Trendy Guys in Trendy Fedoras

[Mr Maltby]

This was inspired by the hats in the news thread.

I notice alot of hostility towards guys who arent like us wearing fedoras. I think......Well...Ok, here goes. Dont blast me too hard. But I think its fine.

These guys wearing them today, are no different than guys wearing them back then. For as much as I adore the past, the guys then were just following trends, just the same as guys now do. In my mind its the main thing that sets us apart from the men we so admire. We have to make the conscious effort to be 100 percent class. Prostitutes from then wore nicer dresses than most wealthy young ladies do today.

Did you see Cary Grant wearing those wonderful 30's suits in Charade? No, because it wasn't what was current. Did you see the nice big 1940's brim on Bobby Darin when he was making those movies with Sandra Dee? No. Now the late 50s and early 60s are my favorite point in time, but im saying this to make a point. There were trends in the golden era, same as there are today.

It was more of a requirement than a luxury in those days. Much like pants are today. 50 years from now....who knows? But if we see a kid walking around wearing a fedora because its the latest trend-- Who cares? Its another person wearing a fedora. And thats good business.

 

[RBH]

Amen!

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Tomasso]

Did you see Cary Grant wearing those wonderful 30's suits in Charade? No, because it wasn't what was current..

IMO, while CG did stay current he maintained his style by not going to extremes. His suits did slim down in the 60's but they weren't nearly Sy Devore. And, CG had the physique to accommodate the vicissitudes of fashion, where most don't.

 

[Mr Maltby]

Two things, sir.

The first is that this post is not about Cary Grants physique --or his ability to pull off a fashion at any point in time. It is demonstrating a point that the golden era was subject to trends with mass following, no different than that of today.

Secondly, since you brought it up. Please do not tell me, that you do not see a difference.

Respectfully,

Kevin

 

[BigSho]

Well said Kevin . . .

I whole heartedly agree with you on every point you made. People have their own style, generations have their own style, and I think that all of it is great. It shows an effort to look good and present yourself in a respectable way. I get no more pleasure then seeing any sort of outfit being literally completed with the right hat. Just the other day I sold a Christy's Trilby to a hip hop artist, and he wore it with jeans a t-shirt and a sport coat with gym shoes and it looked great if you ask me. I have a customer who is 76 and a ballroom dancer who wears colors like lime green and purple and he always looks like a million bucks. It is a matter of who you are and what you like, and as long as it is done well you will get a compliment and a kudos from me.

Jeremy
Hats Plus Ltd.

 

[Tomasso]

The first is that this post is not about Cary Grants physique --or his ability to pull off a fashion at any point in time. It is demonstrating a point that the golden era was subject to trends with mass following, no different than that of today.

Oh, OK, Sorry. Forgive me for straying off your topic, it won't happen again.Yes, there were, are and will be trends. (I brought up CG's physique to illustrate that most of the people who participate in fashion trends have bodies that are ill-suited to the particular style that is "in". And, that CG's model physique was ideally suited for such variances.

Secondly, since you brought it up. Please do not tell me, that you do not see a difference.

As I said, CG did stay current, as the lapels in the photos indicate, but the overall cut of his suits, while slimmed down, never went to the extreme.

 

[Lieutenant]

I think we all do our own thing in one way or another.

 

[Mr Maltby]

Tomasso -

When I signed my note to you with 'respectfully,' I genuinely meant just that--respect. I really like everything you contribute around here, and hope that we have more pleasant interludes. I question if my differing from your opinion has offended you to the point where a remark such as apologizing for straying from my topic, was warrented. But, I will take that at face value rather than the intended. I truly hope this is done, so we can get back to what were all here for-- the unified enjoyment of the fedora lounge.

To better encounters,

Kevin

 

[ideaguy]

I'm going to further stir the soup- one star with a physique that made all his
clothes look suspect was Victor Mature. There was a shot of him in the post about haglude's paper on fedora's and their influence on culture- ol' Victor had a body and face that were so completely unique among all the other cookie-cutter
big suit-big hat guys, you either loved him or hated him. Had a real lounge lizard
look, IMO, excepting the parts when he wore nought but a loin cloth and stuck
his head into lions' mouths, battled the hordes, etc. But- the mug could wear a hat with an attitude-just a few degrees up or down and he was a totally different character.

 

[Sefton]

It doesn't bother me to see trendy guys wearing a fedora. Especially if it's a quality one and they look good in it. The problem I have with these trendy guys if that with the fedora they only look good from the top of the ears up (usually).

Allmost anything is better than the ubiquitous ballcap. A fedora is a great style of hat, but it's just a hat after all so I don't let the trends bug me.

