Do any of you guys follow any type of hat etiquette?

[HamilcarBarca3]

Just wonderin'. In the Army we always took our headwear off when stepping inside buildings and it's something I continue to this day. The only time I leave my hat on is inside my house.

What about you guys? Leave your hat on indoors or do you take it off at certain places and events?

 

[g.durand]

These days I don't think there are any hard and fast rules. I wear my hats inside my house from time to time and take hat photos in my office to post to the Lounge, but I generally don't keep it on indoors. At work I'll wear a hat until I get to my office or put it on in the lobby of the building as I'm headed out. I was raised in Louisiana and Texas at a time when most men still wore hats, and all the men I was around, mostly rural dwellers, took their hats off indoors. I recently saw a film that was released last year but was set in the late '40s, and there are several scenes inside buildings where the men are carrying their hats. I have this feeling that I'm being rude by wearing a hat indoors. It's just my upbringing, I guess. Times have changed, though, and since hat wearing men are not as common, the old rules may have fallen away. There is an entire thread devoted to hat etiquette, with some interesting and varied takes on the subject.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?894-All-You-Need-to-Know-About-Hat-Etiquette

 

[Rogera]

I always try to take my hat off when we are out and sitting down to dinner (if there is somewhere safe to put it).

 

[Matt Crunk]

There is such thing as hat etiquette, and it still applies today. Unfortunately these days most people will hardly notice, or know, what's proper.

I think generally it's ok to wear a hat indoors in public areas, such as hallways and lobbies, but it's polite to remove it when entering a private office, or sitting down to eat anywhere but a lunch counter. Seems like one of the bartenders has posted the rules of hat etiquette before.

 

[jskeen]

I think that modern civilian hat etiquette is indeed much looser than it was in past times when everybody wore one, and an individual who went against the grain stood out more for being incorrect in his hat wear than for his hat at all. I don't feel that one needs to be self conscious if they forget to remove their hat when entering the lobby of a restaurant as opposed to when they are seated.

However there are still a few hard and fast rules. A civilian should remove his hat if the US flag is passing in review, being raised or lowered, or while the national anthem is being rendered. A veteran is entitled, by recent federal law, to render a hand salute in these situations. The Department of the Navy seems to have neglected to notice this however, as at my last check most of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children are still unwilling to salute indoors or while uncovered. Most of us ex flyboys consider it a pretty cool idea, to differentiate us from the un-uniformed. Personally, I still refuse to consider a baseball cap a real cover, so if it don't have a brim all the way around, or a badge front and center above the bill, I would still hold it over my heart. YMMV of course.

James

 

[Tomasso]

There's a good size thread on this subject somewhere in the archives.

 

[Anthony Jordan]

I generally take mine off indoors, especially in ladies' shops, and on public transport - not always in my own car though. I also try to remember to doff it or at least touch the brim to acquaintances, although I often forget and revert to a wave or nod.

 

[job]

If you go by what a person wearing a baseball cap does than there is almost no etiquette left.

I know it differs from person to person and maybe place to place.
If you feel like you should remove it than you probably should.

 

[gtdean48]

I take mine off in somebody's house = court house, church, where somebody lives
I take mine off in somebody's office but not just the office building unless it is hot & I want the A/C to cool my noggin.
I take mine off sitting at a table to eat if there is a safe place to put it.
Usually leave it on in stores, malls, bars, etc. = common areas where I am passing thru or need my hands free....

 

[stevew443]

I leave my hat on in public areas of offices or while shopping. I do remove my hat when entering a restaurant. I also remove my hat when entering a private space such as an office. Elevators are somewhat iffy situations. If I am alone or only with men in an elevator, I leave the hat on. If a woman enters, I will remove my hat. If the elevator is crowded, I may remove my hat or I may leave it on, depending on how carrying my hat will disturb others. Since I also use a cane, removing my hat sometimes means that I do not have a free hand, so I will allow the situation to determine what I must do.

 

[RBH]

There's a good size thread on this subject somewhere in the archives.

The 10th thread down in the important hat thread sticky.

 

[David Conwill]

I think generally it's ok to wear a hat indoors in public areas, such as hallways and lobbies, but it's polite to remove it when entering a private office, or sitting down to eat anywhere but a lunch counter. Seems like one of the bartenders has posted the rules of hat etiquette before.

I recall the earlier thread, and that's about the best summary I've heard. It's definitely the rule I follow. I used to be in the "hatless anywhere indoors" camp due to my upbringing, but that's an extremely awkward rule to follow in most public spaces.

The other "rule" to follow was "your hat should never be an inconvenience to anyone", which covers situations like keeping it on in a crowded elevator despite the presence of ladies, etc. Also, former military folks may want to consider situations when you are carrying packages, etcetera, to be equivalent to "under arms".

 

[HudsonHawk]

Just wonderin'. In the Army we always took our headwear off when stepping inside buildings and it's something I continue to this day. The only time I leave my hat on is inside my house.

