What do our hats really say about us, and more importantly, are they right?

[kaosharper1]

I always liked hats, but I didn't really start to wear them (outside of Winter) until I moved to the LA area. My dermatologist said that I'm a melanoma risk so I should wear hats. I decided that if I was going to wear a hat, at least I'd wear one with style. I generally don't like my fedoras to be "flashy" since just wearing one is flashy enough.

 

[Omne]

Good question. My wife suggested I wear one because she liked how it looked. I decided I liked how it looked too. I haven't given it much thought beyond that. I assume some people that see me think it looks good, others probably think it looks silly. The people that I work with, and that work for me, know I'm kind of unconventional ( my office is decorated with very plain Asian ceramics along with Southwestern ceramics ) so they probably just chalk it off as me being me.

As I mentioned once before, I don't wear hats with casual clothes but that's simply because I don't like how it looks.

 

[jwalls]

I don't know or care what my hats say about me to others. I like them, so I wear them. No one comments negatively about my hats, and those who comment positively are appreciated.

 

[Aureliano]

I don't know or care what my hats say about me to others. I like them, so I wear them. No one comments negatively about my hats, and those who comment positively are appreciated.

+1.

 

[hatophile]

I've always liked hats since I was a little guy. I have also been a fan of history and the "Good Ole' Days"
when all men wore hats. Since becoming middle aged, I have had less self consciousness over wearing hats, and when I do get comments, they are always favorable. Like others here, while I have some brand new hats,
I like the nostalgia and character associated with the vintage hats.

Also, like others, I am more conscious of sun exposure and the potential for damage to the skin and scalp. Having limited hair on top is a good excuse for wearing a cover. I should also say I wear mostly fedoras or OR type hats, but I am not against using a baseball cap if the situation calls for it.

Pompidou, your hat is very striking and unusual, but it's a great hat and you wear it with panache. I would peg you as a self-assured young man, but not flashy, just a guy who knows what he likes.

 

[scottyrocks]

I don't know what my hats say about me and I don't care. I wear what makes me smile when I see myself in the mirror.

 

[HeyMoe]

I love the collecting aspect of it as well as the history.
I love the thrill of the hunt.
I love finding something that seems as if it is at the end of it's useful life and cleaning, fixing, and reshaping it into something that can be used for many more years.
I enjoy the fellowship of fedora wearers and watching their hat victories.

Well Said!!!

 

[Oldsarge]

I got my first fedora because it reminded me of the classic style of the outdoors from Field and Stream of the 40's and 50's. Then, somewhere along the line, my hair thinned to the point that a day in the SoCal sun gave me a sunburn on the top of my head. Ever had that happen? You don't want a second time! Then I started hunting the Arctic and hats keep your head warm. And I got to Africa and it was sunshine all over again but this time with deliberate style. My father and uncles wore hats on occasion, my maternal grandfather did frequently. Perhaps a better question would be why not wear a hat?

 

[tonyb]

The only thing I'm confident my hat says about me is that I'm wearing a hat.

Whatever else it might "say" to others tells me more about those people than it does about me or my hat. I try not to concern myself much with that, though, not because I wholly disregard others' opinions, as I do indeed care what some people think (but only some, those whose opinions I respect) about some things (but only some, as many people have opinions on matters about which they know very little), but because there's not much I can do about what goes on in other peoples' minds.

Still, Pompidou, I respect your open acknowledgment that you chose a hat that would get you noticed. At least you know where you're coming from, right?

Oh, and by the way, it's a sharp hat. Here's hoping that my saying so means at least a little something to you.

 

[Dan'l]

If it were up to me, every man would wear a suit and fedora on a regular basis.

I wish it was up to you my friend.

 

[frussell]

I'm on the same page as TonyB. People's comments about your hat are usually a better indicator of what sort of person they are, not how you look. Never really much cared either way, I've had some type of felt hat in my possession since I was a year old or less. What does my hat say about me? That I live in one of the hottest areas in the continental United States, and I don't want to burn the tip of my nose off. That's all. Frank

 

[bowlerman]

There are a lot of real hat-wearers around here, to whom I give tremendous respect, but I know there are others like me, who don't really have a practical reason to wear and/or acquire them. My most practical hat around here would be a wool winter beanie, but I simply have cultivated an appreciation and fascination for these other brimmed head coverings. I wear hats based on my mood and the color/attitude of my surroundings; that is to say I'm admittedly playing a little bit of dress-up. Then again, we all make these aesthetic choices every morning we wake up and get dressed. It's just that some daily wear or workwear has more of a practical application than others.

I would like to add, Pompidou, that you wear that amazing hat with style and confidence. I really dig the look, even if I'd choose a different color for my own noggin.

