Cultural Significance of the fedora?

[haglunde]

I have a class and need to write a paper on the 40's felt hat as a cultural icon. I found the creases posting and pictures here fascinating but am really looking for links or information on how the hat expressed the wearer's status, beliefs, values, etc. Can anyone here point me in the right direction?

Thank you!
Eric Haglund

 

[RBH]

Hello.

Dont know if this is what you are after, but here are some links.
Hope they help you out..

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/117987.html

http://www.balloonhat.com/interviews/03.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?An-Introduction-To-Hats&id=278411

 

[ideaguy]

OK!!! Time for everybody to rise & shine ! If this doesn't bring the brains out
of hiding, I give up! I'm sure that Googling hats&history might start things rolling
and there has to be volumes of literature devoted to the iconography of the
Fedora in particular. What level of education are
are you dealing with -University-High School-etc. that would help to know...
best of luck and please look at the links/threads that might show up in the archives of the FL.

 

[Fletch]

Just to fire off an opening salvo...

The felt hat, which used to be as universal for males as the tie, has been reduced basically to stereotypes in the mass culture - and not usually positive ones. People think of the Italian gangster, tough and dangerous; the Orthodox Jew, serious and strict; the Black or ethnic dandy, who supposedly cares for his appearance above all else; and the elderly "geezer" stereotype, who is set in his ways and can't cope with change.

More positive stereotypes include the detective, the hip jazz/blues musician, and of course the feeling of a 1930s or 40s costume.

Positive or not, most people's feeling is that the hat is too symbolic for everyday wear. To these people, a hat (any hat that is not a ballcap or other "practical" cover) is a symbol of a strange culture that ignores the way most people live today. It is thought to mark the wearer as someone alienated from our casual, one-size-fits-all society.

(thoughts...?)

 

[thunderw21]

Just to fire off an opening salvo...

The felt hat, which used to be as universal for males as the tie, has been reduced basically to stereotypes in the mass culture - and not usually positive ones. People think of the Italian gangster, tough and dangerous; the Orthodox Jew, serious and strict; the Black or ethnic dandy, who supposedly cares for his appearance above all else; and the elderly "geezer" stereotype, who is set in his ways and can't cope with change.

More positive stereotypes include the detective, the hip jazz/blues musician, and of course the feeling of a 1930s or 40s costume.

Positive or not, most people's feeling is that the hat is too symbolic for everyday wear. To these people, a hat (any hat that is not a ballcap or other "practical" cover) is a symbol of a strange culture that ignores the way most people live today. It is thought to mark the wearer as someone alienated from our casual, one-size-fits-all society.

(thoughts...?)

Agreed. Back in olden days men use to wear Fedoras and similar hats on a daily basis. However, when I do the same today I get odd looks and whispers. People see the hat and tie and ask if I have a meeting or some formal event I am going to. I tell them no, style doesn't need an excuse. I just wish there was more of it today so people wouldn't immediately jump to preconceived conclusions about a different style of clothing, especially when it looks good.
Billy

 

[Fletch]

That's Iowa for ya (I grew up there). Pragmatic to a fault, and deeply uneasy with anything approaching show or display. Unfortunately that tends to extend to style. (I notice your avatar looks a little shamefaced, kind of like a defendant photographed outside a courtroom...?)

Eric:

I'm thinking you may not find much published material to help you with hat symbolism. (The academic word is "semiotics," the study of signs.)

Men's clothing is mostly not of interest to pop culture scholars unless it is very obviously connected with fashion or sexual identity. Women, and their designers, get the scrutiny.

You might do a dissertation or thesis search (ask a teacher/prof how). Maybe even put some pictures of men in hats together and take an informal survey. "Who is he? What does he do? What is his personality?" etc.

 

[haglunde]

Agreed. Back in olden days men use to wear Fedoras and similar hats on a daily basis. However, when I do the same today I get odd looks and whispers. People see the hat and tie and ask if I have a meeting or some formal event I am going to. I tell them no, style doesn't need an excuse. I just wish there was more of it today so people wouldn't immediately jump to preconceived conclusions about a different style of clothing, especially when it looks good.
Billy

You guys are great, thanks for the interest, it's much appreciated. Let me clarify a bit, my paper is a short one for a college Popular Culture class. The iconic significance I'm looking for is for the period of the 40's. When Thunder says men wore fedoras on a daily basis, the answer I'm looking for is WHY? What did the fedora signify about the man wearing it? I think the creases I read about here would also further specify the image a man was going for?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[haglunde]

Dont know if this is what you are after, but here are some links.
Hope they help you out..

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/117987.html

http://www.balloonhat.com/interviews/03.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?An-Introduction-To-Hats&id=278411

Thanks for these. I googled hat fashion style culture icon for hours yesterday and that first article never hit the radar, it's a good one- thank you.

