decoding the looks

[danofarlington]

How do you tell whether people like your hat or not? Suppose no speaking were allowed--no one could make a positive or negative comment. How do know in that case--most of the time I would argue--what the verdict is on your hat? I think of it this way: When I see a hat on the street I think is ugly, dumb or just doesn't work, I quickly look away so as not to embarrass the wearer with a stare. On the other hand, when I see a hat I like, or worse, see one that I wish I had myself, I give it a long look, a very long look. So, if I see people on the street or in the subway giving me a look look when wearing a hat, I infer it is complimentary. What do you think?

 

[Sam Craig]

I'm between 55 and 60
I'm between overweight and too overweight
I'm bent from 30-plus years typing for a daily newspaper
I drive a 27-year-old Chrysler
I'm gonna worry about whether someone is staring at my hat?
My Hat?
MY HAT????
For crying out loud!
My hat is the one thing that looks good when I leave the house!
If only the rest of me looked as good as the hat!

Whew ... I'm glad to get that off my mind.
Thanks,

Sam

 

[LocktownDog]

Yeah ... what he said.

 

[scottyrocks]

I hadnt given it too much thought up until about a minute ago, but I guess I can tell if someone likes my hat when Im complimented on it which happens every so often.

Being a hat wearer myself, I dont make any sort of big deal when I see a guy with a fedora on. I also dont wave at other bikers when I ride.

 

[hatophile]

I hadnt given it too much thought up until about a minute ago, but I guess I can tell if someone likes my hat when Im complimented on it which happens every so often.

Being a hat wearer myself, I dont make any sort of big deal when I see a guy with a fedora on. I also dont wave at other bikers when I ride.

Pretty much the same for me, I really don't think about it that much. I will say, I was in North Station in Boston a few years ago wearing a fedora (surprisingly not that many fedora wearers in Boston) when another gentleman passed by wearing a very nice fur felt. We gave each other a polite nod--- as if to say "nice hat".

 

[Mulceber]

Best, imo, is to not even worry about what they think. If they say something nice, thank them and smile. If they say something mean, ignore them. Otherwise, go about your business and enjoy your hat. Life's too short to be spent second-guessing people's opinions of you. -M

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

I usually expect that the long looks I get from folks on the street will more often be of the "hey, that's odd, that guy's wearing a fedora" variety.

When they give a slight smile as I am passing, that usually means they sort of like the idea. Or at least are amused enough not to dislike it.

When they give a confused look as I pass then they aren't sure if they like it... heck they aren't even sure anyone has such a hat anymore.

Then there's the point-and-nudgers when they elbow their companion and as much as say 'look at THAT guy!!"

Finally there's the outloud commenters and those are almost always nice enough. "Hey, nice hat," or "Hey Capone! Cool hat" Like that.

Still, if I really cared what other people think of me, I'd dress, talk, and act like the cattle around me. And THAT I won't do!

 

[bolthead]

LMAO @ Sam.

 

[Mr Vim]

I might as well post here, I think the hat works best, and thus receives the best looks when it completes the silhouette. My friend, a local Juneau artist, introduced me to the concept of drawing from the line of a figure, she skteched me from line while dressed to the nines and I could see how my natural body line was complimented by the line of the brim of the hat, which worked off the line of the shoulders on my suit. I'm not sure if what I think is accurate or not, but well there you have it.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

Interesting points, Mr. Vim. But now I have to ask... do you ask the ladies yo to see your etchings?

 

[jlee562]

People can look all they want. But the thing about living in San Francisco is that you're never the person with the weirdest outfit on.

 

[danofarlington]

I might as well post here, I think the hat works best, and thus receives the best looks when it completes the silhouette. My friend, a local Juneau artist, introduced me to the concept of drawing from the line of a figure, she skteched me from line while dressed to the nines and I could see how my natural body line was complimented by the line of the brim of the hat, which worked off the line of the shoulders on my suit. I'm not sure if what I think is accurate or not, but well there you have it.

