Costumey?

[Dreispitz]

I think accepting your Bogie combination is a question of the other alternatives. Maybe, next time you ask her before the promenade if you should go for the Dingus or something like this

 

[Brent Hutto]

If you are wearing stuff because it makes you look like Bogart in an old movie then by your own intention it is a costume, no? And if you feel like you're dressing a part then people you encounter will pick up on that and react as though you were wearing a costume.

On the other hand, if you wear the hat you like best and the coat you like best and that turns out to look somewhat Bogart-in-an-old-movie-ish then it's just the way your look happens to come together. But really from your description it sounds more like you're thinking of it as "a Bogart hat" and "a Bogart trench" in which case people will definitely perceive it as such.

My theory is that people pick up on pretense. If your clothes express yourself in your own unique personhood then they'll be (generally, usually) accepted as "clothes". If your clothes express yourself as pretending to be someone else they'll be viewed as an affectation. Of course there's always someone here or there who reacts totally inappropriately to whatever you're wearing but there's no accounting for (lack of) taste.

 

[gtdean48]

I wear a slicker/fish & a western hat in foul weather. I look like every rain scene in every western movie. Is it costumey? Sure, but what made it so? The fact it was put in a movie to show what folks did/do in real life? It was first an outfit/rig used by a real person that some director decided to put in a movie. That don't make it a costume. Me dressing up like a pirate is a costume. Sure I have a Londog Fog overcoat & a fedora that I wear over my suit & tie when on business trips in foul weather, just like I wear my fish & Resistol over my Wranglers & ropers when I'm out at the barn. Those ain't costumes. JMHO....

 

[John in Covina]

If it's not raining go for the newsboy cap to make her happy.

 

[kaosharper1]

If you are wearing stuff because it makes you look like Bogart in an old movie then by your own intention it is a costume, no? And if you feel like you're dressing a part then people you encounter will pick up on that and react as though you were wearing a costume.

On the other hand, if you wear the hat you like best and the coat you like best and that turns out to look somewhat Bogart-in-an-old-movie-ish then it's just the way your look happens to come together. But really from your description it sounds more like you're thinking of it as "a Bogart hat" and "a Bogart trench" in which case people will definitely perceive it as such.

No. I don't think of them as a "Bogart hat" and a "Bogart trench." I'm not trying to look like Bogart. I just thought of it as a classic combination. Lots of others have worn it, and I used that description here because I didn't want to bother with a picture. My wife's actual description was that I looked like a gangster.

Interestingly, if I dress in a great suit no one says that I look like Gordon Gekko, which would be bad since I work in the financial services industry.

Anyway, my wife actually likes my hats and such. It was just this combination that made her feel uncomfortable.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

If I have to ask then I do not have the onions to abide by my own taste in clothing. Clearly you seem comfortable wearing that combination. If you are out by yourself by all means!!!! If it makes your wife uncomfortable then I would simply tell her, “Well everybody in Casablanca has problems. Yours may work out.”....

 

[Forgotten Man]

My wife says that wearing them together is too much like a costume. Would any of you weigh in on this?

I believe in keeping our ladies happy, but when it comes to clothes I must wear what makes me happy. Women will have an opinion; however it will often differ from the male perspective. We like hats, suits and coats... this is not normal for today's "comfort minded" population. Dressing in anything other than shorts, a T shirt and flip flops or Nike Air's is always a drastic contrast to that of the 40s culture and formality.

Over Thanksgiving I was in Tucson AZ visiting the lady's folks... we were driving to an antique shop and I saw a man standing and waiting for a bus. He wore a business suit and a khaki trench coat! The temperature outside was no cooler than 75 degrees with clear skies! A perfect day in Tucson and this guy did look very much out of place. Very suspicious to say the least!

Now, if you wear a fedora and you really want to wear the trench coat, as long as the weather is cool and wet, simply explain to the wife that you're going to get odd ball stares and comments wearing a fedora anyway, you might as well wear the coat and complete the Bogart image people connect your hat with!

My gal despises my black bowler, I wear it once in a while but, she just doesn’t like it. She tells me this each time I put it on, I simply smile and say: Honey, don’t judge me by my hat, love me for who I am!

