The Hat Confessional Thread

[MattJH]

Do you regularly break the rules of hat etiquette? Do you disregard standard hat treatment practices? Do you wear sneakers with your homburgs? If you do, this thread is for you! The intent is good-natured fun. Nothing serious. Just a bit of personal demon exorcism is all.

I'll start!

I've been known to store my hats with the brim already snapped down. I never snap the brim up, anyway, you know?

I do not switch to straws on Straw Hat Day (May 15th) and I do not switch to felts on Felt Hat Day (September 15th). I just wear what's comfortable.

I do not wear a hat every day at all. Maybe a few times a week, depending on my mood, the weather, my destination, what I plan on doing, what I'm already wearing, etc.

Speaking of wearing, the last time I wore a suit was at a wedding. I wear my hats with t-shirts, button-down shirts, hooded sweatshirts, denim jeans, khaki shorts, Nike / Adidas sneakers, no-show athletic socks... but not suits! Truth be told, I don't even own a suit anymore, so that could be a big reason why. I need to change that. Every man needs at least one. Yikes. I have failed me.

I love baseball caps. I have several different fitted styles for the Phillies (New Era) and Eagles (Reebok), and even own an orange one from Brooks Brothers, who are my clothier of choice for just about anything.

I do not follow any rules of hat etiquette; I just make sure not to bother anybody and I use my best judgment / common sense. So far, so good, but I may have to pay extra special care were I to meet any of you.

I'm sure I'll add more as time goes on and these sorts of things become more evident, but in the meantime, your turn!

 

[ScottF]

confession

Normally I give some thought as to what hat should go with what shirt, etc. But the other day it was bright and sunny and I was about to walk out the door with blue jeans, sandals and blue tie-dye shirt, which would have been fine. But since it's been getting cool at night, I grabbed my black leather jacket and carbon Borsalino fedora. I was either hip, or a slob...but I was functional.

 

[Lefty]

I dislike about half of the custom hats posted here. Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it should be made.

I don't understand the popularity of the Stratoliner. The aviation theme is fun, but the hat just isn't special.

During the Summer, it's often far too hot to wear any hat -so I don't.

My poorly made, heavily tapered, wonky-brimmed, modern Borso gets far more compliments than any of my other felts.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

about anything having to do with what people say is the right thing to do regarding hatz.

I wear what I want to wear whenever I want to wear it. And if I don't want to wear what people think I should wear then I don't wear it.

I don't like half the hats I see here and I don't care to see the other half that I haven't seen.

But the Fedora Lounge is a great place to come and discuss the fine points of hats.

I think that about covers it. [huh]

 

[barrowjh]

Cry!!

I wear hats all the time now. It started out as a sun protection thing, then morphed into caring about how the hat looks (fashion), and then two years have gone by, and now when I venture out the door without one on, I immediately know something is wrong.

I understand now why men wore 'night' caps or some other forms of head/skull caps indoors in the past; after going out to get the morning newspaper on a cool morning, I find that keeping the hat on keeps me warm; I really don't begin to notice 'too warm' until maybe 30 minutes to an hour later. Sometimes, if I remove my hat too soon after fetching the paper, I start sneezing!

I use the fur felt fedoras for winter, which is roughly Nov-March, but depending on the day's forecast, can be any day from Oct-May! I use the thin-ribbons as a 'bridge' from fedoras to straws, so they tend to get wear in April-June and Sept-Oct time frame, or any summer day with a good chance for rain. In the hot summer, if rain is not imminent, then wear the straws of course.

I think the popularity of the Stratoliner has to do with that name becoming a generic title for thin-ribbon fedoras with a snap brim, in comparison to the Open Road (thin ribbon with a flat brim). Of course this is not entirely true (there are Open Roads with snap brims!), but I think it has become a common association. The thin-ribbon snap brims are a sort of informal fedora style that went with jeans in vintage times, and continues to fit into that role, though I wear regular fedoras with jeans in the winter.

I really love to wear them all - have a few hombergs and bowlers, and they are different, takes some time to get comfortable with the different brim (pencil curl up), but I enjoy them all. I tend to wear the pencil-curls on overcast days when rain is not imminent, as otherwise, I want the sun protection of the wider brimmed fedoras (or to keep rain off of my glasses).

I don't really want to wear my fedora while eating in a restaurant, but sometimes it seems fitting. Sometimes the restaurant is cold! If there is no convenient place to put my hat, and there are men wearing 'roid caps in the restaurant, I see no need to take off my fedora. My wife strongly disagrees, so this is a point of contention in these situations.

When I store a hat 'till next season, I will snap the brim up all around, but I do not bother to 'open' the crown.

I don't tip my hat to ladies.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I dislike about half of the custom hats posted here ...

