Were center dents more common in England?

[Kishtu]

Here is another thought (which is just me thinking at a keyboard again)

I wonder how far the migration of certain working groups from country to country, would affect the fashions?
Just pondering to myself because I know a lot of Cornish families emigrated in the early years of the last century to countries where their mining expertise was valued.... I wonder how far they took their home-style with them?

 

[Edward]

Here is another thought (which is just me thinking at a keyboard again)

I wonder how far the migration of certain working groups from country to country, would affect the fashions?
Just pondering to myself because I know a lot of Cornish families emigrated in the early years of the last century to countries where their mining expertise was valued.... I wonder how far they took their home-style with them?

Makes sense to me - it happened with music. As far as I understand it, Celtic folk tunes were at the roots of bluegrass and hillbilly, which was the European contribution to rock and roll..... the link between African folk and gospel and the blues is established too. Don't see why it wouldn't have happened with clothes.

 

[fatwoul]

...If it's just someone in the street I would just smile and thank them - a longer term acquaintance I might swing the coversation round to "actually it's a panama / fedora / whatever", but in the street it could come over as being an elitist sneer when really somebody was being nice...

Absolutely - a guy sat next to me on the bus yesterday, and asked if I was wearing a panama. Again, I was in my Federation, so since we were sat on a bus I did explain the differences, and he seemed genuinely interested. The difference is that he asked, so I took that to mean he wanted information. Then he said I wore it well and it was very stylish, which was nice of him. The compliments really do come as a little treat when they happen, don't they?

...Not enough people compliment others on the street anymore, I like to encourage it! I think folks in the UK just associate any soft, brimmed hat in vaguely that style with being a Trilby - in pracitc,e it's almost like the cravat / acsot distinction in usage, it seems to me (i.e. Fedora in the US, Trilby in the UK). I suppose it's simply a symptom of hats not being popular nowadays - if very few folks wear them, most people won't really know that much about one from the other. Like asking my mother what car somebody drives - she'll say "a red one" or whatever, might not know if it's a Ford or a Rover. I'm not much better myself. lol We're neither of us drivers.

Good for you and your mother. I don't drive either. I don't have a licence. I know how to drive though, in case of some kind of zombie emergency. But my little sister just got hers and I am very pleased about it.

Anyway, you're right - part of wearing something different to the norm has to be the acceptance that other people won't necessarily know about it.

 

[Edward]

Absolutely - a guy sat next to me on the bus yesterday, and asked if I was wearing a panama. Again, I was in my Federation, so since we were sat on a bus I did explain the differences, and he seemed genuinely interested. The difference is that he asked, so I took that to mean he wanted information.

Certainly - it's great being able to discuss information like that with people who find it all so new and interesting. Who knows, maybe in a few week's time you'll see the same guy sitting on the bus in a fedora of his own.

Then he said I wore it well and it was very stylish, which was nice of him. The compliments really do come as a little treat when they happen, don't they?

Certainly! I went out to an event put together by the Ministry of Burlesque back in, I think it was July or early August - a night of Victorian music-hall style entertainment, entitled victorian Values. Superb show, really good fun. Anyhow. In recent years I have been emboldened to dress for an event without caring if I'll be the only one (I'm quite sure Rocky Horror has helped enormously in that respect ), so I went in black tie with an ivory, sb shawl collar jacket as a concession to the season - and my panama. I'm well used to having people make all sorts of comments, and usually i have some easy riposte - "well, it's Saturday night, darling, one of us had to make an effort" and the like. Interestingly, though, (and it's a trend I've noticed over the past few years) very few people want to take the Mickey - far more people who actually comment want to compliment and say how great it looks. It really is nice. Actually, it makes me more inclined to compliment other people, too. Often I'm far too shy or worried it'll be taken as a pick up line (I mean, I'll say pretty much anything to anyone when I'm dressed as Dr Frank'n'Furter, but that's a whole nother can o' worms!) or whatever, but the difference it makes to me when somebody says something genuinely nice, it's great to be able to do the same for other folks who look fabulous.

Good for you and your mother. I don't drive either. I don't have a licence. I know how to drive though, in case of some kind of zombie emergency. But my little sister just got hers and I am very pleased about it.

I'm glad it's not only me that thinks about the zombie plague, lol .... (my big worry there is what we'll do as a non-gun society. I'm all about banning the guns, but all the same faced with a pack of zombies and much as blades don't require reloading, I'd much rather be equipped with a ranged weapon!). I got my licence way back when. I never enjoyed driving, but in small-town Ireland you don't have much choice, unless you want to wait three days for the next bus into town, or get home after 9pm or such. Now I live in the middle of the East End, it seems pointless really to go to the expense of running a car (I doubt I could afford it anyhow) when I have two 24 hour bus services on my doorstop, and four or five tube stations within easy walking distance. I'm a big fan of public transport - never miss having a car.

Anyway, you're right - part of wearing something different to the norm has to be the acceptance that other people won't necessarily know about it.

Yes - and there's nothing wrong with enjoying the sense of being the cognescenti as long as we don't look down on the others!

 

[RBH]

Thanks everyone for your insights.

 

[deanglen]

in case of some kind of zombie emergency.

What? A "Shaun of the Dead" thing? lol


dean

 

[Benzadmiral]

There's a thought - why is it called a Trilby?

I thought it was after the character in the novel by George du Maurier, for some reason... hence the capitalisation....

I think it was because the character wore that style of hat in the popular stage production based on the novel. Wikipedia says, "The story of the poor artist's model Trilby O'Ferrall, transformed into a diva under the spell of the evil musical genius Svengali, created a sensation. Soap, songs, dances, toothpaste, and even a city in Florida were all named for the heroine, and the variety of soft felt hat with an indented crown that was worn in the London stage dramatization of the novel, is known to this day as a trilby."

Odd that the other term for a man's hat, "fedora," was also inspired by a female character, Victorien Sardou's Fedora.

 

[danofarlington]

While watching the 'hat' channel last night there were a couple of English films playing.
Most all of the fedoras had center dents .
It makes me wonder if the center dent was more common there and {as I had made mention in another thread}that the c-crown or variation of a c-crown was more common here in the States.

I don't know if it was more common there, but if so I salute them, because I like hats but don't like the C crown.