Decline of hat wearing - What Makes a Man Wear a Hat? - Article

[DragonJade]

I just came across this BBC News article that talks about the decline of hat wearing and the more recent popularity of it. Thought some of you might be interested:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8074663.stm

 

[JPMcAdara]

I just came across this BBC News article that talks about the decline of hat wearing and the more recent popularity of it. Thought some of you might be interested:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8074663.stm

Interesting article. Thanks for this.

JP

 

[zetwal]

Here's an odd and problematic idea quoted from same -

Mr Swan says it is partly about personal style, but also "there's an element of a psychological safety blanket as well, the more you cover your head the more of a wall you build up from the rest of society".

 

[DragonJade]

Here's an odd and problematic idea quoted from same -

Mr Swan says it is partly about personal style, but also "there's an element of a psychological safety blanket as well, the more you cover your head the more of a wall you build up from the rest of society".

I think it might hark back to the caveman/woman in us, where we had a shelter over our heads instead of being out in the open and being exposed to the elements and fauna.

If you look at some baby cots and prams, they have the top section covered where the babies head goes. I think it just offers a sense of security.

 

[Trebuchet64_Fal]

Hmmmm , I'd never thought of wearing a hat as a security blanket .

 

[feltfan]

Here's an odd and problematic idea quoted from same -

Mr Swan says it is partly about personal style, but also "there's an element of a psychological safety blanket as well, the more you cover your head the more of a wall you build up from the rest of society".

It may say more about the speaker than it does about hats
or men in general. Doesn't resonate with me at all.

Otherwise, a decent article, I'd say.
Hats: another reason to hate cars and love public transit.

 

[katiemakeup]

"What makes a man wear a hat?" article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8074663.stm

Of course the status symbol angle and the decline to casual wear are the most prominent elements, but I never even thought of the popularity of the "motorcar" as a reason for the absence of a hat!

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Dragon Jade beat you to it with this thread on the same article...

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=41498

As for the car, I had heard it had to do a lot with the changing styles and lower roof lines. Simply not enough room for the hat. At least, that's what I had heard.

 

[HungaryTom]

Thanks for the article!

DragonJade,

I went a week ago to a nightout and one party lion an 7 feet tall ex-colleague of mine in his early 20s told that the stingy brim "does the dates on its own for him" whenewer he shows up in his stingy porkpies.
I gave my 20 years old cousin already 2 hats of mine - one dark brown rabbit fedora and one black Tonak stingy which looked very hip on him - like blues brothers. I just found that unworn hat in my parent's wardrobe.
I had similar experience wearing my VS fedora when I go out. Nicely made hats have the visual effect.
Hats classify the wearer even today as a hip or cool person or a gent with personality in the hatless mass. There are always ladies who notice it.

Tom

 

[Fletch]

Peter Howarth, the editor of the Sunday Telegraph's men's fashion magazine, says the decline of formality in menswear has led to the disappearance of the hat. [...] "Nowadays the expectation we have is that the things we wear will be comfortable.

We did that long ago. Now it's to the point of an anti-style statement. I believe nowadays people want to look comfortable, and to do so for others as well as themselves. Many of us want to avoid making others uncomfortable with formal styles, as if it's putting on airs.

Dressing lumpen-proletarian has become a way of cultivating an open and friendly image. I do it myself, altho I keep the components classic. Cargo shorts and wicking tees* are as cutting-edge as I get.

Mr Boucher believes we shouldn't be too quick to pronounce the death of the hat.

"The last three or four years we have seen our sales rise by about 30%," he says.

It would be good to find a similar figure from a US retailer. I'll bet it's not as high an increase - the trend is going to be diluted here.

Can some of our British lookers-in please define these hat types for us?
Gatsby cap
Baker boy
Bobble
Cuban

* "Wicking Tees" sounds like a place in England...sort of.

 

[billyspew]

Can some of our British lookers-in please define these hat types for us?
Gatsby cap
Baker boy
Bobble
Cuban

My under standing:

Gatsby - News boy
Baker boy - News boy with a longer peak
Bobble hat:

Cuban - Cheap panama

 

[dhermann1]

Nice article. And, an exception to the general rule, nothing egregiously stupid or silly in it, other than the 100,000 hats per week statistic. If true, then one company would have been making a new hat for every man in England every three years. (Figure 5,000,000 hats per year, no more than 10 or 15 million male hat wearers in England.). I suspect that number is off by a factor of 10, which still leaves a huge number of hats being sold by one company.

 

[jimmy the lid]

"Wicking Tees" sounds like a place in England...sort of.

Either that, or an obscure technique under the rules of Tournament Croquet...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Luke 42]

Baker boy= News Boy/Eight panel cap Not sure about the others..

 

[MisterCairo]

Chaps like this may will help keep the tradition alive:



"I lament the demise of the hat. I often wear more formal hats depending on the weather and situation. I started off with a Panama about 5-6 years ago and have slowly been building up my collection ever since. I was bought a beautiful fur felt Trilby about a year ago which was recently joined by a Bowler, which I love to wear in the colder months. I also have a couple of Stetsons and a (rather stereotypical) Red Army Cossack. I'm 28 years old and think the look of a young(ish) man in a hat often inspires people to say a friendly hello in the street."
James Mullaney, Durham

 

[DragonJade]

Dragon Jade beat you to it with this thread on the same article...

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=41498

:eusa_doh: Sorry about that.

 

[Rule17]

I didn't like the article at all: I thought it was flimsy with obvious holes.

The motorcar as an argument for the decline in hat wearing? We don't need hats to shield us from the element anymore because we're either indoors or in a car? Have umbrella sales similarly declined?

And hats being "formal" is simply a daft observation. There are as many different types of hat as types of shirt.

Some of you here dress impeccably to suit your hats but I'm all about the comfort, myself, and dress casually. That doesn't stop me wearing a hat and none of my hats is uncomfortable.

Still, I like the figures on a 30% increase in sales. More power to the brotherhood of the hat

 

[immortaldiamond]

conformity

Hats were a sign of conformity so were thrown away in the 60s when people started to resent authority in all areas of life. Now they are a sign of non-conformity, so young people are wearing them to the bemusement of their parents. It's all cycles ...

 

[Felt and Straw]

Interesting

 

[LordBest]

A quick google of the company name and I found an article with the same claim of 100,000 hats a week:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/old-hat-why-the-heady-days-are-over-495010.html

Nice article. And, an exception to the general rule, nothing egregiously stupid or silly in it, other than the 100,000 hats per week statistic. If true, then one company would have been making a new hat for every man in England every three years. (Figure 5,000,000 hats per year, no more than 10 or 15 million male hat wearers in England.). I suspect that number is off by a factor of 10, which still leaves a huge number of hats being sold by one company.