Hairstyles and Fedoras

[abduktedtemplar]

So in deciding to once again rock the fedora I've run into a problem...my hair. I've searched and searched but I haven't run across anybody's thoughts on hairstyles and fedoras. I like my hair long i had it pretty rock and roll but not sure how its going to work with the vintage suit I bought and the new look i want. I'm not giving up the jeans and tee by any means but i want to class it up with more button ups and of course the FED. Any thoughts on style and length? Do's and Don'ts? Oh and if your gonna try medium length hair in a fed i know from experience that after a few hours you get serious dent head...not very flattering I discovered lol.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Hey, ab'.

Yeah, I've done the long hair bit - even wore fedoras occasionally with it. I know what you mean about the two not mixing.

These days the hats - and the vibe of the '40s - are more important to me than long hair. Plus I've discovered I like the 'longer-on-top-with-short-sides-look'. And so, it seems, do the goils!

Here's a link to photos of my hair style. http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/harpplayergene/Haircut/
The last pix in the series show the shaggiest I allow it to get these days, and the first several are how I like to keep it when I stay on top of getting it cut.

If I had real occasion to dress in suits or ties, I'd have fun with that, but as it is I live in a very casual environment, so jeans, Ts and button-ups with my fedoras seem just fine in my book.

G'luck nailing down your new look. It's only hair. It's not like lopping off fingers...

 

[Sepe]

Whether or not long hair and a hat matches depends on what kind of a hat, what kind of hair and also what you're looking for. If you're going for that rock-n-rollish style, a short-brimmed fedora or a newsboy cap could look terrific. At least the newsie cap, just look at Brian Johnson. Then again, I propably wouldn't go as far as "long-haired" on him. Kinda depends who you compare with.

What I can guarantee you is that a 20cm mohawk, even ponytailed (wouldn't be that easy to put a hat on if spiked, now would it), is not exactly comfortable. So if you're going to wear long hair, don't tie it up.

Personally I've returned to short hair recently, after a few years of longer and also the said mohawk. Short by the sides and back (still long enough to be combed wherever I want it to go) and longer at the top. A classic. Then again, being blonde and curly, the long hair didn't look too good.

EDIT: An yeah, jeans and tees are good with a fedora, at least when paired with a blazer or suit jacket. Pretty much my everyday wear these days in the hoodie-filled environment.

 

[Hat Head]

Thinning hair = shaved head = true need for hat!

One of the reasons I feel that I can get away with wearing hats every day without people considering me a hat "nut" is that I shave my head completely bald.

My hair has been thinning in the front/top area for a while, and shaving it was my solution.

For those of you who have never worn your hair buzzed down or completely shaven, you cannot under-estimate how quickly your head can get sunburned in warm months, and how quickly you lose all body heat through your head in colder months.

 

[bolthead]

So true H.H.....

One of the reasons I feel that I can get away with wearing hats every day without people considering me a hat "nut" is that I shave my head completely bald.

My hair has been thinning in the front/top area for a while, and shaving it was my solution.

For those of you who have never worn your hair buzzed down or completely shaven, you cannot under-estimate how quickly your head can get sunburned in warm months, and how quickly you lose all body heat through your head in colder months.

The only thing I have to worry about, as far as "Hat Head", is the red mark, occasionally that the sweatband might make. [huh]

 

[jazzncocktails]

Hair Pomade, Anyone?

My hair remains short, although I do find that I've lost the part and my cowlick is often more pronounced after wearing the fedora for a bit. Haven't solved that problem, yet.

However, I do recall reading the article at the link below on the New York Times website not long ago. They focus on the look of men's hairstyles in the tv drama "Mad Men," which takes place in the late 50s/early 60s. Certainly later than the Golden Age that much of this site focuses on...but reading these brought back George Clooney's obsession with hair pomade in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

I don't know what hair product will do to hats, though...might this be one reason they were lined to begin with (?).

In any case, here is the link:

"Getting 'Mad Men' Hair"

 

[Not-Bogart13]

The way I see it, there are two choices;
1) Shorten your hair slowly (to avoid the shock) until you end up with short hair. If you hate hat-head as much as I do, this is the best option.
2) Become one of those guys who combs his hair all the time. You'll have to do it every time you take off you hat if you have long or full hair.

If you can tolerate the hat-head (or the constant grooming), long hair looks fine with a fedora.

 

[Dewhurst]

When I first started wearing hats full time a number of years back I just told myself, "It's either gonna be hats or hair."

You'll notice that people used to wear TONS of cream, etc., in their hair that keeps the hair malleable over long stretches of time and allows combing to be super effective after a hat has been doffed.

Many times hairstyles accommodated hats as well.

 

[retro50]

BALD

 

[Rider]

I have my hair neatly groomed into a male pattern baldness style. You'll get no help from me. lol

 

[Brinybay]

Holding Gel Grip Tight (Medium Control) by Redken For Men & Aerogel Styling Spray by TRI Professional Haircare

No old-school charm whatsoever, but the watery Redken gel performed well, allowing me to pass a comb through to devastating effect. The hair spray seemed superfluous, but an hour later I was a believer. Insta-Draper! A little crunchy but still perfectly in place and virtually shellacked. Best of all, unlike some of the retro products I tested, this combo left my hair dry and not at all greasy (or flammable).