 

[jlee562]

Part of the reason I wear hats is because they are anachronistic. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an "old soul," but I would be an "older soul" relative to my peers. I have no such nostalgia for the "Golden Era" as many here do. I do however, enjoy being different. Which is not to say that my attraction to hats is solely because they are different, but it's part of the allure, certainly. It's rare to find a peer of mine in a fedora, much less a vintage one, or a wider brim.

And, excuse my vanity, but I think I look good in hats. I feel quite comfortable integrating the vintage flair of a fedora into my otherwise pretty modern and utilitarian wardrobe.

 

[Florida_Marlin]

Hmm perhaps you are expressing your undying appreciation of the Village People? Most likely though you are trying to prevent head trauma. All kidding aside, my statement was about fashionable hats and more specifically fedoras and not about hats which serve a definite purpose such as a hard hat.

My aplogies if it appeared my comments were directed specifically to you. I was replying to the topic in general.

 

[O2BSwank]

For the rest of us, a fashionable hat makes a statement. Amongst fedora hat wearers you have attention seekers, trendy hipsters, nostalgists, social outcasts seeking an identity, Indy wannabes, "no one tells me what to do" curmudgeons, and even <gasp> people with fashion sense. Across all these groups the hat exists to convey a message. The message may vary, but the hat isn't just there to keep the sun off our heads no matter how much we may say otherwise.

I think Facade is on the right track for many of us. I like the aspect of being better dressed than the masses and the way I look in a Fedora. Also a bit nostalgic of the Golden Age.

 

[Dronak]

I don't think I'm trying to make any particular statement by wearing a hat. I kind of like the way fedoras look, and finally got one when a couple members of my family agreed that one I tried on in a store looked good on me. I wear that pretty regularly now. I think it helps me dress up my regular sort of business casual look a bit, and I like the feeling that comes with that.

As for what others think about my hat, I don't think I know much. I've gotten a small number of compliments from people at work (which kind of confirmed that my family's pick was a good one), and probably drawn some looks, too, but most who might be looking don't say anything. I do see some people at work with similar hats, so maybe it's not quite as unusual as at some other places, even if baseball caps still seem to be the most common type of hat I see. As long as no one's being rude or insulting or something about my hat (or anything similar for that matter), I don't worry too much about it as long as I like it.

 

[maxrob200]

I like the nostalgia associated with hats and since buying my first hat, have been wearing them regularly. I prefer hats to baseball caps, but acknowledge their practicallity when there is a potential for the hat to be damaged in some environments

 

[AtomicEraTom]

You and I both!

I wish it was up to you my friend.

 

[DavidJ]

Part of the reason I wear hats is because they are anachronistic. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an "old soul," but I would be an "older soul" relative to my peers. I have no such nostalgia for the "Golden Era" as many here do. I do however, enjoy being different. Which is not to say that my attraction to hats is solely because they are different, but it's part of the allure, certainly. It's rare to find a peer of mine in a fedora, much less a vintage one, or a wider brim.

And, excuse my vanity, but I think I look good in hats. I feel quite comfortable integrating the vintage flair of a fedora into my otherwise pretty modern and utilitarian wardrobe.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[SGT Rocket]

Did you really order a bright red hat? I didn't know Art had those..

Has...what do they "say about us"? To who?

I wear a hat because I like them. It keeps me warm on cold days, dry when it rains. I summer, I wear a very, very nice straw fedora..and to be honest, most people NEVER question the "look" or "wearing" of a straw Panama.

I wear a felt fedora because I choose to...it shades me, warms me, and wearing a nice jacket, sweater, or even a shirt...

the alternative BASEBALL CAP looks stupid, dumb, idiotic...

Yes..I am a MAN. I can wear a fedora. I don't have to worry about anyone's opinion on the subject.

As a matter of fact, perhaps due to my having worn won for over 8 years..and being over 50...
NOBODY ever comments.

I agree with you, atomic era tom, and Hats Enough. I've had a couple of bouts of skin cancer on my head and my doc doesn't like me to go out with out a lid. I am also 43, so I don't get much flack from people on my hats. Also, I've noticed that people who are more secure in their style will complement me on my hats and attire. I was in the coffee house the other day, and a younger amazingly dressed African-American guy complemented me on my hat. He had an amazing hat too, it was a stingy, mine was an Akubra Stylemaster. I've also had some of the ladies (in there late teens and early twenties) who work at my university complement me on my hats.

But, I hope that my hat says to people that:
1) I'm my own man, I create my own style and do what I think a man should
2) I'm practical
3) I'm more mature than the average "man-child"
4) I like simplicity in my life (I'm not sure how a hat can show this, but it just came to mind)
5) I have what I consider traditional values (willing to give each individual a fair shake)

I learned in psychology once that each person has at least three persona: we are who we think we are, we are who others perceive us to be, and we are who we really are. So every person who sees me probably sees something different based on their life's experiences. I can't control that, so I guess I choose hats that make me, what I think, look good and what I think communicates the aforementioned five items.

That's all I can really think of now.