Rules for wearing a straw hat

[Marc Chevalier]

Because of tradition.

[TEVYE]
Tradition, tradition! Tradition!
Tradition, tradition! Tradition!

[TEVYE & PAPAS]
Who, day and night, must scramble for a living,
Feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers?
And who has the right, as master of the house,
To have the final word at home?

The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.
The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.

[GOLDE & MAMAS]
Who must know the way to make a proper home,
A quiet home, a kosher home?
Who must raise the family and run the home,
So Papa's free to read the holy books?

The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!
The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!

[SONS]
At three, I started Hebrew school. At ten, I learned a trade.
I hear they've picked a bride for me. I hope she's pretty.

The son, the son! Tradition!
The son, the son! Tradition!

[DAUGHTERS]
And who does Mama teach to mend and tend and fix,
Preparing me to marry whoever Papa picks?

The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!
The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!


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[Marc Chevalier]

Back to the rules question. Why don't we just use the word "Conventions" instead of "Rules"? Some of us are more conventional that others, some more unconventional.

A wise, wise idea. I vote yes :eusa_clap

.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I reached in the closet for a comfortably worn straw fedora. A felt hat would have been too hot.

As the duo from the What Not To Wear show would say, "Our work is done."

.

 

[TaxMan1]

<sighing> Ah, tradition!

 

[dhermann1]

"Rules"

I suspect a lot of this hide bound traditionalism goes back to Europe and England in particular, when class distictions were much more odious. Not knowing "the rules" marked you as being "not our sort".

 

[vonwotan]

If memory serves -history lessons, I'm not really that old - the rules for dress and behaviour in 19th century New York were adhered to more rigidly than in the societies they sought to emulate. Washington Square by Henry James gives us glimpse.

 

[Frederick Chook]

A convert is always more devout than a born believer; a colonial is always more respectable than a continental.

Plus, for folks such as I who idolise painters and poets, or folks such as those around here who idolise actors: these people are artists! They don't give a fig for rules. They wear odd shoes and drape themselves in scraps they picked up in Mongolia. They sleep all day and argue all night. They starve for months until they get a commission, then drink for a week and resume starving. They're no-one's sort but their own, until they get popular enough that they're everybody's!

 

[Panamabob]

Some sneaky little holes poking through the front. This sort of gives it character, but is there any way to repair this?

You can send it back to Ecuador for reweaving. From experience, they'll think you are nuts for not putting the money into a new one.


You can wear a straw anytime you'd like!

 

[NDHoosier]

OK, here is my $.02 worth. If you need a coat, don't wear straw. If you don't need a coat, then wear your straw. I might be inclined to follow another set of rules if someone will just pass them.

OK, I'm a little late to this party.

I have often wondered when I should wear straw (I know, I know, don't worry about the fashion police). This is a GREAT rule of thumb!

I believe this is my first post, so...a bit of hat introduction:

Rule #1: I *NEVER* leave my apartment without a hat on. Ever.

My hat inventory:

FELTS: black homburg, gray bowler, gray fedora, navy blue fedora (my favorite), black pork pie, navy blue/dark purple ascot

FURRED: midnight blue ushanka

STRAWS: 2 fedoras, homburg

LINEN: newsboy

 

[RBH]

Welcome NDHoosier !!

Sounds like you have some nifty lids there.
The temp here is 77 as I type. I am wearing my thin ribboned Miller panama.

It is too warm for felt as I put out my pepper plants, so I shall enjoy the lightness of my panama and the fashion police be damned!

 

[johnnycanuck]

77 Fahrenheit!?! Man its 39 as a high today and we are expecting more snow before the end of the week. I think it will be a few more weeks before I need to be thinking about putting on a straw hat.
Johnny

 

[Dinerman]

Yeah- it's 77 here too.
Plopped on my Adam panama and my sunglasses.

 

[akaBruno]

Global Warming has changed the rules.

BRUNO

 

[Mr. Rover]

AHHHH Got outbid again on another boater...I'm starting to really need it here- it hit 79 today!

 

[Tomasso]

And I think lightweight and light-colored felts are fine all summer long, if that suits your fancy.

I could never wear felt in the Summer, I would swamp the thing out. [huh]

 

[akaBruno]

y'all are missing one great thing about a felt hat in heat. It helps to wick away that sweat.

Now... I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, but... I know a doctor and ... I'm usually right more often than he is.

 

[Tomasso]

y'all are missing one great thing about a felt hat in heat. It helps to wick away that sweat.

Yes, as evidenced by the salt stains.

 

[akaBruno]

Sweating whether you like it or not... cools the body. The head does seem to retain body temps though.

 

[HDRnR]

Getting ready for the heat...

Just ordered a Biltmore Managua...

 

[dhermann1]

You can send it back to Ecuador for reweaving. From experience, they'll think you are nuts for not putting the money into a new one.
You can wear a straw anytime you'd like!

I just might do that.