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How do folks react to your hat wearing?

The Wiser Hatter

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,765
Location
Louisville, Ky
Don't worry what others think especially on the internet. It is funny that the other men fashion forums on the internet react negative to wearing a hat.
friday-challenge-08-02-13-wear-a-hat-without-looking-like-a-fool
When they push the fashion envelope by wear certain items of clothing also.:) I have always gotten positive remarks from people in fact a get a lot of men come up and ask where did I get such a hat. As one get's older you learn to say to your self to hell with other people I am going to do what I enjoy.
 
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nigeloscar

One of the Regulars
Messages
141
Location
Sydney, Australia
Wise words from the Wise Hatter! I'm trying to grow a dodgy moustache at the moment ..along with the fedora, smart arsed comments are never far away .. But then I just tell my wife to be quiet ...
 

KingAndrew

A-List Customer
Messages
312
Location
Shanghai
I've been wearing hats all my life (44 years and counting). Aside from some snide remarks when I was in high school (and who didn't get criticised in high school?), I've always gotten very positive comments. Especially from women.

I can also say that the attention I get wearing a fedora is nothing compared to what happens when I wear my kilt. If you're a single man and don't own a kilt, you are missing one of the most effective ways of meeting women. Lovely strangers will approach you and ask questions about your underwear. Unfortunately, I didn't learn this until after I got married, so it's not much help to me :)

Here in China, the comments are very positive, but often take the form of someone gesturing to my hat and giving me a thumbs-up with a big smile, since they often don't speak enough English to talk about it. Or they say "very gouda." By the way, "mao zi" (mow zuh) is hat in Mandarin.
 

Ghost Rider

One of the Regulars
Messages
187
Location
Bühl, Germany
I've only ever had positive comments. One work colleague said I had the mafia look, but this was friendly banter only (plus we were in Russia at the time)

Maybe it's the politeness of the people here, but hardly anybody gives me a second look - quite disappointing in some ways ;)

As for my wife - well, she was the one who bought me my first hat, and now gives me advice as to which colour fits best to whaever I'm wearing,
 

TheDane

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,670
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
If you're a single man and don't own a kilt, you are missing one of the most effective ways of meeting women.
Well, no matter what I eat, my body just won't gain weight. It's probably genetic, as my dad also was extremely skinny all his life. If I were to wear a kilt, I would maybe meet more women ... offering their help to get me up the stairs (although I actually jump stairs as easy as my now grown 'kids')! I appreciate the advice, but I don't believe the strategy would do me any good [huh]

Mad magazine used to have a page of strips, called "Scenes We'd Like to See". Trust me, this is not one of them! :D
 

elveston

Familiar Face
Messages
66
Location
Lake Houston
I've never been one to shy away from looking a bit different. But, wearing an Akubra grey Zephyr with my compression UnderArmour workout clothes looked a little strange even to me. With a history of skin cancer, I decided a few extra smiles was a small price to pay. Fortunately, I found a way to shape the Zephyr's brim so it didn't droop down all the way around. So now it looks a little better ... at least to me.
 

falis

New in Town
Messages
27
Location
Ipswich, MA, USA
I generally get compliments if anyone says anything. Mostly I find people are friendlier (and women do seem to appreciate the doff of the hat indoors. In fact, I haven't gotten a negative comment or look since I started wearing hats again last winter. Sure, some of my colleagues have given me the "Hey, you look like the Capo" comment, but it was all in fun, and some have adopted thed the hat/ black T-Shirt uniform for work. Haven't got them into the sports jacket yet.

- Ed
 

carranty

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
England
I mostly experience indifference to my hat wearing. I've received one or two compliments, and the odd "ye-ha" from groups of younger people but mostly people don't seem to notice (and this is a near 3" brim silverbelly open road I'm wearing), or just smile to themselves. I suspect though, that with the release of 'The Lone Ranger' revamp later this week, I'm going to be hearing a lot more 'ye-ha's for the foreseeable future........
 

fashion frank

One Too Many
Messages
1,173
Location
Woonsocket Rhode Island
Well, no matter what I eat, my body just won't gain weight. It's probably genetic, as my dad also was extremely skinny all his life. If I were to wear a kilt, I would maybe meet more women ... offering their help to get me up the stairs (although I actually jump stairs as easy as my now grown 'kids')! I appreciate the advice, but I don't believe the strategy would do me any good [huh]

Mad magazine used to have a page of strips, called "Scenes We'd Like to See". Trust me, this is not one of them! :D


Your post caught my eye as I wear a kilt ( play bagpipe's in a pipe band) and I also have been thin all my life until I started weightlifting and really making sure that I load up every day on food, ( six small meals throughout the day plus protein shakes) if you do that I guarantee that you will gain weight.

