Natty Bumpo
New in Town
- Messages
- 49
- Location
- The Heart of Dixie
From the Wall Street Journal today.
The ridiculous Johnny Depp is photographed. Not sure if he and Brad Pitt are "hip".
URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992922984379699.html
Q: I wear a fedora hat in the winter, and I get favorable comments from people on the street. Do I look like I am too overdressed or not contemporary? It is a handsome accessory, but I still feel conspicuous. -- D.W., New York
A: For all those fellows who live in baseball caps or pull-on knit caps in cold weather, a grown-up fedora may take some getting used to. But neophytes, rest assured that if you choose the right hat, with a brim that's not too wide and a crown that's not too deep, you won't look like you're trying to channel Humphrey Bogart. You'll look great.
Brimmed hats -- made of felt in the fall, straw in the summer -- are a jaunty flourish that appeals to guys with a confident, individual sense of style. Worth & Worth, the venerable Manhattan shop that has specialized in fedoras and top hats since 1922 and is now online (www.hatshop.com1), says that a new generation is taking an interest in fedoras. For years, its core fedora fans had been conservative executives, lawyers and bankers between 40 and 60 years old.
"In the last year and a half, we are getting more guys in their 20s and 30s who are buying fedoras for the first time," says Orlando Palacio, hat designer and one of the owners of Worth & Worth. "They come in and don't have any idea what their hat size is."
Some sharp dressers are taking cues from celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, who have made brimmed hats hip, Mr. Palacio says. Younger guys favor hats with small, 2 1/8-inch brims -- sometimes turned up -- that they tend to wear with overcoats or casual jackets and shirts without a tie. They also go for hat bands in striped tie fabric, instead of a tone-on-tone matching hat band. The effect is retro chic, reminiscent of Rat Pack leader Frank Sinatra. "It says 'I'm styling. I'm stepping away from the norm.' It's definitely not an old hat," Mr. Palacio says.
Worth & Worth markets upscale rabbit-fur felt fedoras that average $225, but less expensive models can also work. Many hat wearers prefer the precise fit they get from models that come in numbered sizes, instead of just small, medium or large. Try on different brims to find a style that flatters your face. Once you get the hang of it, add sunglasses and a neck scarf, turn your coat collar up, and go forth with a bit of swagger. And when you go indoors, take that hat off.
The ridiculous Johnny Depp is photographed. Not sure if he and Brad Pitt are "hip".
URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992922984379699.html
Q: I wear a fedora hat in the winter, and I get favorable comments from people on the street. Do I look like I am too overdressed or not contemporary? It is a handsome accessory, but I still feel conspicuous. -- D.W., New York
A: For all those fellows who live in baseball caps or pull-on knit caps in cold weather, a grown-up fedora may take some getting used to. But neophytes, rest assured that if you choose the right hat, with a brim that's not too wide and a crown that's not too deep, you won't look like you're trying to channel Humphrey Bogart. You'll look great.
Brimmed hats -- made of felt in the fall, straw in the summer -- are a jaunty flourish that appeals to guys with a confident, individual sense of style. Worth & Worth, the venerable Manhattan shop that has specialized in fedoras and top hats since 1922 and is now online (www.hatshop.com1), says that a new generation is taking an interest in fedoras. For years, its core fedora fans had been conservative executives, lawyers and bankers between 40 and 60 years old.
"In the last year and a half, we are getting more guys in their 20s and 30s who are buying fedoras for the first time," says Orlando Palacio, hat designer and one of the owners of Worth & Worth. "They come in and don't have any idea what their hat size is."
Some sharp dressers are taking cues from celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, who have made brimmed hats hip, Mr. Palacio says. Younger guys favor hats with small, 2 1/8-inch brims -- sometimes turned up -- that they tend to wear with overcoats or casual jackets and shirts without a tie. They also go for hat bands in striped tie fabric, instead of a tone-on-tone matching hat band. The effect is retro chic, reminiscent of Rat Pack leader Frank Sinatra. "It says 'I'm styling. I'm stepping away from the norm.' It's definitely not an old hat," Mr. Palacio says.
Worth & Worth markets upscale rabbit-fur felt fedoras that average $225, but less expensive models can also work. Many hat wearers prefer the precise fit they get from models that come in numbered sizes, instead of just small, medium or large. Try on different brims to find a style that flatters your face. Once you get the hang of it, add sunglasses and a neck scarf, turn your coat collar up, and go forth with a bit of swagger. And when you go indoors, take that hat off.
