Hats for you: More for function or fashion?

[memphislawyer]

Well, winters for the most part in Memphis are mild. Summers, now, that is a different story. I bought my first hat because I wanted something to cover my thin and thinning hair, and got a Stetson Saxon because wife, hatter and myself all thought it featured me the best of a couple dozen I tried. I did not ask about whether it was lightweight felt or not.

Move forward a couple weeks, and I get me a Panama Bob Diamante. Now, it was bought without trying it on, and its brim was a bit bigger than the 2" on the Stetson. I get it and it looks good on me, others say, but I probably would have bought the Borsalino I tried on locally as it looks like a tighter, nicer weave and the brim and crown were more like the Stetson. But at $225, it is over 6 times as much as I spent on the Panama Bob hat,and, well, maybe the looser weave makes it cooler.

So now, I am thinking that while the summer hat does have function for me (shade) and the felt hat will as well, at times, I think my motivation is that it is a fashion accessory, much like me moving from button cuffs to cufflink shirts. Not that I am complaining mind you, I am thinking some of the guys wearing hats here have a panache, an elan and great sense of fashion, modern or vintage clothing. I just think as Emeril says, it kicks it up a notch.

Sam

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Certainly, fashion choice plays a role in wearing hats, and all brimmed hats have function. But we all have different priorities and wear hats for different reasons.

I got into hats because I liked the look, but I discovered the functionality along the way. I won't wear a hat I don't like, it's just that simple. I will wear a hat I like even if it has little functional value. But I prefer both qualities.

In summer, I want a lightweight, breathable hat to keep the sun off my head, face, and neck. The Diamante is fine for me, but I'll never buy an expensive panama with a really tight weave. I'd rather wear a lightweight felt in that case. At least I could wear that in the rain. Straws, however, are not my first love. I wear them because I must, so I try to find the most tolerable look I can. Thus, summer puts the priority on function.

In winter I want a hat that will keep my head warm, withstand rain and snow, and looks dang nice doing it. If it's a clear day, warmth is the only function I need (break out the delicate hats), but when the clouds roll in I want a hat that has as much grit as beauty. For the record, I'm not afraid to wear a vintage hat in the rain and snow. They can probably take it better than I can! lol

 

[Lefty]

Yes, though I've grown to like my hats more as stories than objects of fashion or function. The history behind the vintage hats, the journey of the panama and milan, and the thought of Art working in his home on something that's just for me are all part of wearing hats for me.

 

[Fletch]

50% function, 0% fashion, 50% style.

 

[scottyrocks]

Definitely both for me.

I have always worn something on my head while outside for most of my life. I wear fedoras, particularly my Fed IV, because I love the way it looks on me/the way I look in it.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

It's all about the look of 'em for me. Any rationalizing I can do with regard to them being functional is just cover for my interest in brimmed hats as style accessories.

 

[suitedcboy]

I wish I could report some rational, noble, or esthetic reason but it all boils down to I JUST DIG HATS.
There are photos of me from childhood where I'm sleeping with an old fedora of my dad's pulled down on my head. Felt fan from WAY back.

It is terrific that hats shield my head from the elements and ward off melanoma.
It is terrific that they give me an identity and style a bit apart from the throngs.
It is terrific that on occasion I have the right color and style of hat to give me a pinch of fashion.

 

[Spats McGee]

Function or style? Yes.

Function: I keep my hair cropped very close, so I need something to cover my head and ears with. Gotta ward off that Arkansas sun (& the other elements) somehow. Ballcaps don't protect my ears & I have a long, long history of having sunburned ears. So I needed something with a brim all the way around. I also really like the fact that I can keep the sun out of my eyes with only a slight tip of the head most of the time.

Style: I can't & won't wear a ballcap to the courthouse. . . . or with suits. My daily attire is either suits, or slacks and a sportcoat. Fedoras go well with either. Ballcaps and boonies really don't. Well, I guess I could wear a ballcap with slacks & sportcoat, but I'd rather not.

 

[Trebuchet64_Fal]

It's defineitly style and function for me , i love the look and feel of a vintage hat , i choose an appropriate hat for the situation .
Fashion is for battery hens.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Primarily function, but also some personal style. They keep the sun and rain off, and they are a statement that I'm different from the herd - a bit of a retro oddball.

"Fashion" has absolutely no bearing on my lifestyle. I don't follow current trends, nor do I remotely try for any kind of elegant or traditional appearance - I haven't worn a jacket and tie since the nineties...

 

[gtdean48]

"Fashion" has absolutely no bearing on my lifestyle. I don't follow current trends, nor do I remotely try for any kind of elegant or traditional appearance...

I can't say it any better than the good Doctor just did, so that only leaves Function as my choice.

 

[awest84532]

I started in the function category following a diagnosis of stage IV malignant melanoma. I lost an ear and went through months of treatments. The doctors said I had a 5% chance of surviving 5 years. So I started with cheap hats. My 5 years is this October and I now have a number of nice hats, so yes style is a part of it now. But I have also found better hats usually fit better too.

 

[Fletch]

Primarily function, but also some personal style. They keep the sun and rain off, and they are a statement that I'm different from the herd - a bit of a retro oddball.

I don't think you can be a bit of a retro oddball. It's like being pregnant: if it shows, it shows.

 

[High Pockets]

My hair isn't what it used to be.
Basal Cell Carcinoma is a reality in my life.
I dislike the rain soaking my head.
Snow is cold, and the sun is hot.


Hats address all of the above, and women absolutely love my fedoras,.......and I adore women!

Function and ego.

 

[memphislawyer]

Tonight, I had on the pants to a blue pin striped suit, no coat, white shirt, red tie, black shoes and in 85 degree weather at 6:45, took out my Stetson Saxon Caribou grey felt hat for its first spin. Immediately upon walking into the restaraunt with my wife, the greeter, a man of about 20 to 22 years, commented favorably on my hat and smiled. Upon leaving, a waitress of about 35 did and the young man made sure to welcome me back. I can not imagine that if you wore a button up shirt and leather shoes with a fedora, someone would not say that looks snazzy. Now with chinos and tennis shoes, it might pass for along the lines of a baseball cap, just another choice of hat, but with dress clothes, or even say chinos and a nice sweater, given the look you try to bring off, someone will comment on it. My wife thinks it is an affectation I have now, trying to find reasons why to wear my hat, but given what happened tonight, well, I am so glad I hit the submit button on my Akubra Stylemaster Acorn today

 

[Atticus Finch]

50% function, 0% fashion, 50% style.

I agree. I could care less about fashion. On the other hand, my dermatologist loves the fact that I wear hats that shade the sun from my ears. And there is something just timeless...and right...about small-town Southern lawyers wearing Open Roads.

AF

 

[CRH]

Function first Fashion second

I wear brims to hide my proven to be cancer prone skin that lies above my shoulders from the sun.

Why not have a little fun and sneak in a little style while I'm at it?

 

[elvisroe]

Amen - if it wasn't about style we'd all be wearing tilleys

 

[WideBrimm]

Both function and style 50/50 for me. I've always liked hats, and I like how I look in a nice pinch front fedora, preferably with a wide brim. The fact that I need a good hat to keep the sun off my chrome dome was a good excuse to start wearing a hat, and finding the FL gave me the encouragement I needed, not to mention an education in hats.

 

[metropd]

Its about 99% style
1% function.
I could care less about function, with me its all style, 24/7, 365 days a year for the rest of my life.