Why do you wear a fedora or cap?

[Aureliano]

And from the sounds of it, he'd better have plans to launder the money.

And the shirt.

 

[DeaconKC]

I like wearing hats, always have. Since I have started wearing glasses, I prefer a brimmed hat to keep rain off the glasses. Ball caps are for the ballpark to me.

 

[Dronak]

For me, it's pretty much like GWD originally posted. I didn't get a fedora specifically because of a movie/actor or wanting to recreate an older style of dress. It was more because my wife and I both liked how it looked on me; my mother, too, actually -- my parents were with us when we found one in the store we liked. And I agree with GWD that "I wear my fedora because I think it makes me look good which in turn makes me feel better about myself." I like the look and think it's a little more stylish, helping improve a generally casual look (I don't often need to dress up), so I think it's a good addition to my wardrobe.

 

[Bird Lives]

I'm walking through a dept. store one day...saw one of those Sinatra looking Black Cotton hats...bought it, and bought a can of water-proofing from the shoe store next-door...Its raining like crazy...so I sprayed the whole can on the hat...It worked great...I stayed dry...and got like constant compliments every where I went...This hat has proven to be bullet proof..I don't treat it well...I took a steam iron to it and sharpened the front crease...and made the side dents very generous and lengthened them back about 2/3's the length of the hat...When it gets a little wavy I iron it flat and it holds...and I get compliments on a daily basis...Whether deserved or not..I don't think I will ever be dogging the Dept. Store Stingys...This one has made my life easier in many ways...and keeps me dry, warm and people dig it....maybe more than I do...lol...I hope the hats I get in the future will be aswell received as this one...

 

[Ralphin Ormond]

Vanity plays a part and I think a little vanity is an essential part of life. Now that I am older (61), I do like to dress well. Not formally but in tasteful (I hope), nicely put together clothes. I feel as though some contrast with the feudal serf look, that seems more and more common around town, is like a service to civil society. I feel that if people cared a little more about their dress they would feel better about themselves and then, perhaps, actually be better people. I think it has worked that way for me a little.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I wear a fedora for a few different reasons. I'm very traditional and feel that a fedora conveys a certain level of formality and respect, but is still practical for everyday casual situations. The felts keep my head warm and dry in the cool months and the straws keep the sun off, but still are well-ventilated enough to be comfortable.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

I started out with my polyester blue trilby with gray band that I got on clearance at The Bay (Hudson's Bay Company, not the other 'bay) for $8.99CAD. Seen here:

From this humble beginning, I added a lovely black wool homburg by Scala hats, seen here:

To which I hope to soon add a nice panama for summer (among many other hats, but that will take some time).
Why did I decide to start wearing a proper men's hat? Well, I've thought for a long time that it's a shame that men's hats fell out of favour, and that combined with my extreme dislike of modern men's fashion and my extreme love of all things Victorian, and perhaps most importantly a dissatisfaction with my clothing and desire to forge a new style that reflected my inner self better, drove me to start wearing them.

I love it! It definitely suits me, and I enjoy the expressiveness that comes with wearing my hats. I could care less about what movie stars wore what hats; I just like nice men's hats and classical, especially Victorian, men's attire. I think it's great that men are slowly starting to wear proper hats again and I hope it spreads like wildfire!

 

[tealseal]

Ball caps are for the ballpark to me.

For me, ballcaps are for the players. I recently wore a fedora to a baseball game and was rewarded with the following comment from a gentleman in his 50's, "You are a young man enjoying America's classic pastime in one of America's classic styles. I would tip my hat to you, sir, if I still had mine." To which I had a bit of a chuckle, said my thanks, and proceeded to give him a list of local hatters.

I wear my hats because they're comfortable and functional first; any stylistic or fashionable qualities they promulgate are purely coincidental.

 

[NivlemRulz]

I think I have multiple reasons why I wear mine. I always had a fascination with hats and even used to act out Indiana Jones as a kid in my grandfathers straw hat lol. As I got older the good old hair started thinning. Well for the gentlemen here that understand, all the sudden wearing a hat when you went out became a necessity. My head would burn in the summer, get too cold in the winter, and let's be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of the way it looked. I didn't want to be one of those guys that wore a ball cap everywhere, so I ventured into the world of fedoras. Now my head is warm, not burned, and I look good!

 

[scottyrocks]

I wear mostly Indy fedoras. I’ve loved fedoras, though, since I was a child, in the 60s, when my mom used to have the 4:30 movie on in the afternoon. I saw all the old 30s and 40s actors. I always wanted one.

I wear fedoras now because I love they way they look, and the way I look in them. I also reaffirmed recently how much more comfortable a fedora is in both hot and cold weather. A baseball cap lets my head freeze in cold weather and bake in the heat. A fedora does neither. I am comfortable within reasonable extremes.

