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How do folks react to your hat wearing?

jhe888

One of the Regulars
Messages
265
Location
Texas, United States
People don't usually say anything to me (which I think is because cowboy hats are still not odd here in Texas), but yesterday I was wearing my Campdraft and took my car to the mechanic's for an oil change. The shop is run by brothers (men my age, around 50), both of whom separately told me that their grandfather wore a hat like the Campdraft. One called his grandfather's hat a Stetson. The other asked what kind mine was, and I told him, but also said his grandfather probably wore an Open Road. I know it could have been some other model, or even a Resistol, but he didn't really want the minutiae.

It was nice that they commented.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
Oh, how did I miss this thread! I get everything from Zora Neale Hurston to requests for dates to curious stares. I attract a lot of attention when I wear my hats, lol.
 
Messages
13,672
Location
down south
Oh, how did I miss this thread! I get everything from Zora Neale Hurston to requests for dates to curious stares. I attract a lot of attention when I wear my hats, lol.

I love ZNH. I can't imagine randomly meeting ANYONE on the street around here who would even know who she was. Of course, it's not like I look much like her anyway, so maybe they do know and it just doesn't come up.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
I love ZNH. I can't imagine randomly meeting ANYONE on the street around here who would even know who she was. Of course, it's not like I look much like her anyway, so maybe they do know and it just doesn't come up.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2
The ZNH comparison happened only twice and both were from older women who seemed highly educated so yeah, lol, she is mostly forgotten by most young people. When I went to the ZNH festival last year outside of Orlando, FL I also got the comparison because I own a black 1930s hat exactly like the one she wears in that famous photo of her with the hat on.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
Hey, can't complain about offers for dates, right? Zora Neale Hurston spent her last years in my hometown of Ft. Pierce, FL, there is a mural with her on it downtown.

Yeah, I knew about the Ft. Pierce, FL connection but didn't know about the mural. She lived around the corner from my present residence when she was attending Howard University back in the 1920s and there is a picture of her on a plaque that is on the self guided walking tours that the city has created.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
CS, how is your site coming along?
I guess you know that we have ''Guides'' here on the Lounge.
Such as these:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/forumdisplay.php?36-The-Fedora-Lounge-Guides
Maybe you could work up a concise guide about your hats or at least some of them.

Thanks Bartender:). I will check those guides out. I had made the decision to start this site in September and have worked with a designer, right now though, I am taking photography classes and practicing A LOT so that the pictures will be awesome. I hope to start taking pics around mid-2014, because I do have to juggle this with a job and family life, but for right now, I am in study and research mode but will definitely keep the Lounge posted!
 
Messages
15,276
Location
Somewhere south of crazy
Fort_Pierce_Mural.bmp

Unfortunately, couldn't get it larger, she's in the far right of the mural.
 

jkingrph

Practically Family
Messages
848
Location
Jacksonville, Tx, West Monroe, La.
People don't usually say anything to me (which I think is because cowboy hats are still not odd here in Texas), but yesterday I was wearing my Campdraft and took my car to the mechanic's for an oil change. The shop is run by brothers (men my age, around 50), both of whom separately told me that their grandfather wore a hat like the Campdraft. One called his grandfather's hat a Stetson. The other asked what kind mine was, and I told him, but also said his grandfather probably wore an Open Road. I know it could have been some other model, or even a Resistol, but he didn't really want the minutiae.

It was nice that they commented.

Similar experiences from another Texan. I have been wearing hats daily for about 6-7 years now and it seems as though folks that know me, expect to see me wearing one. It's usually a fedora, center dent or c crown, with an occasional Open Road thrown in. On rare occasions I will break out the big Stetson's both with a cowmans crease or a nice Resiston with a c crown. I even wear a cheap cloth fedora style for yard work ( not wanting to get the nice ones sweaty and I do sweat enough so it sometimes drips out of the brim)

At this point I am so comfortable wearing one, that it is second nature and I do not think about it, unless I occasionally forget to put one on.
 
Last edited:

Killick

One of the Regulars
Messages
120
Location
Norwich
Really good question. I got one negative comment a few days ago in a bar from a drunk dude. But all the positive ones certainly more than make up for one drunks negativity. Went to a Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert Friday night. Afterwards we bought a CD and waiting in line to have them autograph it. The bass player, Dirk Shumaker, ask me who made my fedora and said he wanted one like it. Pretty cool :cool:
 

LoveMyHats2

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
5,196
Location
Michigan
Really good question. I got one negative comment a few days ago in a bar from a drunk dude. But all the positive ones certainly more than make up for one drunks negativity. Went to a Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert Friday night. Afterwards we bought a CD and waiting in line to have them autograph it. The bass player, Dirk Shumaker, ask me who made my fedora and said he wanted one like it. Pretty cool :cool:

Drunks like to pick on anything that may "pop" into their heads....
 

LoveMyHats2

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
5,196
Location
Michigan
While I do not wear my Fedora as much as my Husband wears his hats, I cannot think of even one time anyone has ever stated anything poorly regarding the hat wearing. If anything, comments about how sharp the hat looks seems to be the "norm".

I have however, witnessed when other men that are wearing a Fedora, (most of the time a store purchased stingy modern wool) and they have some form of conversation with my Husband, it always comes to where can they purchase a hat like his? It seems that someone rather new to wearing a Fedora commonly would wear a nicer one but for some reason have not evolved to doing so yet. More or less like the hat wearing bug has just started to bite them!
 
Messages
12,017
Location
East of Los Angeles
...I have however, witnessed when other men that are wearing a Fedora, (most of the time a store purchased stingy modern wool) and they have some form of conversation with my Husband, it always comes to where can they purchase a hat like his? It seems that someone rather new to wearing a Fedora commonly would wear a nicer one but for some reason have not evolved to doing so yet. More or less like the hat wearing bug has just started to bite them!
One of the good things about the "store purchased stingy modern wool" hats is that they are a relatively inexpensive way for "rather new" hat wearers to find out whether or not they actually like hats, or if they're only wearing them because they're "trendy" or "cool". If it's the former, more often than not I think they'll eventually look into upgrading to nicer hats, especially once they realize the longevity of quality hats justifies the extra expense. If it's the latter...well, they're welcome to ride that bandwagon until the wheels fall off.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
Fort_Pierce_Mural.bmp

Unfortunately, couldn't get it larger, she's in the far right of the mural.

Thanks Hatophile! One of these days during my travels I will make it down there to see that mural in person as well as her home. I am thinking about attending the festival in Eatonville, FL at the end of January 2014...just trying to make it work with my schedule. I had fun the last time I was there back in 2012.
 

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