Hats out of kilter

[Wild Root]

Funny thing about Matt is that the hat and tie is the only thing that is original! He’s having a hard time finding any true vintage in his size. But, he does look swell in the outfits he has! He fools a lot of people with his Ralph Lauren duds. If I couldn’t find any vintage my self, I would go with Ralph Lauren.

It also was funny the other day at a WWII dance I attended that a friend of mine noticed how I wore a civil defense helmet (I went as a block warden) cocked to one side. She asked: Aren’t you suppose to wear that square on your head? I said no. She thought that since it was a military type outfit, it was to be worn like a uniform. But, even in the military men hardly wore their hats square on there heads. Always cocked to a side and looking cocky and smart. Most people think that since it is one way today, that it was the same then. A lot of changes have occurred in the military since the 40’s. It was a different time and looks were very important! Most men in WWII had longer hair and had current hair fashions!

When I dress in vintage, I wear it like I was in the 40’s. I study photos, catalogs, movies and more to get the look down. I see some try to look right, but they fail at it do to their modern fashion sense. I have beaten my modern fashion sense into submission!

Root.

 

[Michaelson]

I've been watching old serials contained in a DVD set of 150 episodes, all dating back to the early to mid 1930's. I studied one pretty closely that's dated 1933, titled 'The Eagle' that profiled each individual involved in the story at the beginning of every episode, and noticed something I'd never really paid much attention to before. The front dents in most of the men's soft fedoras were slightly off center, giving the hat the APPEARANCE of actually being cocked, when it was the off set dent that gave it illusion of same. This may explain why my old Borsalino continues to offset, even though I try and try to 'center them up', the continue to make my hat appear that I'm wearing it cocked. My old Steton does the same thing! Seems that was the way they were worn....and as you say, men prefered the 'cocked' look during those years of the 30's and 40's, even to the wearing of their doughboy helmets! Regards. Michaelson

 

[K.D. Lightner]

If you look at a lot of old photos of WW II soldiers, you will notice that many of them, especially those in the Navy and the Army, wore their hats at an angle. Or they wore it forward on their heads or tipped back.

My father, who was in the Navy in WW II, wore his hat cocked to the side, both his white Navy hat, and his navy colored tam, or whatever they called those stand-up beret type hats they wore then. Looks to be from photos I have that he cocked it to the right. I recently sent mother a teddy bear with a white Navy uniform in honor of Father's Day (he died in 2001), and the first thing she did when she opened the box was tip the hat to the angle she remembered him wearing it. I cannot tell from the photo I have of him in a fedora if he wore it at an angle or not, but my mother certainly did with her hat.


Those in the US Army also tipped their pointed caps to the side or wore them forward, I assume when they lined up for inspection, they wore them correctly, straight up, but check out old photos and you will see servicemen wearing hats at such a jaunty angle, you wonder how they kept them on their heads.

I wear my fedoras sometimes tipped to the side, when I am in a jaunty mood, sometimes forward when I want to look cool or serious, and set back on my head when I am wanting to see something clearly and don't want the hat or its shadow to interfere.

What do you fellows do?

karol

 

[Wild Root]

The navy hat was called a Donald Duck hat. Why? Well look at Donald's hat and look at what the wool hat looked like. I have a WWII Donald Duck cap that fits and I wear it with my WWII Navy uniform. I also wear the white Dixie Cup as well. I wear all my hats to the side like I see in film and photos. I really like it! I feel happy and more vintage that way! People have stopped me on the street and tell me that I look like I stepped right out of the 40's! I owe it all to the hat cocked to the side.

Root.

 

[Feraud]

What an interesting subject!
I used to assume that men 'back in the day' kept their appearances very strict. Photographs do tell a different story. It appears that many hats were cocked a bit to one side. I had wondered if it was intentional or not until this morning! As I am sitting on the train I catch my reflection in the window and see my hat cocked off to one side! I am puzzled and feel a bit like a houligan!:cool2: I intentionally wear my hat straight on, not wanting to affect a "jaunty" appearance. I straighten my lid and go on my way wondering how long until I need another adjustment....
This has made me feel that a person's hat will un-intentionally drift off to one side. There is probably little to change this except the occasional adjustment.

 

[Cabinetman]

The attitude or esteem that prompted men to wear their hats cocked to one side...Could this be the origins for the term "cocky"?

What about "half-cocked"? I actually think that relates to firearms, but you could apply it to the hat wearer...maybe, eh?

C

(Edit: "cocky" probably comes from a rooster struttin' around the chicken coop)

 

[jamespowers]

Originally posted by Feraud
As I am sitting on the train I catch my reflection in the window and see my hat cocked off to one side! I am puzzled and feel a bit like a houligan!:cool2: I intentionally wear my hat straight on, not wanting to affect a "jaunty" appearance. I straighten my lid and go on my way wondering how long until I need another adjustment....
This has made me feel that a person's hat will un-intentionally drift off to one side. There is probably little to change this except the occasional adjustment.

Let's face it, hats with a wide brim protrude a little. That means you are likely to brush up against something and not even realize it until you get on the train. I tend to wear mine squarely on my head but they never stay that way because I am either adjusting it or brushing up against something so it gets cocked whether I like it or not. I call it hat equilibrium or cranial creep. LOL
In either case, it doesn't look bad it just gives you a little more stylish look. Reminds me of the song Sinatra, Martin, Crosby, Davis and Bishop sang in a movie whose name escapes me at the moment---"You Gotta Have Style." "A flower is not a flower if its wilted. A hat's not a hat if its not tilted."

Regards to all,

J

 

[Matt Deckard]

I used to make it a point to be the one wearing the hat straight on... check it out in the mirror, even make sure the brim was symetrical. Later I noticed nobody else even wears hats, and on me wearing the hat too perfectly made it look like an affectation... like it was not part of me but a piece of a costume that sat on my head. I started wearing my hats at a bit of an angle... usually off to the right.

I like the "I just through it on" look when I leave the house... heck, I sometimes wear the brim up on my fedoras too.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I, too, used to wear my hats straight on, but ever since I got the "Bogie" hat, I've been wearing it cocked. Since I'm left-handed, it tilts to the left, and the tilting is automatic now when I put a hat on.

I notice I need a new avatar, though. That hat's not tilted!

Brad

 

[jamespowers]

Originally posted by Brad Bowers
I, too, used to wear my hats straight on, but ever since I got the "Bogie" hat, I've been wearing it cocked.

You got the hat? How do you like it? Do Tell.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Brad Bowers]

You got the hat? How do you like it?

No, not yet. The hat in my avatar is a Lee Keppler "Bogie" hat from Beaver Brand. Modern, but quite to my liking.

The Borsalino shipped last Friday, so it could be here any day. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the postman!

The seller bought the hat from a consignment auction a few weeks ago, and knows nothing about it's history. He was going to try to get hold of the auction manager to get the former owner in touch with me. It would be nice to know something about it. But I will have pics posted the day it arrives, and probably a new avatar!

Brad

 

[jamespowers]

Gee, the suspense must be killing you. It is killing me. LOL What a cool hat it looks to be.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Matt Deckard]

Have you ever shown any pics of your Keppler?
He has been fine tuning that hat for a while and I would like to see what he is currently putting out.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I had a thread about it last year some time. I'll post a couple here.

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

The last few times I've seen Lee, he's been wearing a 6X light grey Bogie with a bound edge, and it looks really nice.

Here's another shot of mine.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I remember it now.
the crown on that is great.