With my coif sorted, now all I need to do is pour myself a dozen old fashioneds, spark some smokes and wait for Halloween — because my hair isn’t going anywhere.

Yeah, but, what does his hair look like after he takes his hat off? I've haven't been watching "Mad Men", I don't get AMC, so I don't know if he wears a hat or not.

Personaly, I don't like the 60s look anyway, much prefer 20s-40s. However, I would probably enjoy Mad Men because my pre-adolescent and teen years were during that period. Yeah, yeah, I know, if you remember the 60s, you weren't there.

 

[B. F. Socaspi]

My hair's been everywhere (formative years in the punk/hardcore scene), but right now I have it short on the sides with some length to the top, and I pomade it to no end. Since my fedora's replacable, I ignore its effects on the liner. Incidentally, the liner is white and it has, as of yet, just a few discolorations.

 

[Gilgamark]

#2 clippers buzz the sides right off. I keep the top a little longer (but not much) and pulled straight forward. More or less a George Clooney cut from the 90's, according to my wife. When I take my hat off, I just run my hand through the top, a quick swipe back and then to the front. Hat head disappears.

 

[feltfan]

I have my hair neatly groomed into a male pattern baldness style. You'll get no help from me. lol

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I get the Terry Bradshaw haircut from my barber....

 

[jazzncocktails]

Mad Men: No Hat Hair (Why? No Hats.)

Yeah, but, what does his hair look like after he takes his hat off? I've haven't been watching "Mad Men", I don't get AMC, so I don't know if he wears a hat or not.

The first season takes place in '59 or '60, if I recall correctly (bought the boxed set after that season was completed), and the second season--which I haven't seen yet--takes place in '62, the year of my birth. Don Draper, the main character (Jon Hamm), doesn't wear many hats; in one or two episodes, he's got a homburg of sorts on, but for only a second or two to make a show of taking it off. His boss, Roger Sterling (John Slattery), plays more of a '40s throwback in his costuming, including a fairly wide-brimmed fedora in an episode or two. So, only occasional men's hats in "Mad Men."

The series is worth watching...but definitely much later than the Golden Age of this forum.

 

[jazzncocktails]

Mad Men: No Hat Hair (Why? No Hats.)

I was wrong: Don Draper doesn't wear a homburg at all, but a short-brimmed fedora (not quite stingy brim; more like my Stetson Saxon, the brim of which is 2".

In season 1 photos, you can see his heavily product-laden hair. But the hats are mostly afterthoughts and are rarely on his head, as these images from the AMC website illustrate:

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sQ4vCz3R111F4oLAKhb0Tg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2_jKiJjh5No/SWEE4SWBiII/AAAAAAAAAqk/bbggqow7Vqs/s144/season%201%20a.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/spclifford/MadMenHats?feat=embedwebsite">Mad Men Hats</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h_vWWb-gOOFBTgnM5wxQvg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2_jKiJjh5No/SWEE4oJEHYI/AAAAAAAAAqs/-P4jBVxmI8w/s144/season%201%20b.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/spclifford/MadMenHats?feat=embedwebsite">Mad Men Hats</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KKoRDe2ta_ifFK4VfNg3mQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2_jKiJjh5No/SWEE4_ZhLeI/AAAAAAAAAq0/t-U37du_fsI/s144/season%201%20c.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/spclifford/MadMenHats?feat=embedwebsite">Mad Men Hats</a></td></tr></table>

But Season 2, which I haven't yet seen, seems to actually allow its characters to wear their fedoras:

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WiJmg8dqLl0rQp5xL3XAsw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2_jKiJjh5No/SWEE5M3tstI/AAAAAAAAAq8/2fYDWRQOB8E/s144/cropIMG_0496.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/spclifford/MadMenHats?feat=embedwebsite">Mad Men Hats</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WOXm7SDX_lrhW5vFa1laHg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2_jKiJjh5No/SWEE5TEUQHI/AAAAAAAAArE/nDxw2VuxhB4/s144/cropIMG_1174.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/spclifford/MadMenHats?feat=embedwebsite">Mad Men Hats</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JQ4oQ0kfL_qF3b_W1gEp1Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2_jKiJjh5No/SWEFGLA8OGI/AAAAAAAAArM/DHF__uTklIg/s144/cropIMG_1223.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/spclifford/MadMenHats?feat=embedwebsite">Mad Men Hats</a></td></tr></table>

So, the hat hair question would seem to revolve around the use of product for these gents (and, of course, the ability to have a team of makeup artists around between shoots!).

 

[Caity Lynn]

lol, I know EXACTLY what you mean. If I know I'll be taking the hat off, I don't wear it, unless I bring a hair tie to tie my hair up when the hat's not on, the dent thing, does NOT work on a chick trying to look put together.

 

[KatintheHat]

This is along the lines of my style>>> http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-oldwest/BillHickok-1-500.jpg

 

[rrog]

I've sported the good, old-fashioned burr haircut the last several years. Just recently, I started shaving it, in support of a friend who is undergoing chemo treatments. I gotta say I'm liking the bald thing. My wife, on the other hand, is not liking it... But the shaved head lets me be pretty care-free about wearing hats. No hat-itis, hat-head, bed-head or anything like that to worry. It's great.

rrog