 

[The Wolf]

Fine point, Mr Maltby

I don't mind people wearing fedoras to be trendy. They bring attention to a fine style of hat and give hat makers work.
I used to get annoyed when trends picked up something I sincerely liked but I realised the upside: when the trend dies a while I have more of what I like to choose from and usually at a sale price.
For instance I've been a fan of Leonardo for most of my life. When people move from The Da Vinci Code to another obsession I should be able to clean up on Leonardo goodies.

Sincerely,
THE
__WOLF

 

[Mr Maltby]

HAH! Sefton! yes, it is sad to see someone be all class from the neck up, But...I guess its more than they had before. Wolf-- I will keep my eyes peeled for anything davinci that is crazy that you may not have seen.

 

[The Wingnut]

I'll admit to being one that takes potshots at modern trends and fashion...I find so much of what's currently popular to be absurd and grating.

A lot of it has to do with perspective. It's great to see fedoras making a little bit of a comeback, but at the same time, the comeback isn't what some would like it to be. Fashion statements - especially garish or outlandish ones - are nothing new and have always had the intent to grab attention, often by being outlandish or even offensive in nature. It certainly gets a response!

For me, the 1930s had it all...architecture, music, industrial / machine age technology merging into the modern(e), movies/talkies, the golden age of aviation, the maturing of the automobile, and clothing styles that somehow seemed to transcend their own era and remain fresh and timeless more than a half century later. Seeing that style being - pardon the term - bastardized and hailed as a great statement just gets me all knotted up...something screams, 'You're doing it wrong!' Then again, who am I to judge? We all discover our own style over time, and the 18 year old kid buying a corduroy trilby from Old Navy might be inspired to look farther later on and recognize the quality of a fur felt fedora once he's discovered it.

My first fedora was a khaki cotton job with a white polyester pugaree and metal vent grommets in the crown that my parents bought for me at Disneyland. I put on a brown suede jacket and thought I was Indy Jones. Seems absurd to me now. I didn't know any better. I got laughed at then and I'd probably get laughed at here and now if I hadn't learned.

I want style, class and substance without pretentiousness, fanfare or self-aggrandizing gaudiness. News services lauding the 'latest and greatest based on the old and bold' seem to fall far short of that. Progress purely for the sake of progress and something new and different just because it's new and different isn't always such a good thing.

I suppose I come off hostile, but I'm just cynical.

 

[44forrest]

As long as there is capitalism there will be trends. "How can we sell some more?"

 

[Feraud]

I'm going to further stir the soup- one star with a physique that made all his
clothes look suspect was Victor Mature. There was a shot of him in the post about haglude's paper on fedora's and their influence on culture- ol' Victor had a body and face that were so completely unique among all the other cookie-cutter
big suit-big hat guys, you either loved him or hated him. Had a real lounge lizard
look, IMO, excepting the parts when he wore nought but a loin cloth and stuck
his head into lions' mouths, battled the hordes, etc. But- the mug could wear a hat with an attitude-just a few degrees up or down and he was a totally different character.

Here is a shot of Vic from Kiss of Death

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Back to topic. While I have been known to take a potshot or two at trendy fellows I hope to keep my comments in perspective. The majority of people living in any age are trendy!
My wife once asked me if the regular guy (the majority) in the past knew as much about hats and clothes as the Loungers do. I said probably not!
Their experiences were probably like 95% of the people who shop at The Gap. They walk in, see what is on the rack and buy it. I doubt there was much checking for jacket armhole height, matching hat brim and lapel width with personal height and weight. Life was a matter of walking into a department store and purchasing a suit.

If I knock the trendy fedora wearers today it is only because I am a curmudgeon and would have done it 60 years ago too!

 

[feltfan]

My wife once asked me if the regular guy (the majority) in the past knew as much about hats and clothes as the Loungers do. I said probably not!

I think Feraud is getting close to the central issue here.
Yes, the average guy did not know all that much about hat
making and hat styles as we do now, with the benefit of
study and hindsight over the decades.

What I believe is being missed here is the degree to which
the 1930s and 1940s was an entirely different culture than
what we have today. The hat played a role it simply cannot now.

First of all, the average guy could walk into a store and be fairly
confident that the Stetson or Mallory or Dobbs or Cavanagh or
Knox or even Adams or Stevens hat he bought was a quality product
that would hold up and look classy. He didn't have to think about
it all that much, aside from concern that he was keeping up with
the latest fashion. So that whole part of our conversation about
quality did not occur to him, beyond price and preference. That,
I think, is what Mr. Maltby means by, "We have to make the conscious effort".

