My Hat Article Published

[Brian Sheridan]

Look here for my article on hats in "Lake Erie Lifestyle" magazine, published in Erie, Pa.


http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110925/LEL09/309259990/-1/LEL


It features the hat store, "Mike the Hatter" in Cleveland, OH. Of course, I included the Lounge's web address in a sidebar for people wanting more info on hats.

Brian

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Good article Brian.

 

[Shangas]

Hi Brian.

Very well-written. Interesting. Informative. Funny. Concise. Everything a good article ought to be.

Who's the kid hanging off your neck in the photo?

 

[DavidJ]

Very nice! I enjoyed it.

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Hi Brian.

Very well-written. Interesting. Informative. Funny. Concise. Everything a good article ought to be.

Who's the kid hanging off your neck in the photo?

Thank you so much for the nice words...The kid is my son, Bennett (named after Tony Bennett). He loves hats too!

 

[scotrace]

Nicely done. Thanks for the mention.

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Here is the sidebar that is only available in the magazine. Thought fellow Loungers would like it too.
Brian


HATS OFF: DID JFK REALLY KILL THE HAT INDUSTRY?

There is a rumor that hat sales dropped off significantly in 1962 when John F. Kennedy became President of the United States. The story has been oft-repeated – even in some reputable books and articles – that he did not wear the traditional top hat to his inauguration. The alleged breach of protocol sent the hat sales into a tailspin. The story, as several photographs have proven, is untrue. He did wear a top hat. However, as recounted in Neil Steinberg’s book “Hatless Jack,” Kennedy never liked hats despite exhortations by the Hat Corporation of America, the largest hat company, that he wear one for the good of the country. The hat simply did not fit into JFK’s vision of “The New Frontier.”

So what did kill the hat? Many theories abound. Hat sales declined momentously during the 1940’s as supplies became scare because of World War II. Some also speculate that returning GI’s did not want to swap a uniform hat for a business hat. Still, the trade associations worked hard to keep hats on the heads of American men and especially in movies from Hollywood.

GQ magazine’s “Style Guy” Glenn O’Brien, in his new book “How to Be a Man: A Guide to Style and Behavior for the Modern Gentleman,” hypothesizes that the hat’s disappearance was the “by-product” of “the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.” Most men of that time, like rock stars, wore their hair long and “proud manes refused to be contained.”

But styles of both hat and hair ebb and flow. O’Brien writes that today “it seems once more that a man needs a hat to be fully dressed.”

 

[Shangas]

Brian, Bennett's adorable and very sweet with the hat on.

How old is he?

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Brian, Bennett's adorable and very sweet with the hat on.

How old is he?

He is 4 and a half. The "and a half" is very important to him. We think he is actually going on 14. Thank you for the comment.

 

[Talbot]

Great article - thanks for sharing. Here's to many more.

Kid looks good in a lid too!

T

 

[Matt Deckard]

Congratulations. Any hat press is good press!

 

[DesertDan]

Well done sir, congrats! A very nice article and it's great to see some father - son time spent in a hat store!

 

[Cashmere]

+1 on all the kudos! A very well done piece.

 

[skyvue]

Very nicely done, Brian. I don't agree that wide brims and high crowns should be avoided -- plenty of Fed wearers sport them with no intention of mimicking Indiana Jones -- but that's a minor point in a well-crafted story.

 

[John in Covina]

A fine toe dipping piece.

 

[PADDY]

A very enjoyable piece Brian. And thanks for the TFL mention !!

 

[RBH]

Very good!!!

 

[Shangas]

Hi Brian,

I'd like to say that today, I read your article once again just to affirm what a fine piece of writing it is. Concise, interesting and well thought-out.

Today, I wrote an article for my blog to mark its 2nd anniversary (29th October, 2009-29th October, 2011). Last time I wrote an anniversary post, it was about the resurgence of straight-razor shaving amongst men. For this year's anniversary, I decided to write about the resurgence of mens' hats and a brief history on popular hat-styles of the 19th and 20th centuries. You (and others here) might find it interesting.

I hope I got all my facts correct, or I'll never hear the end of it! It will be up to read in just a couple of hours' time (and will probably there by the time you read this message). I'd appreciate any feedback on this posting in particular, from members of the Lounge.

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Very nicely done, Brian. I don't agree that wide brims and high crowns should be avoided -- plenty of Fed wearers sport them with no intention of mimicking Indiana Jones -- but that's a minor point in a well-crafted story.

You are correct about that point. After it was published, I thought I could have done more with matching the crown and brim size to the lapel width of your coat to create a symmetrical look. Then again, it might to be much "inside baseball" for the average reader. Fitting the hat to the overall head/face shape is probably more important unless you are into proper dressing. If that is the case, my article probably wouldn't tell you much that you didn't already know.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! This month's piece is an interview with George Hamilton.