The Fedora style

[Roaring Days]

Because I generally do not….. I just love these styles of hats and enjoy wearing them. I see a lot on this web site references to ‘Vintage’ and I am wondering if these things go hand in hand.

 

[Dinerman]

nah- not really.
you can wear just about any hat with any clothes.

 

[DOUGLAS]

A good hat will go with just about anything and make everything look that much better.

 

[Roaring Days]

Do we think that the wearing of hats in this day and age is a little ‘vintage’ and this is why the association with this style comes from. I agree that hats tend to suit most types of clothing, yet I can’t help but feel that we who wear hats are destined to be pigeon holed into a vintage type era. This is not helped by my wife, who keeps on calling me ‘grandpa’ every time I wear my Flat Cap and hates my Fedora….

 

[MattJH]

For whatever it's worth, I've no interest in film noir / golden age / vintage clothing / etc. I just like hats.

 

[Bogie]

Despite my love for film-noir and vintage clothing in general, I agree with Dinerman, Douglas and Dumbjaw.

By the same token, does wearing a Bowler necessarily make you pine for a return of the stylings of Britian during the 19th century, or a horse racer in the Kentucky Derby?

Nope, it simply means you like the hat.

 

[scotrace]

2000 years of head covering, 30 years of hatlessness. Those without something on their heads are odd man out.

It's got nothing to do with liking vintage per se; a good-looking, brimmed hat is sensible, more healthy, and attractive.

 

[Wesne]

I have a fondness for vintage items in general, including things like tools and appliances, but I don't really dress vintage. I do stick with natural fibers - wool instead of synthetic fleece, cotton instead of polyester - and while most of my clothing is new, it's also mostly of a classic enough style that I will wear it out before it goes out of fashion.

I appreciate well-made things that are functional and beautiful at the same time. I wear a vintage mechanical wristwatch and have a vintage refrigerator in my kitchen, and I collect vintage firearms, specifically military rifles, which are both relatively inexpensive (as long as you stay away from Nazi and U.S. stuff) and a great example of the melding of utilitarian and aesthetic sensibilities that used to be the norm. The fedora, I believe, is another example. It has a beautiful form that does not get in the way of its function.

 

[Pat_H]

Certain types of hats seem fairly timeless, the Fedora being one.

I'll wear my Fedora on rainy days (which is pretty much when I wear it) with a modern synthetic fleece lined jacket, or sometimes, if I'm wearing a sports coat or suit, with a trench coat. At least in the case of the jacket, I'm not sending a vintage message at all.

To the extent post 1930s fedoras seem vintage, its for the same reason the newsboy caps (which I frequently wear) do to the uninitiated. Any hat, other than a baseball hat, seems vintage to those who aren't too familiar with hats.

 

[Samsa]

I found this site, and have been addicted to it, for one reason - I like hats. I own no other pieces of vintage clothing other than my hats. If I had the money to peruse stores for vintage suits I would, but alas, that day will probably not come for a while.

To reiterate what was said above - a nice looking fedora tends to add style to most outfits.

 

[tonyb]

The short answer: No.
My perspective overlaps to varying degees with all the people ahead of me in this thread. I'm more a fan of style than fashion, if you know what I mean. I prefer the (relatively) timeless look. Blue jeans are just fine in my book, so long as they have no more ornamentation than a simple pattern stitched to the rear patch pockets. And a good-looking sport coat is a good-looking sport coat, no matter when it was made.
Hats differ somewhat in that they really did make them better (and in far better looking styles, IMNSHO) back before most of us here were born, so in this regard I am indeed a "vintage" fancier. Fortunately, fine old hats in good (or better) condition can still be had at reasonable prices, and custom hat makers can fix a guy up with just about any sort of hat he wants, provided he's prepared to part with three bills or more. (That's a bargain, it's safe to say, at least in comparison to what is available off the shelf these days.)

 

[deanglen]

Lord. no! I didn't get in here because I loved vintage. It was, is and will always be the hats. As anyone around here knows, I don't even lean toward fedoras...I prefer the fedora's military grandfather , but I've been wearing a a "newsboy" cap a lot lately and I find I like it quite a lot. I wouldn't rule out a nice fedora...I guess I just prefer something a little less formal and a bit more "field" friendly. I'm not very cosmopolitan and the whole high armhole suit thing just isn't that significant to me.
This look is my taste in vintage... I'd love to be that officer.

dean

 

[SinatraStyle]

Because I generally do not….. I just love these styles of hats and enjoy wearing them. I see a lot on this web site references to ‘Vintage’ and I am wondering if these things go hand in hand.