Eric

 

[Fletch]

Let's go the movies

Richard Widmark as a creepy hit man (Kiss of Death, 1947).
His hat has a wide brim, so he's kind of a "cowboy" or "shady" type. It has a short crown and looks a little too big for him, which hints at a head that's a little under-developed, misshapen. Along with the dark striped shirt and shiny tie, it suggests a self-centered urban savage.

Joseph Cotten as a writer and Orson Welles as his underworld pal (The Third Man, 1949).
Cotten is more or less the average guy, unpretentious, caught up in an intrigue he isn't ready for, but world-weary. His lid is a nice conservative color and shape, with a good wide brim to protect him from whatever might fall.
Welles, a crafty crook with a jaded black humor, wears an imposing black Homburg, associated with big important men in politics and business. But he wears it jauntily, with a sense of self-parody. It hints at his irreverence, both for himself and for society.

Jimmy Stewart as good-guy-next-door George Bailey (It's A Wonderful Life, 1946).
Stewart wore a hat as well as any actor of that day. Here he wears it high and a little back, in a jaunty way that emphasizes his easy and laid-back nature. It's a nondescript hat, just dark and not too wide-brimmed.

Stewart as Detective Johnny Ferguson (Vertigo, 1958).
The same man, the same hat, in deadly earnest this time. Serious and elegant.

More to come.

 

[ideaguy]

haglunde- a few more thoughts on research- costume design, millinary design and history ( lot of books on millinary-women's hats), look to Gentleman's Quarterly, Esquire; those two pubs. have been around awhile and do address some good topics; see if there is anything in "Classic Style"- our founder's own new magazine!!
when looking at the Fedora as an icon, it must be placed within a socio/cultural
framework and compared to another time period with comparable values/mores/etc. to get the impact of the hat as an active participant in an
exchange of signifigance (sic.) Maybe find the first instances of the Fedora in mass performance and trace along with the economic trends who wore what- Homburg=Banker, country Fedora as off-shoot of working farm/range hat-
I KNOW there's tons of stuff out there dealing with the very subject-do an author search on clothing design/history in America...all else fails, I know a guy...

good luck M

 

[Art Fawcett]

Haglunde, the answer might be a very simple one. We are all "herd" type social creatures that like to fit in with the rest of our species and in the 1940's social etiquite dictated that a hat be worn when appearing in public much as a woman was to wear gloves to be considered properly dressed. That being said, what we had as choices to be "different" were our neckties and the way we wore our hat. A hat sitting back on our head usually signified a younger, rebel type personality, brim flipped up also younger, hipster, carefree, musician, Flat across the brow was usually business type, homburg DEFINITELY business or semi formal, derby/bowler was worn by most "clerk" type occupations. Brim turned way down in front could be seen as hiding something or mystery, but equally hip.

Everything is in the social context. Since the 60s gen that rebelled against everything "establishment" (the gen I belong to) social norms were changed, thus the "anti" hat attitude.

This an overly simple answer to be sure that you will have to elaborate on, but it's a start. I believe that today there is a whole group of people that first, like the traditional, second, WANT to be different ( different is much more interesting), and are old enough to not care about what others say. There is another thread about the "dumbest comments" heard about hats, but I for one never hear them. I don't know if I just don't care to listen so I don't hear, or my brain won't process them as a slight because I don't care what others thoughts are on my style, but there it is.
Good luck with the project and stick around a while here, you might find yourself enjoying it.
Welcome to the Lounge

 

[deanglen]

Richard Widmark as a creepy hit man (Kiss of Death, 1947).
His hat has a wide brim, so he's kind of a "cowboy" or "shady" type. It has a short crown and looks a little too big for him, which hints at a head that's a little under-developed, misshapen. Along with the dark striped shirt and shiny tie, it suggests a self-centered urban savage.

Joseph Cotten as a writer and Orson Welles as his underworld pal (The Third Man, 1949).
Cotten is more or less the average guy, unpretentious, caught up in an intrigue he isn't ready for, but world-weary. His lid is a nice conservative color and shape, with a good wide brim to protect him from whatever might fall.
Welles, a crafty crook with a jaded black humor, wears an imposing black Homburg, associated with big important men in politics and business. But he wears it jauntily, with a sense of self-parody. It hints at his irreverence, both for himself and for society.

Jimmy Stewart as good-guy-next-door George Bailey (It's A Wonderful Life, 1946).
Stewart wore a hat as well as any actor of that day. Here he wears it high and a little back, in a jaunty way that emphasizes his easy and laid-back nature. It's a nondescript hat, just dark and not too wide-brimmed.

Stewart as Detective Johnny Ferguson (Vertigo, 1958).
The same man, the same hat, in deadly earnest this time. Serious and elegant.

More to come.

Terrific analysis of the costume use of hat, Fletch! Feel free ot post more, they're fascinating, really!!

dean

 

[nulty]

Personally, I think we make too much of the meaning behind hat wearing. I come from a long line of fedora wearers and except for me and a few abstainers, all of the kinder from those earlier generations have spawned baseball hat wearers.