It is to some degree the role of culture to set a standard, whether
it be in ethics, aesthetics, or fashion. The fact is that the average
Joe could waltz in to the average clothing store and would walk out
with fabulous stuff because the overall standard was higher. Particularly
for hats.

Today the average Joe walks in to Banana Republic or Brooks Brothers
or Nordstroms or Mervyns and unless he knows his clothing cuts, fabric,
and particular taste, who knows what he'll walk out with. And forget
about hats. Sorry BigSho, Aaron, et al, most of the hats people walk
out with today are gimmicks, not quality articles of clothing. They are
of a quality that goes with t-shirts and Nikes, not even good jeans
and a presentable Gap shirt. So the deck is stacked against
the average Joe.

I guess the upside is, the more people who wear hats, even crummy
hats, the more money in the industry and the better chance that some
day there will be a market big enough to support a healthy felt industry.
Maybe.

To get back to the point, my objection to the look I see with
crummy fedoras is that they don't get the entire historical context
when wearing the hat because Kid Rock or Britney Spears is wearing one.
This worked in the 40s- get the clothes that Grant or Bogie wore
and you would be okay. But the majority will always be products of
their society and today our society on the whole has crummy aesthetics.
Take it from me, I have been in the car market. P-U. I'm not
condoning ignorance, but I'm not blaming the victim either.

So the guys wearing those fedoras Mr. Maltby is talking about are
not different, in that the role of the average Joe in fashion has not
changed. But society has changed around him. Don't get me wrong:
I rarely wear suits, or even sportscoats with my hats. Unlike a lot of
people here, I think the jeans and t-shirts ushered in by the 60s and 70s
counterculture is a good thing, in that it allowed people a choice to
dress casually and focus on other issues if they wish. I like my punk
rock as much as my big band music.

But when I wear hats, they are good hats. And that takes extra
effort and knowledge these days, which most people can't be expected
to do.

 

[jamespowers]

I'll admit to being one that takes potshots at modern trends and fashion...I find so much of what's currently popular to be absurd and grating.

A lot of it has to do with perspective. It's great to see fedoras making a little bit of a comeback, but at the same time, the comeback isn't what some would like it to be. Fashion statements - especially garish or outlandish ones - are nothing new and have always had the intent to grab attention, often by being outlandish or even offensive in nature. It certainly gets a response!

For me, the 1930s had it all...architecture, music, industrial / machine age technology merging into the modern(e), movies/talkies, the golden age of aviation, the maturing of the automobile, and clothing styles that somehow seemed to transcend their own era and remain fresh and timeless more than a half century later. Seeing that style being - pardon the term - bastardized and hailed as a great statement just gets me all knotted up...something screams, 'You're doing it wrong!' Then again, who am I to judge? We all discover our own style over time, and the 18 year old kid buying a corduroy trilby from Old Navy might be inspired to look farther later on and recognize the quality of a fur felt fedora once he's discovered it.

My first fedora was a khaki cotton job with a white polyester pugaree and metal vent grommets in the crown that my parents bought for me at Disneyland. I put on a brown suede jacket and thought I was Indy Jones. Seems absurd to me now. I didn't know any better. I got laughed at then and I'd probably get laughed at here and now if I hadn't learned.

I want style, class and substance without pretentiousness, fanfare or self-aggrandizing gaudiness. News services lauding the 'latest and greatest based on the old and bold' seem to fall far short of that. Progress purely for the sake of progress and something new and different just because it's new and different isn't always such a good thing.

I suppose I come off hostile, but I'm just cynical.

My thoughts exactly. I can only add that there is indeed a way to wear it wrong. On a fedora, the pinch should face the front---not the side---not the back. The hat should also be worn crown side up.

Regards,

J

 

[jamespowers]

Today the average Joe walks in to Banana Republic or Brooks Brothers or Nordstroms or Mervyns and unless he knows his clothing cuts, fabric,and particular taste, who knows what he'll walk out with. And forget
about hats. Sorry BigSho, Aaron, et al, most of the hats people walk
out with today are gimmicks, not quality articles of clothing.

Yes! And this all does more harm than good because it lowers standards of quality and what is expected of sartorial elegance that once was actually high as you mentioned.

Regards,

J

 

[melankomas]

The hat should also be worn crown side up.

lol that was choice.

 

[reetpleat]

Yeah, my only objection is how cheap the hats usually are and they look terrible to my eye.

Truthfully, if more people wore hats I would be able to avoid sometimes feeling awskward in a suit and hat. In SF I never minded, but Seattle is so casual, I sometimes feel a bit over the top in suit overcoat and hat. People here don't really get it.

I know I shouldn't let other peoples lack of style affect me but it does.

A big part of it is I am a single guy and I need to be able to be attractive to the opposte sex when I go out.