Roaring Days,

I wear a fedora most days of the week, especially in the winter and on rainy days. But with the exception of my wristwatch I don’t wear any other vintage clothing. I have some vintage interests in some areas, but not nearly to the extent found throughout much of the Fedora Lounge.

I have found that people associate my hat with being “old”. My wife doesn’t understand. She refers to me as an “old man” (it sounds like you can relate to this, Roaring Days).

Every once in a while people will realize just how functional a hat really is…usually during inclement weather. Just yesterday it was pouring rain as I was walking into work. I had just come through the door as a colleague was leaving the building. He said, “Sporting the hat again today, huh?” I turned and watched him leave and as soon as he ran into the downpour (with no umbrella) he looked back at me and my hat. He understood.

For me it’s not about new or vintage. Part of it is practicality. Much of it is reclaiming a largely forgotten style.

 

[LeeB]

Not necessarily vintage

I agree with the previous post on the level that although I do not, as a personal rule, like synthetic fabrics. I prefer cotton and wool clothing. I also have an affinity for classic or "old" things, outdoor and camping gear in particular. I wear fedora style hats on a daily basis but they sport leather rather than ribbon bands on them. This, in my opinion, this is more of a rugged or sporting appearance than a vintage dress hat.

 

[Pat_H]

Roaring Days,

I wear a fedora most days of the week, especially in the winter and on rainy days. But with the exception of my wristwatch I don’t wear any other vintage clothing. I have some vintage interests in some areas, but not nearly to the extent found throughout much of the Fedora Lounge.

I have found that people associate my hat with being “old”. My wife doesn’t understand. She refers to me as an “old man” (it sounds like you can relate to this, Roaring Days).

Every once in a while people will realize just how functional a hat really is…usually during inclement weather. Just yesterday it was pouring rain as I was walking into work. I had just come through the door as a colleague was leaving the building. He said, “Sporting the hat again today, huh?” I turned and watched him leave and as soon as he ran into the downpour (with no umbrella) he looked back at me and my hat. He understood.

For me it’s not about new or vintage. Part of it is practicality. Much of it is reclaiming a largely forgotten style.

Very well put, and again, almost identically my view.

It occurs to me that I do have some other vintage interest. I have some old watches, for example. But mostly I like stuff that works. A lot of older stuff, including older clothing, really works. Quite a few newer, fashionable things of all types (including clothes, and nifty new outdoor equipment) do not work as well, and haven't passed the test of time. Some of it does work very well. I guess I do catch myself being somewhat nostalgic about earlier eras, which were extremely far from perfect, but which did at least have a somewhat higher level of practicality about what works.

But on hats, I like good hats. I must admit it. But I like their practical function. How people forgot that, I have no idea. But, by the same token, a lot of people seem to have forgotten what a winter coat even serves to do.

 

[deanglen]

Let's hear it for the rugged look! I agree! I like it!

dean

 

[LeeB]

Ask my wife!

I'm not pretty enough to look anything other than "rugged".

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm not a vintage wearer of anything other than hats - and I wear those because I like the style and the cost fits my budget. I can afford and enjoy having a half-dozen $60-$100 hats acquired over time, but I'm simply not up for buying $200-$300 hats. Too many of my cars need tires.

To me, a men's blazer and tie are fairly classic. I can wear a 40's hat with a navy or khaki blazer and aside from details of tie width and lapel cut, there's little difference with clothing of that period.

But basically, I've always liked hats and the FL has helped me make good choices about where to find them and what to wear. :eusa_clap

 

[PADDY]

No.

Do you have to love 'vintage' to wear Fedora style hats? NO.

 

[Lawman]

What an interesting post. I was drawn to wearing fedoras by my love of film noir, Raymond Chandler, Golden Era, etc.

That being said, I do not dress vintage. I wear nice, kind of timeless suits, sportcoats, shoes, etc. I buy them all new, so they are current.

That being said, when I am able, I am going to go MTM and have some suits made up to look like the 1940s styles (DB, wide shoulders, etc.).

I think it's all about the hats, for the most part.