What about you guys? Leave your hat on indoors or do you take it off at certain places and events?

You take your hat off when you walk inside. That's just common manners. To wear a hat inside of someone's home or while at the table where people are eating or in church or in the office, or any number of places indoors, is simply rude and disrespectful. Period.

 

[Preacher Man]

You take your hat off when you walk inside. That's just common manners. To wear a hat inside of someone's home or while at the table where people are eating or in church or in the office, or any number of places indoors, is simply rude and disrespectful. Period.

I've got to agree! Being a preacher and a hat wearer, I don't keep my hat on when stepping inside someone's home, or in a hospital, funeral home, public building including restaurants. In every place except funeral homes and restaurants I can hold my hat when inside, in a funeral home I put it in the directors office out of the way, but my issue is with restaurants, there is usually nowhere to put a hat. I certainly don't want to sit at the table with it on, (here is where most cap wearers stand out), it's a problem sometimes finding a suitable, out of harms way place to put my hat while in a restaurant. Do any of you have the same trouble? When you do, what do you do with your hat?? I'd like to know what you do to be mannerly and show respect while at the same time protecting your hat.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I've got to agree! Being a preacher and a hat wearer, I don't keep my hat on when stepping inside someone's home, or in a hospital, funeral home, public building including restaurants. In every place except funeral homes and restaurants I can hold my hat when inside, in a funeral home I put it in the directors office out of the way, but my issue is with restaurants, there is usually nowhere to put a hat. I certainly don't want to sit at the table with it on, (here is where most cap wearers stand out), it's a problem sometimes finding a suitable, out of harms way place to put my hat while in a restaurant. Do any of you have the same trouble? When you do, what do you do with your hat?? I'd like to know what you do to be mannerly and show respect while at the same time protecting your hat.

I agree that restaurants seem to be the biggest stumbling block for civilization. Very few have a hat rack or other place to put your hat. I have seen some gents using a table hook, similar to the type ladies use to hang their purse. I actually have one I use in my office. But I'm not sure where they carry it when going out. As for me, if there is not a place to hang my hat, I will ask for an additional chair and simply place my hat in the seat next to me.

Some will say it's appropriate to leave your hat on as a sign of your disapproval for there being a lack of hat storage. I've never been one to believe it's ok to be rude simply because one can or in retaliation for another's rudeness.

 

[gtdean48]

.... As for me, if there is not a place to hang my hat, I will ask for an additional chair and simply place my hat in the seat next to me.
...

+1...if none is available, I'll ask for an extra napkin, open it on the floor under my chair & place my hat on top of it.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

You take your hat off when you walk inside.

So what, exactly, is inside? Is it any place with a roof overhead? Take these examples, and tell me which you think of as being "inside":
- A subway station ("tube" or "underground" for some readers)?
- The lobby of a large office building?
- An elevator in an office building?
- A common hallway in an office building?
- In the Gents in an office building?
- In a shopping mall?
- On a train or bus?
- In a large department or discount store?

In my view, "inside" is largely defined by social intimacy, and not the presence or absence of a roof.

 

[David Conwill]

...I don't keep my hat on...in a...public building.

I’m really curious on this point. What about the post office? An airport terminal? The concourse of a shopping mall? The grocery store? Photographic evidence would indicate that all of the spaces were spots where men typically kept on their hats in the 1950s and earlier.

...my issue is with restaurants, there is usually nowhere to put a hat. I certainly don't want to sit at the table with it on, (here is where most cap wearers stand out), it's a problem sometimes finding a suitable, out of harms way place to put my hat while in a restaurant. Do any of you have the same trouble? When you do, what do you do with your hat?? I'd like to know what you do to be mannerly and show respect while at the same time protecting your hat.

My partners and I eat out for lunch daily, so I have this problem frequently. It’s ridiculous in a state where we must wear heavy coats from November to March or April that coat hooks aren’t more prevalent. In a casual restaurant lacking coat hooks, my feeling is that the lunch-counter rule applies if seating space is at a premium. Again, golden-era photographs do show men sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in diner and restaurant booths wearing their outerwear and hats.

In more upscale places I will put my hat on my knee or even upside down on the floor under my chair. But often I find this is more inconvenient to my dining companions than simply wearing it. You must use your discretion when balancing the comfort and convenience of your companions versus the image you project to the rest of the restaurant patrons.

 

[David Conwill]

In my view, "inside" is largely defined by social intimacy, and not the presence or absence of a roof.

Agreed. This was the point I was making above (you replied while I was composing).

 

[David Conwill]

Crowded table, 1930s.

Winnipeg Christmas Shoppers inside the Hudson Bay Company department store, 1940s.


Chicago Union Station, 1940s

There’s so much flexibility to “no hats indoors” that it becomes a useless rule. “No hats in intimate spaces” is a far more workable guideline.