When I wear my kilt with the band women always like to ask you what is under the kilt ,to which I reply "but a little bagpipe of course " and then you get the giggles and what not.

All the Best ,Fashion Frank
 
Messages
15,276
Location
Somewhere south of crazy
When I wear my kilt with the band women always like to ask you what is under the kilt ,to which I reply "but a little bagpipe of course " and then you get the giggles and what not.

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

I'm not in a pipe band, but my in-laws are pipers, so the family tradition is kilt-wearing to Highland Games, weddings, funerals and such. I'll have to remember that line, Frank.:eek:

Meanwhile, no negative comments on my hat-wearing, no funny looks and all positive comments from older folks to younger ladies and gentlemen. Quite a few males have asked where I get my hats also.
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,565
Location
Oroville
I haven't read this whole thread, but, not meaning to be harsh here, I just can't imagine caring whether people like me in a hat or not.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,066
Location
London, UK
My hats are rarely commented on. 99.9% of the time, it's positive. Several folks commented on the hat I had on over the weekend (funnily enough, it's just a narrow-brimmed polystraw from Dasmarca. Bought it online. Handy hat to throw on in this weather... amusingly, when it arrived it came with a flyer where the company were trying to sell themselves as a vintage / hipster crossover, directly using both those terms in the blurb. Clearly they never hang out here. ;) FWIW, brimmed hats draw more attention, straws less so (I suppose people here think of the brim more in utilitarian terms - to keep off the sun, whereas you don't need it for the cold in Winter...). Caps rarely are noticed much at all.

Open negative comments are incredibly rare, and I care about those even less often. Most of those I've received have been limited to people - exclusively men, never females - making Inspector Gadget remarks, humming the theme, and so on. Never directly to me, always loudly to their mates. I think all of those were in Belfast. Small town, small minds. The kind of people from whom, frankly, I would much prefer to receive an insult than a compliment.

Occasionally one or two will say something negative, but all you need to do is take one look at what they are wearing. If someone who is wearing pants w/ a belt holding them up at the knee caps, and a cap that is sideways has to say some witty comment to how I dress in a suit, just lets me know that they are insecure about how they look in the presence of one in a suit, or even as simple as a hat.

Funnily enough, well over half of the sincere vocal compliments I receive on the street come from kids like that. While the hip hop kids may not suit up themselves, I suppose there are a lot of icons in that world who do, and do it well. Maybe in a few years when they have the money those kids will graduate to good suits themselves. We can hope.

I've been wearing hats all my life (44 years and counting). Aside from some snide remarks when I was in high school (and who didn't get criticised in high school?), I've always gotten very positive comments. Especially from women.

Women love hats. Which is only ever a problem when it's rampaging, drunken girls in their early 20s who think it's a fancy dress accessory and want to try it on. They always get short shrift from me.

I can also say that the attention I get wearing a fedora is nothing compared to what happens when I wear my kilt. If you're a single man and don't own a kilt, you are missing one of the most effective ways of meeting women. Lovely strangers will approach you and ask questions about your underwear. Unfortunately, I didn't learn this until after I got married, so it's not much help to me :)

Ha! I can imagine!

Here in China, the comments are very positive, but often take the form of someone gesturing to my hat and giving me a thumbs-up with a big smile, since they often don't speak enough English to talk about it. Or they say "very gouda." By the way, "mao zi" (mow zuh) is hat in Mandarin.