I also like being different although I have to like what I am doing to be different. In other words, I won’t go along with a flow that I dislike. If I like something that is different, then I go with it.

My grandfather, my mom’s dad, was a sharp dresser back in the 1930s and 40s. I have a few pictures of him with my mom when she was very young. He wore suits and hats that exemplified perfectly the look I love the most from that era.

 

[MJH]

I do sometimes see hats or caps in films or on celebrities and try to find one similar, but not because I want to be like them, just because I like their hat!

 

[Dan Allen]

I have two passions , bamboo fly rods and fedora hats. Long before school age I remember watching my dad fish with one, and consequently that's the only way I fish today. About the same age I remember following my Grand dad around the garden-him wearing an old sweat stained open road style hat. To this day I can't think of him without thinking of that hat. Naturally I wear hats. We need to be aware that some times it is the small-seemingly insignificant things we do that become the most lasting influences on our children who like young goslings are eager to attach to those around them

 

[Kirk H.]

Because I can....

 

[Denton]

When I was seven or eight years old, someone gave me a bowler. I can't remember whose gift this was. One of my parents, or possibly an aunt? A bowler was not something that I would have known to ask for. This gift definitely predated my interest in silent comedians such as Chaplin. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I got into Chaplin's movies because of the hat.

In any case, the bowler, probably given to me as a joke, struck a chord in the depths of my being. I loved it, and wore it constantly for the next six years. Later I added a gray fedora and a boater to my wardrobe, but the bowler remained my favorite.

I stopped wearing hats in high school. At that time, I started dressing for invisibility. Not wearing exactly what everyone else was wearing, but trying not to put a lot of thought into what I wore, and trying to avoid the attention that wearing a hat brings.

I started wearing hats again a few years ago when I moved to California. In this part of the world, my skin would burn in the constant bright sunshine if I didn't wear sunblock and a wide-brimmed hat for shade. I acquired an Akubra Bushman hat, and liked it for aesthetic as well as practical reasons. This experience reawakened my childhood love of hats. I started wearing bowlers too, although they do not create as much shade. I am still uncomfortable with the way that these hats draw attention, but I like them enough to wear them anyway.

So there are at least three reasons. One, I need shade. Two, I like the shapes, colors, and textures. Three, hats are a thread of continuity between the person I was at age eight and the person I am in my adult life.

(I am assuming that the question in the thread title does not exclude bowlers.)

 

[Atticus Finch]

I don't wear fedoras...I wear Open Roads. I wear Open Roads because the Open Road is the undisputed signature hat of Southern politicians and lawyers.

AF

 

[TPD166]

I saw this thread today for the first time and read through the posts, finding common ground in almost all of them. When and where I grew up, most men still wore hats and I always had an interest in them, collecting hats as a kid (and wishing I still some of those from way back them). I've spent most of my adult life wearing hats for work (Soldier, police officer, firefighter) and for pleasure. I wear mostly Open Roads and rancher variations, plus a couple of fedoras and straws, mainly because of I like the way they look (and look on me). But also for practical reasons - protection from the sun (much less hair these days), rain (I hate umbrellas), heat, and cold. However, and above all, I have to echo the previous post "Because I can." My son (age 7) has taken an interest in hats that I hope will continue for him as it did for me. Now if I can just get my wife onboard . . .

 

[Kirk H.]

Well said Robert. I hope I did not sound too much of a smart a#$ with my comment. It reminds me of an incident at my church. Some of the ladies have taken to wearing chappel veils which went out with Vatican II in the early 1960's. some of the other members asked them why. Some replied "Because we like the tradition" and other sort of replies. One replied because she could. I have said that to several people when asked why I wear a hat and I have always received feedback of "That's cool." The hat looks good" and "I wish I could wear a hat".

 

[TPD166]

Kirk - No, it did not sound like that at all - it may be the best reason out there!

 

[scottyrocks]

Indeed. I feel that responses such as, 'because I like to,' tell it all. No further explanation necessary.

 

[Neophyte]

Two years ago I was climbing my way out of a long period of anxiety-induced depression. Part of that process was a self-created "self-improvement" program. I started wearing nicer clothes and finding ways to improve my appearance. I took up the banjo though I've not improved much. I worked heavily on my embittered, caustic attitude, adopting a more positive, calm outlook.

My internet research during this period led me to entertain the idea of a hat, which eventually led me to the Lounge. Through the knowledge found here, as well as my exposure to the fine people of this forum, I have changed a lot. Many people in my life have noticed the improvement.

I wear hats because I've grown to like them, and accustomed to wearing them. My head feels wrong without one now. I wear a hat because I am fascinated by them, their history, and the people here who share my interest. Finally, I wear them because they serve as a constant reminder of my self-improvement endeavor, a reminder of how far I've come, and as an encouragement to continue.