Putting something on ones head to protect it from whatever flotsam may fall upon it is an ancient habit. Like all aspects of human social behavior it eventually evolved into something relating to a class structure. Over the years the hat became part of ones daily dress. There were types of hats for all economic strati..I'm of the belief there were probably alot of guys who hated wearing a hat and some who saw it as the crowing touch to personal style.

The thing I do like about hats in the 30-40's after the depression, there were enough hats and styles so that no matter who you were or what you did for a living there was a hat you could probably afford and hang onto for awhile. And as longas you had one on your head it said something about you......

 

[ideaguy]

hagalunde: HOWS IT GOING??? Very interested in the progress of your
paper, and I for one fully expect a copy! I do place some serious signifigance
in the iconology of modern dress trends, especially since the early '60s , and
would be quite pleased to read what you've come up with, so keep up
the work and keep us apprised as to the development of things.
Thanks M

 

[griffer]

You might want to bring in JFK; he killed the hat in America. He was the first president to buck tradition and appear without a hat.

He campaigned hatless; possibly calculated to capture the young vote.

And don't forget, Indiana. Thanks to Indiana, the fedora is being returned from the clutches of goons and returned to the hands of Bogart, Stewart, and Grant.

I am nursing a pet theory of a resurgence of proud masculinity. Not slobbering chauvinism, but a reaction to the sniveling, apologetic androgyny inflicted by the guilt of the cult of the raping pahllus.

I see the ethos in the rockabilly scene, the mods, and in society in general.

My best friend is leaving his career as a 'salon stylist' to open a men's barbershop. Sorry girls, he just isn't going to tailor to your needs, or treat men like women.

Razor shaves, barber cuts, tonics and pomades. Retro furnishings and a barber pole. Best old fashioned fade!

Any NJ/Del Valley guys want to know more? Shoot me a PM and I'll fill you in.

Remember, only emo/hippies get 'hat head'!

 

[Slicksuit]

You might want to bring in JFK; he killed the hat in America. He was the first president to buck tradition and appear without a hat.

He campaigned hatless; possibly calculated to capture the young vote.

I am nursing a pet theory of a resurgence of proud masculinity. Not slobbering chauvinism, but a reaction to the sniveling, apologetic androgyny inflicted by the guilt of the cult of the raping pahllus.

Good points that I agree with, but some caveats-
First, I agree with the book "Hatless Jack" that perhaps JFK was following the social norm of rising hatlessness in the 1960's. Statistics show that hat sales were on a downward decline from the 1930's onward, much to the dismay of the hatmakers. Combined with the '60's counterculture, lower roof angles in cars, the growth of suburban living (thus less use of public transportation),and later, the rise of everyday convenience and democratization...the hat just fell out of popularity.

Secondly, I've noticed as well the 'resurgence of proud masculinity'. Not the chest-beating, mountain-man touted by those "new masculinity rediscovered" types, but a simple recognition that men and women have positive differences and specializations. Notice how metrosexuality has been in the decline. I think that we men have got the idea over the last few years that personal grooming is indeed necessary, but can be taken to extremes. Women have always had an appreciation for a certain ruggedness in men. Hell, George Clooney was this year's "Sexiest man alive", a man who many agree would be a modern equivalent to a Carey Grant or similar Golden Era movie star.

 

[deanglen]

Helpful thread with good info

You might want to check this thread.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=2782&page=3&highlight=shellac

dean

 

[haglunde]

Ideaguy, thanks for asking. The info from this board has been very helpful. I'm under the gun to get this paper done along with a bunch of other end of semester stuff plus living through an IT reorg at work.

I think this paper will not be a revelation to you folks but I'd be happy to share when I'm done!

Thanks again,
Eric

 

[Fletch]

Secondly, I've noticed as well the 'resurgence of proud masculinity'. Not the chest-beating, mountain-man touted by those "new masculinity rediscovered" types, but a simple recognition that men and women have positive differences and specializations.

From what I've read, though, I have to wonder how much of that is a sincere appreciation of human diversity vs. how much is a rearguard action in the culture wars - a try at re-stratifying sex roles and rehabilitating the 1950s "organization man" and the military-industrial complex he was a part of.

Women have always had an appreciation for a certain ruggedness in men. Hell, George Clooney was this year's "Sexiest man alive", a man who many agree would be a modern equivalent to a Carey Grant or similar Golden Era movie star.

I'm not getting the Grant/ruggedness connection. IMO, Cary was a metro before there was such a thing.

 

[ideaguy]

Now we're getting somewhere-but let's not lose the blood-scent of the hat-
gotta squeeze that in to make all the rest come to life. Ah, I detect the
distinct aroma of academia amidst the damp felt around here.
I can't catch the revisionist curve being thrown-are the concerns about the
re-introduction of the hat into common culture crossing with the celluloid
stereo-typing of the "How to Succeed in Business" type-the iconographic
image of the hat itself has to be divorced from the romantic notion of the
wearer, examined in a different context, and then re-inserted into the cultural
soup. Tell me if I'm way off base here...