Fedora without a suit advice

[Zarniwoop]

I am a very proud owner of a Akubra Fedora (internationaly named Sydney, I think). I wear it nearly everyday to work. As I work in a design studio, there is no way I could come into the office wearing a suit. Are there any websites or pics of vintage style clothes that suit a Fedora without wearing a suit?

Thanks for your help.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

For a start just Google Bing Crosby for lots of examples.

 

[Ace Fedora]

For whatever it's worth, I do it all the time. I have one fedora that I wear with a shirt-tie combination, and another stingy brim that can go with either shirt-tie or something more casual.

Of course, even shirt-tie might be too close to a "suit" for your office. I work in IT, and just wearing a tie gets me some strange looks.

 

[Zarniwoop]

Of course, even shirt-tie might be too close to a "suit" for your office. I work in IT, and just wearing a tie gets me some strange looks.

Sounds about right for my office. Got any pics.

 

[Lefty]

Check out the "what hat are you wearing today" thread for plenty of photos of guys in hats, but not suits. I wear my hats with chinos, khakis, or jeans and a polo shirt or "dress" shirt when I'm not at work.

 

[Charlie Noodles]

I think the most important thing is just picking the right hat. That's where the focus will be. I prefer to wear jackets with mine, any kind really. To kind of fill the look out.

 

[Edward]

FWIW, I tend to find that a slightly narrower (think closer 2" than 3") brim fedora works very well with a cropped jacket - think A2, Highwayman, etc - worn over an open neck shirt and slacks. If you need to casualise further, a nice pair of dark, cuffed straight leg jeans gives it a rockabilly edge.

 

[Fletch]

Not too many Don'ts for What Not To Wear With A Fedora. Here are mine.

a) Anything with a hood. The potential usability conflict is glaringly obvious.
b) Collared polo shits. That note of scruffy preppy modernity somehow says "cap," not "hat."

See, wherever you have a Don't, you have to have a Why Not. Otherwise you're on a very slippery Sledd.

 

[Torpedo]

I agree that stingies go well with casual dress. I would add porkpies too, BTW.
Not that you can not wear these with dressier outfits too, of course you can.
Nor would I say categorically that wider brimmed hats do not go with casual dress. In the Golden Era people wore wide brimmed hats with short jackets and the like, too.
It depends.
If you feel like this is not much help, maybe it isn't... but for me it really depends on the whole ensemble - it the whole works, then go on with it.
And let's not forget everyone has his own sense of taste, which may or may not coincide with other people's. It has to work for you in the end.
Regards!

 

[stibbons]

Not too many Don'ts for What Not To Wear With A Fedora. Here are mine.

a) Anything with a hood. The potential usability conflict is glaringly obvious.

Heh, I was just about to write about my experience wearing a hat with hoodies on a somewhat regular basis this winter. It feels a little bit odd, for exactly the reason you describe. But I kind of like the way it looks, and having the extra weight around the neck can be useful in chilly weather.

b) Collared polo shits. That note of scruffy preppy modernity somehow says "cap," not "hat."

I'm not too sure I agree with this one, either. Collared polo shirts under akubras is a fairly popular look in the rural Australian town I grew up in. Then again, a lot of those shirts also have popped collars, which is a cardinal sin in my book.

I'm also an IT worker in a moderately casual environment. My longer-brimmed hat (an Akubra International) works just fine with an open collared shirt and jeans.

 

[kaosharper1]

I have a Sydney and just center creased it without dents and it went with everything. I've since turned it into a wide brimmed porkpie and it still goes with everything. So I think you could wear it with just about anything.

 

[jpbales]

question

I'm a college student and I'm used to "t-shirt and jeans" for everyday wear, do you think it's possible to pull off the t-shirt and jeans with a nice hat? Here's an example pic, khaki cargos in place of jeans:

opinions?

 

[Matt Deckard]

I think t-shirt and jeans work if it's more of a work-wear look. White t-shirt or striped might do with a wider jeans legs and boots. Though with sneakers and a logo "T" I just think it looks off.

 

[jkingrph]

About the only thing I have not worn mine with is shorts. For work I never wear a suit, out of place in a hospital pharmacy. I generally wear a shirt and tie, and in cooler weather a sport coat too and from car, of course with my hat, not always a fedora.

Bottom line is wear it with whatever styles you find comfortable, you will get so used too it that it becomes second nature.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Seems an odd question, coming from Oz. It's 'cause I have so often seen a fella' wearing a short sleeve camp shirt, shorts and hiking boots topped by a wide brimmed Akubra and you can't get more casual than that. From here it seems like the National uniform. It is a great look but, short of being halfway up a mountain, down here you just couldn't get away with it.

That said, I have not until recently even owned a proper jacket, much less a suit. I like to aim for the 3o's-4o's "everyman" working-class Tom Joad look. (Good thing too, seeing where the economy is headed, I'll be in front of the curve!) I pair fedoras with "Dockers" type pants, laced work boots and a workshirt often with a thin-ribboned OR/Stratoliner or its' ilk. Quite casual but I think it works for me. 'sides I always feel like a little boy (of 48 yrs.) dressed in his Pops' wardrobe when I am in a suit, just not my style.

 

[ortega76]

A shorter brim, casual fedora works great with jeans, khakis or the like. Polo/golf shirts are okay but I prefer short-sleeve camp shirts, "Dickies" style work shirts and the like. Open collar shirts with no tie work great. Even with a sweatshirt, you can rock the look. Check out my man Joey Pants.

Nice lid with a hoodie and tee. Looks bohemian to some, sloppy to others. I must confess, I was rocking a grey stingy brim with a black hoodie this afternoon.

For a retro look, I love this shot from "Devil In A Blue Dress" with Denzel in a great porkpie.

 

[BobC]

I wear my hats with whatever I want, sometimes with carpenter jean shorts and a t-shirt, sometimes with dress pants and a shirt and tie, sometimes with a suit (though not very often as I usually only wear suits to weddings and funerals and I don't necessarily enjoy either). The bottom line is that I wear hats because I like them and I like wearing them. Most often, I am the only one wearing a fedora while everyone else wears baseball caps or no hat at all, but I wear them for me, not for anyone else.

 

[Naphtali]

I last wore a suit on July 14, 1991, my wedding day. I own no suit and but one "beater" sport coat.

My mirror informs me that A-2-style jackets -- they need not be heavy weight -- à la Howard Hughes looks appropriate, normal in the world.

My initial thought was you need not pay attention to fashion. Do what you want; the world will follow you!

 

[Fletch]

Nice lid with a hoodie and tee. Looks bohemian to some, sloppy to others. I must confess, I was rocking a grey stingy brim with a black hoodie this afternoon.

It works. (There's an exception to every rule.)

I think it's because of the thin weight of the hoodie. It's obviously not a super-functional piece of workout wear.

Overall vibe is "New York jazz musician." The vandyke is key, the specs very much help.

 

[dhermann1]

On the other hand . . .

You say there's no way you could go to work in a suit. Are you saying that even a jacket and tie would elicit howls of derision? Stand up to the philistines! Wear what ever you want. My father worked in a design studio (albeit in 1947) and wore a suit to work every day. Didn't seem to impede his effectiveness.
Aside from that, I would agree with everyone here. Do what seems comfortable to you. A fedora can go with virtually any style of dress. If you get any "adverse" reactions, do what you have to do.