I agree with the silhouette concept. Actually, that type of thinking was a major inspiration some years back for me to wear hats in the first place. I had bought at Target a framed print by a Scottish artist named Jack Vettriano of four guys in wide-brimmed hats walking along a beach, in a drawing similar to silhouette, although it's not a silhouette. It's great. Later on I bought a wall calendar of paintings by Vettriano, and they were all Panama hat pictures of guys on what looked like the 1940s Boardwalk. Below is an Internet page of some of his drawings. The one I'm talking about is called "Billy Boys," most of the way down on the page, on the right. I dare anyone on this forum to say you don't like that one.

http://posteropia.com/category/popu...iano/page/3/?gclid=CO_Q5saiuqUCFcTb4Aodr0MLXw

 

[hatophile]

I agree with the silhouette concept. Actually, that type of thinking was a major inspiration some years back for me to wear hats in the first place. I had bought a framed print at Target of a Scottish artist named Jack Vettriano of four guys in wide-brimmed hats walking along a beach, in a drawing similar to silhouette, although it's not a silhouette. It's great. Later on I bought a wall calendar of paintings by Vettriano, and they were all Panama hat pictures of guys on what looked like the 1940s Boardwalk. Below is an Internet page of some of his drawings. The one I'm talking about is called "Billy Boys," most of the way down on the page, on the right. I dare anyone on this forum to say you don't like that one.

http://posteropia.com/category/popu...iano/page/3/?gclid=CO_Q5saiuqUCFcTb4Aodr0MLXw

I've seen those in stores, cool paintings, not your usual bathing suit-clad beach goer scenes.

 

[hatophile]

By the way, the "Temptress" one is kind of interesting, too!

 

[Tomasso]

It's mainly at the stores, in the magazines and on the FLounge where I take a good long hard look at mens clothing and accessories. IRL I'm usually too preoccupied with drinking in the women I see to even notice what men are wearing.For instance, when I walk into a Black Tie event it looks, to me, like a room full of women. [huh]

 

[danofarlington]

I agree with the silhouette concept. Actually, that type of thinking was a major inspiration some years back for me to wear hats in the first place. I had bought at Target a framed print by a Scottish artist named Jack Vettriano of four guys in wide-brimmed hats walking along a beach, in a drawing similar to silhouette, although it's not a silhouette. It's great. Later on I bought a wall calendar of paintings by Vettriano, and they were all Panama hat pictures of guys on what looked like the 1940s Boardwalk. Below is an Internet page of some of his drawings. The one I'm talking about is called "Billy Boys," most of the way down on the page, on the right. I dare anyone on this forum to say you don't like that one.

http://posteropia.com/category/popu...iano/page/3/?gclid=CO_Q5saiuqUCFcTb4Aodr0MLXw

I just re-tried that link and it didn't work. In case it doesn't, here's another. The one I'm talking about, "The Billy Boys," is on the second row, far left.

http://www.prints.com/art.php/Jack_Vettriano/?artist_id=2186&page=2-99-0--

 

[danofarlington]

By the way, the "Temptress" one is kind of interesting, too!

I didn't realize that he paints a lot of attractive ladies until I looked at his Internet entries just now. He's got a bunch of interesting ones.

Now that I think of it, someone ought to contact Jack Vettriano to ask him to write in to the forum and say what are the hats he wears.

 

[Sam Craig]

MV ...

I have a number of cousins in the Chicago area, while I live in one small Kansas town, and when our grandmother died in another small Kansas town on the other side of the state, we all met at her funeral and spent the day together.
I wore a double-brested wool suit and a gray, 1940s vintage Knox 20 dress hat.
My cousins joked that I looked a lot more like I came from Chicago than they did.
I explained that when you come from small-town Kansas, you HAVE to look more like Chicago, than you do if you are FROM Chicago!

Sam

 

[thor]

I agree with jlee562; living in a big city (he in S.F. and I in NYC) there are certainly no shortage of uniquely outfitted individuals. I see young hipsters wearing "stylish" wool knit hats in summer and the "I hate hat" crowd strolling around in sub-zero winter weather completely bare-headed. It takes ALOT to get a double-take from a New Yorker!

 

[JimWagner]

No offense intended to anyone, but I think that once you get over being self conscious wearing a hat you don't notice that anyone looks at you in your hat any more than you notice them looking at you when you aren't wearing one.