 

[Torpedo]

I wore that combo today; most precisely, a US Army pattern green raincoat, and a grey fedora. It was a rainy day, so it was an appropriate choice. This I wore over a grey suit, tie, etc.

I usually wear a suit or a jacket+odd trousers combination plus a hat (most often a fedora, sometimes other styles - homburg, bowler, occasionally a flat or newsboy cap); also an overcoat when it is cold. So, adding a raincoat if the day is rainy is much in coherence with my customary image, or style.

This said, it is rare if the day ends without some noir-related or "Inspector Gadget" comment, but I think like it is very much inavoidable. If from some relative, colleague, or similar, I take it in good humour. If from a stranger (which, I must add, is very rarely done openly) I just ignore it.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

We like hats, suits and coats... this is not normal for today's "comfort minded" population.

I have had quite different responses. I get smiles and compliments. From my friends who have not seen me in a while I get "oh, different hat". My clothes are like a second skin on me. I am simply accepted for the man that I am and not for the clothes I wear.

 

[Tomasso]

My wife has a pretty good fashion sense so it gave me second thoughts.

Now, if she only had a sense of style.

 

[Brent Hutto]

No. I don't think of them as a "Bogart hat" and a "Bogart trench." I'm not trying to look like Bogart. I just thought of it as a classic combination.

I believe if you wear it in that spirit then 99% of people will accept it as your own look.

Personally I might not wear a combo that my wife found to be too much but having grown up with a mother who made me wear little matching shorts and jackets outfits from the time I was six months old I have a healthy suspicion of women's taste in my clothing. Even if they love me very much, their taste and mine do not generally match up.

Go for it, Bogey! Sorry, couldn't resist...

 

[Dewhurst]

My opinion is probably summarized in that of another above.

If you innocently wear it, meaning you just put that combination of clothing together without thinking, "Yeah, this looks 1938!" than I say you are in the clear.

Otherwise, you could just piece certain things with others. Like, wear a modern cut black wool coat with your hat. Then you will just look like a fashionable modern person who likes hats instead of someone who was put on ice in 1940 and only recently defrosted.

 

[Richard Warren]

Count me among those wearing trench coat and hat when it is cold and raining because I like to stay warm and dry. No more of a costume than what I wear any other time.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

This is a good topic. If I decide to walk a round like this then I deserve the whatever comments I get.

 

[kaosharper1]

This is a good topic. If I decide to walk a round like this then I deserve the whatever comments I get.

Except for the gin bottle, I've tended to avoid this Bogie look. The other one to avoid is that famous one of him by the swimming pool.

 

[CRH]

Except for the gin bottle, I've tended to avoid this Bogie look. The other one to avoid is that famous one of him by the swimming pool.

Hey, kaosharper, tomorrow is Wed. in December. You know what that means!

For those who don't know, TCM is running Bogey all day every Wed. in December.

 

[jimmy the lid]

I wear a slicker/fish & a western hat in foul weather. I look like every rain scene in every western movie. Is it costumey? Sure, but what made it so? The fact it was put in a movie to show what folks did/do in real life? It was first an outfit/rig used by a real person that some director decided to put in a movie. That don't make it a costume. Me dressing up like a pirate is a costume. Sure I have a Londog Fog overcoat & a fedora that I wear over my suit & tie when on business trips in foul weather, just like I wear my fish & Resistol over my Wranglers & ropers when I'm out at the barn. Those ain't costumes. JMHO....

Well put, Deputy. That being said, I am really looking forward to the pirate shirt photos...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[RBH]

Hey, kaosharper, tomorrow is Wed. in December. You know what that means!

For those who don't know, TCM is running Bogey all day every Wed. in December.

Damn.. I thought I was the only one.......

 

[indycop]

Well put, Deputy. That being said, I am really looking forward to the pirate shirt photos...

Cheers,
JtL

lol

 

[kaosharper1]

Well tomorrow morning I'm flying up to San Francisco where there's a 50% chance of rain, and then on to Seattle in the afternoon where there's a 90% chance of rain. Guess what hat/coat combo I'm bringing!

Missing the TCM festival though.