncles, the Homburg, Bowler, etc, there is no better hat for him who has the courage to wear it.

BTW I confess I am bearded and over 40, but I had always thought a clean shaven face looked better with the fedora. Maybe it's because during the golden era, beards were not in fashion, so there are not many precedents in the old movies or photographs. I was even tempted to shave and just leave the mustache when I discovered my wife has forbidden it; she prefers a beard over five o'clock shadow. I've had a beard on and off (mostly on) since high school, and have not seen my chin for 15 years.

A baby face might look out of place, but do you all really believe a beard goes better than a clean shaven face with a fedora? Maybe this should be a new thread.

 

[LeFonque]

The pork pie hat is making a comeback in Oz. I went to a Car and bike show recently debating if I should wear a panama of the trusty Akubra but I finally stettled on wearing my porkpie hat thinking that it would be unique and a tad retro. I got there and I was spewing chip when I saw a couple of other pork pie hats. Imagine my embarassment, being totally cool is such hard work.

 

[Renee]

What is a good hat that kinda looks like a fedora but that can be used today as everyday hat. That hat needs to be practical as well as beautyfull, rugged as well as sophisticated and it needs to be just right for today.
What is that hat?

We live in northern Italy, and my husband's favorite "everyday" hat for cooler weather is from Austria. I would describe it as a slightly scaled-down fedora. It's felted, of hare hair, dark brown, with a braided leather and twine band. It's both practical and beautiful. (If you're able to get to Austria, the men's hat shops there are wonderful to shop in!)

We're American, so of course he gets jokes from his friends ("Come on, Indy!"). Our college-age kids groan and tell him to wear a beanie instead (why they want him to look like a smuggler is beyond me ...). But I think this hat is great, and looks good with more casual, everyday clothes.

I'm surprised that hat-wearing gets you looks in Serbia. I've found that hats are much more commonplace in Europe than in the U.S. Are there any traditional hats in your area that you could wear? We're at the base of the Dolomites, and see a lot of those Tyrolean-style hats (and variations) here.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Think of other masculine items that are now perceived as more-or-less outlandish. Monocles. Pipes. Cigarette holders. Pocket watches, watch chains, and fobs. Pearl stickpins for neckties. Ascots. And yes, spectator shoes.

It's really too bad the nature of masculinity has changed.

You think masculinity today is sweat and workers' clothes, whereas back then, every single male would walk around in ascots with monocles and cigarette holders?!

How has the nature of masculinity changed, in your opinion?

 

[Bart]

Fedora Alternatives

Except for my Indy fedora, I don't wear my other Fedoras with casual clothes. They look good only with a suit, not shopping at Home Depot wearing "chinos" and leather jacket.

Now cowboy hats (1 black) I wear them often....attention getters, and my Outback Aussie hat as well. And newsboy caps and berets.

Baseball caps (de rigeur around here) should be outlawed (10 year prison sentence) along with tee shirts with logos and sneakers. There's a sea of them and usually they are faded, filthy and ragged and worn inside restaurants and bars. This uniform and attitude is indicative of the declining standard of living in the US.fftopic:

I'd like to see the demise of ladies wearing the adjustable ball cap with their pony tail sticking out through the hole, talking on their cell phone while navigating their Navigators.:rage:

 

[qwerty]

Balkan is an area with rich cultural heredity. Every era and every nationality has it's own set of hats. This is a lot of hats, but here is a little sample
šajkača:

Montenegrian national hat:

But as you see these hats do not have brims. Clasic fedoras were worn in Serbia in the time when they were popular everywhere else in the world but now they are not realy that popular (just like everywhere else in the world).

I will one day wear a fedora on regular basis but not now. Not for some time.
I am very selfconfident person but that selfconfidence is under atack evry time I wear a fedora. For some reason when I bought that hat I figured, people will see it, they will like it and they might buy one themself. But it seems that it's not gonna happen.

 

[Renee]

I can see how some of those Balkan hats might be a little difficult to wear on a daily basis with regular clothes. The variations of the Tyrolean-style hats that I see here look quite good, have a little brim, and don't need a matching pair of lederhosen!

 

[geo]

It's because brimmed hats are so, well, emblematic. Wide brims? Old time gangsters. Stingy brims? Sinatra. Bowler hats? Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy. Fedoras are seen more as props than as useful headwear.

This I think is a good point. Cinema has stereotyped so many looks, that it's become impossible to wear classical clothing without looking like someone in the movies. However, nobody seems to mind if you look like Dan from Roseanne, maybe because he was a regular-everyday-type-of-guy, and characters from movies were never just regular guys, they were detectives, gangsters, dancers, etc.

 

[LeeB]

I'm a new a infrequent poster to this site, but this thread made me want to throw in my comments:

I am 38 and reasonably fit and I sport a full beard. I also wear a fedora everyday to work. When I am not at work (in the yard or out with the wife and kids) I wear what can best be called a "sporting hat" which is basically cut as a fedora but has a leather hatband rather than a ribbon/bow. I don't normally wear western types as the brim seems too large for casual wear and it gets in the way.