In a crowded room that's rife with back-slapping comes a breath of fresh air. :eusa_clap

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[carter]

I don't wear a hat more often than I do.
I wear my Ebbets Field Flannels baseball cap more than any fedora.
I agree with Lefty regarding the Stratoliner.
Beyond common courtesy, hat etiquette makes no difference to me.
I have no interest in being a hat collector.
I have far more hats than I will ever wear.
I'd gladly trade a hat for another item that I am interested in.
I plan on selling at least 75% of the fedoras and straws that I own as soon as the market improves.

 

[Bingles]

I do wear a fedora everyday of the year.. except doing yard work or working out outside.. then I wear a baseball cap. BUT.. the custom hat comment... yea, many of them make me wonder - and/or cringe.... though if it makes the wearer happy, then it was worth every penny.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I've never felt as comfortable wearing fedoras as I do newsboy caps. It's this discomfort that will send nearly all of mine to eBay, once the market improves.

Open Road fedora overkill has turned me off from them.

I tried wearing a fedora with a Hawaiian shirt, but it looked and felt ludicrous on me.

The slang term "lid" rubs me the wrong way. Sounds corny, IMO

Fedoras look best to me when they're abused rather than pampered.

My wife thinks I look silly in fedoras.


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[billyspew]

I only own one vintage item of clothing (other than hats), due to the fact everyone must have been tiny before 1980.

I have a large collection of baseball caps. I wearing them too.

News boys remind me too much of whippets and pigs on rope types for me to ever wear one.

I think I have a mild form of OCD.

I own over 200 T-Shirts. They're folded using a clothes folder and ordered in my drawers by colour so I can find them (see above).

I think I'm the only British man to get baseball and actually enjoy sitting down and watching games on my own.

Panamas make me think of the Man from Del Monte.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Uh-oh -- this forum is unraveling before our very eyes!

Cheers,

Jimmy the Chapeau

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Uh-oh -- this forum is unraveling before our very eyes!

On the contrary: this thread is candid and cathartic.


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[Chasseur]

While I love wearing hats and do wear a hat about every day, I have to admit I don't own that many and I'm not that interested in owning that many. Felt fedora for colder weather, panama for hot, a more formal hat (homburg or topper) for formal wear (if you wear it often), a flat cap or two for casual, and perhaps a beater fedora for outside stuff (I have, "ghast" a wool Argentine one that looks great and has held up over many hiking and hunting adventures over the years).

 

[DOUGLAS]

I wear a fedora or some other type of brimmed hat everyday.
I have many hats that don't fit me or I won't ever wear but I want them anyway because I like the way they look and don't care if they are ever worn.
I have retired some hats because I don't think I will find another like them and I don't want them damaged.
I like having multiples of the same hat.
I do not own a pair of jeans or sneakers(although I just bought timberland sneaker type of shoes for my trip).
I enjoy posting pictures of me and my hats.
I feel odd if I leave the house with out a hat.
It annoys me if my hat does not match what I am wearing.
I know I have hats that I have not seen in a few years.
I have taken out the leather sweat on several hats so I can roll them for travel.

 

[carouselvic]

Marc, that old Panama hat just doesn't look right on you. Rather than pay those exorbanent Ebay fees, I'll go ahead and take it off your hands. This is just the kind of buddy I am. TLH

 

[Michaelshane]

I think I love this thread.....

 

[GClark]

I wear a hat every day - but I'll wear felt in the summer or with jeans. I don't (yet ) wear felt with shorts, but I think a Panama looks fine.

I don't remove my hat when I "should" but it is inconvenient.

I used to think that tapered brim hats looked better than the more straight sided ones, but that is changing for me.

I have a hard time wearing my "best" hats - don't want to get them messed up.

I almost never wear a baseball cap.

I get really tired of people calling me "Indy".

I don't like people to touch my hats.

 

[Nick D]

I own exactly one pair of nice shoes, and they are black.

I wear a nice fur felt fedora with everything, be it a vintage suit or jeans, t-shirt, and hiking boots.

I don't particularly like action back and belt back suit jackets, and will probably never own one.

 

[feltfan]

I think this thread should distinguish between personal confession
and criticism of others. In the area of personal confession, it is
easier to know what to confess if we have a predefined set of sins.
Having read Matt's and some of the other confessions here, I have
a whole new appreciation of the confession booth and attendant
privacy.

WRT criticism of others, here's hoping this doesn't get out of
hand- some known predilections of specific members have already
been broached.

We might need someone to suggest how a particular confession
might be paid for...

That said, my confessions:

- I almost never wear a tie (despite having many fine ones)
- I almost never wear a suit (despite having fine suits and blazers)
- I, too, admit the sin of multiples of beloved hats, when possible
- I almost always wear denim
- I loathe baseball & trucker caps, except perhaps some of
those old fashioned ones with sweatbands and good wool construction
- I cannot love the type A-2 jacket
- I thought "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was a largely forgettable movie.

The funniest line here so far:
"Open Road fedora overkill has turned me off from them."
As if we saw so many out and about- Marc, it's a sign you're
reading this site too much!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

... Marc, it's a sign you're
reading this site too much!

No truer words were spoken! lol

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