Hat contentment. A temporary state of mind?

[belfastboy]

I think hat contentment is like infinity or where outer space stops. Once you think you might have defined it and know what it really is then you only figure out that you really have many more choices.

Yes, I have decided multiple times that I had achieved "hat contentment"....even stated it publicly only to go back and have to eat my words. So now I have reached a firm conclusion. I no longer.........declare any manner of hat contentment only lulls in activity.

 

[GHT]

Contentment with what I have, always looking forward to the next one that floats by.

Notice, seen on the back of an MGB at some MG rally, or other.
You can't buy happiness. But you can buy an MGB V8.

 

[Redfokker]

Notice, seen on the back of an MGB at some MG rally, or other.
You can't buy happiness. But you can buy an MGB V8.

I saw an MGB V8 once here in the states. Holy grail. I almost bought an MGC once, in another life. Ah, memories....

 

[Bushman]

I have 6 hats and 4 newsboys, and I'm pretty content with that. I will admit I have kept my eyes open for a Willis and Geiger safari hat, but other than that, I'm happy with what I have. Like others have said, hats are part of a wardrobe, and I don't need a ton of hats to satisfy that. I usually never even wear all of them for most of the year anyway, sticking to whichever hat has my attention at the moment.

 

[andrew_AU]

I've enjoyed reading all the replies.

I suspect (for me at least) there is an inverse relationship between this forum and hat contentment.

I see some great hats on here and then start thinking about the next hat I "need".

I don't have a hat problem. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. So of I keep denying, there's no problem. Right?

 

[Zombie_61]

...I don't think the hats are going anywhere soon, however. They are functional...

This is certainly true for me. If anyone would ask me "Why?" when I started wearing hats regularly in 2008 I'd tell them that I had always liked them and finally felt I had reached an age when I could "pull it off", but would add they were also for sun protection during the summer months and rain protection during the winter months; I figured that "excuse" was something no one could argue. Then I had some cancer carved off of my nose in January of 2013, and my excuse suddenly carried more weight. My hats have provided a decent amount of shade in summer and have kept my head dry when it rains, so I consider it a win/win.

Yes, I consider my stable of hats part of the wardrobe. BUT, I now have the "problem" of deciding which to wear. I get dressed, check the weather, then find myself standing in the doorway of the closet attempting to choose which hat to wear. I have days where the decision approaches paralysis.....in those moments I begin to wonder about having toooo many choices. Have I just managed to complicate my life when my desire is to make it more simple???

"The things you own end up owning you." - Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), Fight Club (1999)

As I mentioned above, I started wearing hats regularly in 2008 and have so far managed to average one hat purchase a year (not counting my five flat caps). The Lounge has been either a good or bad influence in that regard, depending on your point of view. Just when I begin to think I have enough hats, there seems to be a "valid" reason to get another. "I need a green hat to wear with my field jacket when it rains." "I should get a straw hat to wear in the summer because my fur felts are just too hot." You know the drill. And, of course, there are the "just because I like it" hats that mysteriously appear on our radar; so far I have only one of those, but another is looming on the horizon when finances permit. My assortment of nine hats is meager compared to the number of hats owned by some of the members here, and yet there are still times when it feels like I'm trying to herd cats when I'm deciding which one to wear, or where to store them when I'm not wearing them.

That being said, in my experience "contentment" is fleeting--just when you think you're out, something eventually pulls you back in.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Not everyone ends up a collector. I have loved hats for over 40 years and have owned maybe 80 hats over that time, but rarely more than 10 at once.

When I first started buying hats you could get mint 1930's hats for a dollar or two. No one wanted an 'old hat' back then and, without the internet, there wasn't a market. I really enjoy looking at hats and seeing people's collections, but I don't feel compelled to own more. I am not a collector of anything and prefer minimalism where I can have it. It helps if you hate clutter.

My role model is a watch maker I knew; an expert on Rolex, Omega and luxury Swiss watches. What did he wear? A Swatch. He said it told the time as well as anything and he was able to appreciate and intimately know great watches without having to own them. Food for thought.

 

[Studebaker Driver]

This is a great, long overdue concept for a thread. I can stop whenever I want...

Yes, it's easy to quit collecting - I've done it a thousand times.

Cars are just as addictive, though they don't stack exactly the same as hats. And the shelving must be more substantial

 

[Frunobulax]

Yes, it's easy to quit collecting - I've done it a thousand times.

Cars are just as addictive, though they don't stack exactly the same as hats. And the shelving must be more substantial

I quit daily. Then I get up the next morning...


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Studebaker Driver]

I quit daily. Then I get up the next morning...


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

I find I have to buy every good hat I see so the hoarders don't get them.

 

[Redfokker]

Yes, I have decided multiple times that I had achieved "hat contentment"....even stated it publicly only to go back and have to eat my words. So now I have reached a firm conclusion. I no longer.........declare any manner of hat contentment only lulls in activity.

+1

 

[Scooterz]

Man, I just got back from a trip and I had finally stopped thinking about hats and then I saw this thread. Back to therapy.

 

[GHT]

I quit daily. Then I get up the next morning...

Much the same here as I delve into the wardrobe for another floral shirt. (There's two more in the pipeline.)

 

[scottyrocks]

I've been wearing fedoras since the early '80s. I was always on the hunt for another, 'better suited to my face and head' lid.

A few months ago, I was following three hats on ebay, hoping to win at least one. I rarely win auctions for things I really want, because other people really want them, too, and are usually willing to pay more than I will. I put in my maximum bids - more than I would usually, because I figured I could do that once, and hopefully, get one really nice hat.

So what happens? I won all three hats. And for an insane amount of money (don't forget shipping), I now own three really nice hats that I really enjoy.

I haven't even looked at hats on ebay or anywhere else since then. I think I'm done.