I have never gotten a rude or disparaging comment on my headgear. I have recieved the occasional "indy" jibe, but for the most part have only heard good things.

Strnage how a simple "nice hat" can make your entire day.

 

[johnnycanuck]

I worked with this one guy, a Black, Englishman, Engineer. He worked all over the world. He said when he worked in the middle east it was stupid hot. Most people wore white Fez type hats with cloth draped behind to cover there neck. He found them hot, uncomfortable, and his face was getting darker by the day. So the next time he went into the city he found a dealer in panama hats and bought one. He said within a month almost everyone around him (locals and foreign workers) swapped out and started wearing them. He said it looked rally cool. Like you stepped back in time. Or at least the Dandy's were back in style. The only time I ever effected such a change was when I bought a Lemon squeezer to go with my Scout uniform. Several of the other leaders went out a and bought one for themselves shortly there after. One person can effect change. Get enough people doing it its a trend.
Johnny.

 

[Brad Bowers]

You think masculinity today is sweat and workers' clothes, whereas back then, every single male would walk around in ascots with monocles and cigarette holders?!

How has the nature of masculinity changed, in your opinion?

Poor choice of words on my part. Perhaps it's better stated as "Cultural interpretations of masculinity have changed." The point I was making is those items that Marc listed were, at one time, very masculine things to wear. Nowadays, some might consider you effeminate if you wear them. And yet, many of the very men that are held up as cultural icons today seem very effeminate compared to the cultural icons of our revered Golden Era.

Oh man, don't drag me into a gender roles discussion. I had enough of those in my graduate seminars!lol

Brad

 

[Marc Chevalier]

You think masculinity today is sweat and workers' clothes, whereas back then, every single male would walk around in ascots with monocles and cigarette holders?!

How has the nature of masculinity changed, in your opinion?

Good question.

It's not that every single male would wear these things. It's that these things are emblematic items of menswear that have been, for the most part, "demoted" to costume pieces. FDR used a cigarette holder and no one batted an eye. Today, a man using a cigarette holder looks outlandish.

What clothes and accessories today are distinctly masculine? Jeans? Women wear them all the time. Baseball caps? Same thing. Work boots? Ditto.

.

 

[jamespowers]

And yet, many of the very men that are held up as cultural icons today seem very effeminate compared to the cultural icons of our revered Golden Era.

Seem!? More like are. Fabio anyone?

Oh man, don't drag me into a gender roles discussion. I had enough of those in my graduate seminars!lol

Do tell. Do tell. Start a new thread in the Observation Bar.

Regards,

J

 

[Twitch]

If it is especially windy I wear a my Greek fisherman's cap. It is never mistaken for a ball cap. They come in several colors and materials even leather for bad weather wear. I've actually gotten compliments on it. Guess that's how ubiquitous damed ball caps have become- anything different stands out!

 

[qwerty]

If you people are so confident in your fedora wearing style try this the first next chance you get.
Walk down some street (eg. pedestrian zone) and then try to catch some girls look, and make an eye conntact. Then aproach that girl with your hat still on, and start a conversation. Let's see if your self assurance will work then.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

If you people are so confident in your fedora wearing style try this the first next chance you get.
Walk down some street (eg. pedestrian zone) and then try to catch some girls look, and make an eye conntact. Then aproach that girl with your hat still on, and start a conversation. Let's see if your self assurance will work then.

Some of us girls (or women) find hats tres sexy.....and would talk to a hat wearing guy.

That being said, if someone is going to find you attractive...it will be hat or no hat......a hat won't make you more attractive to any particular lady, nor will it turn them off....unless they are wanting a mohawked punk guy, since I haven't seen a fedora with a mohawk sticking out of it.

Qwerty.....most of the men who answered this post are married....which means that they likely talked to at least one dame with their hat on...and somehow tricked them into getting married.......

 

[qwerty]

Yeah, the key word is "some of.."
I totaly did not think about the average age of posters here at Fedoras Lounge. I am a regular on Raven bar and there everybody are about my age (22). So I will have to adapt for this forum.

 

["Doc" Devereux]

If you people are so confident in your fedora wearing style try this the first next chance you get.
Walk down some street (eg. pedestrian zone) and then try to catch some girls look, and make an eye conntact. Then aproach that girl with your hat still on, and start a conversation. Let's see if your self assurance will work then.

Been there, done that.

With a policewoman.

While she was on duty.

And yes, there were witnesses (though we didn't take their particulars down).

I think it's more about confidence than anything else. The trick is to find what looks good and works with you. If you're picking your outfits to get a certain kind of female attention, you might discover that the females whose attention you get are something of a disappointment.

Personally, my tastes run to intelligent, independent women. In my experience, for what little it's worth, the fact that I wear exactly what I feel comfortable in while presenting myself in a clean and civilised fashion is more likely to get their attention than loading up on designer names and waving my wallet around. That will attract some attention, but those aren't the sort of ladies that I would wish to associate with.

If you want to wear a hat, just do it. You might just find it good for your confidence.