Yeah, that's it... or in Beijing, they laugh. I learned pretty quickly that, at least in Beijing, the Chinese use laughter to communicate approval, that they're on our side, and so on. Hard to describe, but in person really obvious when they're doing that and when they're laughing at, rather than with, someone. Very sweet people, in my experience, for the most part. The kids I teach in Beijing are all fascinated by the hats (most often a straw or an eight panel for me), as there don't seem to be many of them wear hats at all. I already stick out on campus anyhow as one of the few laowai, and the only one in jacket, tie and co-respondents (my teaching now always falls in April / May / June). I'm probably the first person a lot of them have seen wear a (non black-tie) bow tie or a cravat too, and they're often unfeasibly impressed when they see me unfasten a real bow (I use variations on ties I wear as a tool to teach the concept of legal precedent in the common law system, so I change ties a couple of times during one particular lecture...). The hat kinda sticks out as part of that whole ensemble. Still, when, as a few do every year, they come up at the end of term wanting a photo with me, more often than not they want me to put the hat on. Even had one or two ask where they can buy hats like that for themselves. It's great fun. I like to think they look at me and see Bogart, but sadly the truth is probably closer Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who.... lol
 

TheDane

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,670
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Your post caught my eye as I wear a kilt ( play bagpipe's in a pipe band) and I also have been thin all my life until I started weightlifting and really making sure that I load up every day on food, ( six small meals throughout the day plus protein shakes) if you do that I guarantee that you will gain weight.
I'm happy, it helped in your case, but I'm positive it won't in mine :)

After serving, I worked for 20 years as a sound and light technician - working with theatre, music, radio, TV and a lot of touring. That career started back in 77, long before the wheel and the lift hit European show industry. Lifting and carrying 5-6 tons a day was part of the job for long periods of time. Touring and other stage building, flightcases with up to 96 channel mixer consoles, effect racks, amplifier racks, giant speaker stacks is hard labour and excellent work-out. So is it to hang and connect 250-300 spotlights in a theatre over night, three guys on ladders. The cables alone weigh like ... =8-O

My dad started learning cabinetmaking, age 13. Later he became wood preservator and build exhibitions on our Royal Army Museum. He had extra job as theatre carpenter and floor-technician (props in/out and backdrops up/down) from before I was born. He did hard physical work most of his life and was always very skinny.

After a back injury and a new education I have worked as web developer for the last 15 years. I do some back exercises and walk about an hour or two every afternoon, that's all. I still weigh the same and have just about the same silhouette. My dad was very fond of making and eating food, and so am I. I don't believe lifting weight would do any big difference. My legs were build macaroni-style, and so be it - just not in kilt. They go a lot better with a Borsalino "Antica Casa" and a bottle of good Barolo :D

As said, I appreciate your advice, and I'm sure it'll work on most guys :)
 

suitedcboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,348
Location
Fort Worth Texas or thereabouts
I also have found the so-called "style" sites to be very critical of fedoras. I don't pay much attention to their opinions as they seem to rave about business dress that I would call orphaned undersized suit coat with slacks and a goofy tie.

It has never seemed to me that the members on this site are wearing hats because of a fad or a need to fit in. I also never have gotten a sense that people wear hats to NOT fit in.

I wear hats because I want to and always have worn them. I don't disregard what other people think entirely but unless they are an empaneled jury with my freedom in their hands then their opinions have little impact on me.
There is a societal issue I find most troubling these days. It is the notion that if I don't like something then anyone who does is stupid and a blight on society. If I can contain my overwhelming nausea for the hatless then I think it possible that the hatless can contain their jealousy expressed as disdain for my hat.

Another thing: If more wore hats then fewer dogs would bark at persons in hats.
 

winter_joe

A-List Customer
Messages
317
Location
New Town, North Dakota
As I live in a small town in North Dakota called New Town, the older gents wear westerns, and the young gents wear caps I seen to be the only one who wears mens hats here. The most rude and snickering comments I get is in a bigger town about an hour from where I live, Minot, North Dakota the older gents just look and smile, but the younger gents there are always a smart ass to people like me who dress appropriately for the public. I do get more nice compliments and people who seem to mind there own business in Bismarck, North Dakota.
 

Lefty

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,639
Location
O-HI-O
As one who does his best to blend, the reactions of others is of great concern to me.




;)
 

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