Hat Sightings

[Bingles]

One of my best friends is 80 years young, and is fascinated by my love of vintage (I'm 26). I told her recently that quite a few younger people were picking up hats other than baseball caps these days. Ever since, she has noticed a large number of men (under 60) wearing fedoras out and about. She told me "I never realized how many young fogeys there were!" -- I love that term!

Working in a retail job (till I can get hired as a teacher), I too noticed a growing number of guys sporting non baseball cap lids. Usually at least three a day.
How often do you see men wearing fedoras? What age group would they be in?

 

[RBH]

I spotted a young man in one of the short brim cotton style hats today.
While not my style at all, it did look rather nice on him.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I've been in college for four years (I'm finally done in December) and each year, I have noticed more and more students wearing fedoras. It's not uncommon for me to see at least a few fedoras (and a few more newsboys/ivy caps) every day.

 

[bolthead]

Sadly enough, I'm probably the only one in my area that I ever see wearing one. [huh]

 

[BobC]

I see a few westerns at work, but not many really, hardly any fedoras. Usually if I'm out, mine is the only fedora. It's interesting though...two times in the last couple of months we were out with a group of eight or ten friends at outdoor concerts or event parties with a lot of people present. Both times someone in our group commented that they were glad I wore a hat because it made the group easy to find if they left to use the facilities or get a beverage.

 

[ortega76]

I see a lot of high school kids in pinstripe, houndstooth and even skull patterns made out of canvas or the like. I primarily wear my fedoras when the weather is cool and so have only started wearing mine in the last few days. I'm new here in town and gets some weird looks.

 

[Rick Blaine]

I see a lot of high school kids in pinstripe, houndstooth and even skull patterns made out of canvas or the like. I primarily wear my fedoras when the weather is cool and so have only started wearing mine in the last few days. I'm new here in town and gets some weird looks.

Yeah, I saw three young shirtless skate-pukes ("you kids get off my lawn!") riding their boards down the Ave. wearing some sort of cloth stingy. I see a few westerns mainly on horse owners or cattlemen, appropriately, the odd cloth bucket and some wool fedoras on occasion. As you say it is still kinda warm. Maybe we'll see more as the temps cool.

 

[carter]

You see plenty of hats in Dallas. Mostly baseball caps and Westerns with the occasional ivy league or newsboy cap and even a fedora now and then.

 

[Mr. B]

I'm 27 and the youngest none ball cap gent in the area. To my knowledge that is. I see plenty of 40 and up's sporting fedoras of all materials.

 

[DerMann]

As far as I know, I'm the only one who wears a non-stingy brim/non-wal mart fedora at my school. A few days ago I saw two different guys wearing the same black, cotton, pinstripe fedora.

 

[MattJH]

Frequency: Every single day
Age Group: All of them
Where: Philadelphia, PA

 

[Ace Fedora]

I've also noticed a dramatic increase this season -- it was only last year that I seemed to be the only one in the city. Now with the sudden popularity of stingy brims amongst the younger set, it's a rare day that I don't see someone in a hat.

Someone else, I mean.

 

[kaosharper1]

Lots of stingy brims among the younger set here in LA, but except for a recent Lounger get together, the only real hat I saw was a really nice panama that an older gentleman was wearing to an outdoor concert this summer.

 

[grey ghost]

I have seen a few stingy brim lids on younger guys, no real lids here...I seem to be the only one in my area that wears a fedora. Lots of baseball caps ...

Ghost

 

[Tango Yankee]

I saw a few fedoras at the Ohio Renaissance Festival on Saturday. Complimented one young man on his and commented that one doesn't see too many fedoras any more, but he wasn't interested in chatting about hats--probably because he was following his girlfriend/wife who was checking out things in a shop (as was my wife.)

Most of the hats I saw were wide-brimmed (2"+).

Cheers,
Tom

 

[MCrider]

More Hats

Last year I only saw two guys other than myself wearing fedora's all year. In the last two weeks I've seen three people in widely seperated areas (about 80 miles). Not much of an increase, but timewise, its a land slide. I expect that when the weather turns colder, more feds will be showing up.

 

[jpbales]

I've noticed more fedoras lately, but mostly those cotton wal-mart stingy brims. Haha, one of my professors is actually starting to wear his hats now after I've worn mine to class a few times. I've seen only one or two younger people wearing real, fur-felt fedoras though (although it is still fairly warm outside here in Georgia). I think part of the problem is that there's no hat shops around here. The older men have hats that they've kept from a while back, but younger people don't have anything other than the wal-mart hats. The closest places that sell hats are in Atlanta, and most of them aren't really hat shops, but formal wear stores that happen to sell a few hats too. It's a shame.

 

[ortega76]

I think part of the problem is that there's no hat shops around here. The older men have hats that they've kept from a while back, but younger people don't have anything other than the wal-mart hats. The closest places that sell hats are in Atlanta, and most of them aren't really hat shops, but formal wear stores that happen to sell a few hats too. It's a shame.

I'd agree that the lack of good hat shops is a serious impairment to hat wearing. Not only does it cut down on supply, but it cuts down on the ability to educate the public on what is good, bad or at least worth the price. It was pouring rain all day today and I wore my old Darwin C-Crown. I ran an errand and found the old felt great protection from the rain. In college I wore a black wool fedora that I dreaded to have on if rain arose. A knowledgable hatter that passed away years ago pointed me in the right direction of fur felts and explained why they were worth the money.

 

[funneman]

Frequency: Every single day
Age Group: All of them
Where: Philadelphia, PA

I can confirm Dumbjaw's post. I was in Philadelphia in November last year
and I was amazed to find so many men wearing nice looking, felt fedoras.

I was also amazed at how many people called out to me on the street with compliments on my hats.

I guess it helps to have a fine establishment like South Street hats just around the corner.

Anyone know how Oscar is weathering the economy?

 

[Spats McGee]

I don't normally see any fedoras except the occasional modern stingy brim, but yesterday in downtown Little Rock, I saw a man across the street wearing a gray fedora with about a 2" brim. I'm usually the only one that I know of wearing fedoras. Given that there are only 2 places in Little Rock or North Little Rock that I'm aware of where you can get a fedora (& one of those was a recent surprise), you just don't see many of them here.