Why do you wear a fedora or cap?

[GWD]

Being fairly new here I've been reading a lot of old post trying to gain some Fedora knowledge and I've run into several post portraying some rather snobbish opinions regarding certain types of hats.

My interest in hats occurred rather recently when a friend and I found a nice hat store in Pasadena (World Hats) and I purchased a well made Dobbs Coronado Straw Porkpie which was in the neighborhood of $60.00. At this point I had no idea that the Fedora Lounge or anything like it existed. I thought I looked pretty good in it, but at $60 I could hardly justify multiple hat purchases. So naturally I came to ebay to see if I could find a less expensive alternative. I found the Fedora Lounge when I was trying to research all of the hats available on ebay.

Now my point, I bought my hat because I felt I looked good in it. I didn't buy the hat because someone in a movie wore one like it. I didn't purchase my hat because I wanted to dress like someone in the 40's or 50's. I don't understand the stigma with a stingy brim hat. Is it because they aren't totally functional in the sun or they don't have the "classic" lines of the 40's?

I wear my fedora because I think it makes me look good which in turn makes me feel better about myself. If I thought I looked good wearing a rubber glove on my head I'd wear a rubber glove on my head.

Why do you wear what you wear?

 

[ScionPI2005]

I got my first fedora (and otherwise non-baseball cap) when I was a Junior in high school. My motivation for getting the fedora at that time was mainly due to seeing the main character in a computer game I played wearing a fedora. At that time, I saw the fedora as mainly a detective's hat. Since I had an obsession with PI's and detectives at the time, I naturally wanted a fedora.

Since my first fedora, my desire for wearing fedoras (and now newsboy and Ivy caps) has changed from "just wanting to look like one of the cool characters". These days, I really feel that my hat choices are a part of who I am as a person. I put a hat on one day, and feel that the hat is an extension of my persona. The style has become a part of me, and not just because I have an interest in detectives and the Golden Era.

 

[Mulceber]

I'm one of the people who wears Indy hats - partly because Indy wore them, partly because they look good (both on me and on Indy), but mostly just because wearing them gives me a slight adventurous feeling. I like other hats though, especially those from the mid-30's and am hoping someday to pick up an Optimo or an Art Fawcett hat.

As to why people don't like stingy brims - I agree that the lack of a fully functional brim would be a good reason, although I don't doubt that there are others. For one thing, I think stingy brims are more 50's/60's whereas most people here prefer 20's-40's. I know I don't wear them because personally, I don't think I'd look good in one -Mulceber

 

[Mid-fogey]

So many...

...people, so many reasons.

I bought my first one before the first Raiders of the Lost Ark movie came out. I just liked them and the way I looked in them. At that point there were still enough old guys wearing them that they weren't as unusual as they are now.

l don't think you need a reason if you like them.

 

[metropd]

I think your reason GWD is the best reason there is for wearing a fedora regardless of whether it’s a wide brim or stingy brim.

I wear one because I like how it looks and I think I look good in it. I started wearing them simply because I liked dressing up and a fedora was a way to complete my style.

I was quite snobbish a few years ago regarding stingy brims but not anymore. Even though I would never wear a stingy brim they look good on you. I wear a wider brim because it is pleasing aesthetically to me and I feel comfortable in it. It is obvious you feel quite comfortable in a shorter brimmed hat therefore you look very good in it.

Senatorjack I think looks great in either a wide brim or a stingy brim depending on which look he is going for.

 

[metropd]

l don't think you need a reason if you like them.

That simply is the only reason you need.

 

[leo]

...I wear my fedora because I think it makes me look good which in turn makes me feel better about myself. ...

That's a perfectly good reason to wear a hat!

The stingy brim, which can also keep your head warm and dry, works as well on some people as wide brims work on others.

Why do I wear a hat? Occasionally in the past to keep the sun out of my eyes and to hide bed head (just like any baseball hat wearer lol ) as well as looks. But as I approach the 1st anniversary of surgery to remove skin cancer and reconstruct my face, my old and new hats take on new meaning. I now wear them to survive.

Bill

 

[GWD]

But as I approach the 1st anniversary of surgery to remove skin cancer and reconstruct my face, my old and new hats take on new meaning. I now wear them to survive.

Bill

I would say Bill's reason is definitely the best reason to wear a wide brimmed fedora.

 

[Viper Man]

They make me feel good about myself and they provide a direct connection to an age that I feel I can relate to. I'm an old soul, I guess. Additionally, I love roots music (jazz, blues, R&B, classic C&W, etc.) and almost all of my musician heroes wore them. This appeals to me as well. [huh]

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I wear fedoras and caps and sometimes cowboy hats because it makes me feel really cool. And I get an attitude, or maybe I should say "hattitude."


If others don't think I look cool, too bad. I know the truth!

karol

 

[flylot74]

In the summer I wear a hat to keep the sun off my head and face, keeping somewhat cooler and helping avoid skin cancer. In the winter I wear hats to keep my head warm. It's amazing how much less layering of clothes one needs when keeping one's head warm!

Now, I guess I could use a cap with side skirts such as the French Foreign Legion wear or a covering such as the Arabs wear (I forget what it is called) in the summer, but I look better in a nice Panama!

In the winter I guess I could wear a watch cap or something, but a nice felt fedora is so much more becoming.....

Practicality is the reason I cover my head, style is the reason I wear a fedora!

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I've run into several post portraying some rather snobbish opinions regarding certain types of hats...Why do you wear what you wear?

Snobbery here? No. Surely you jest!
Practicality aside, we wear hats for the way they make us feel. So, wear what makes you feel good, and feel good about what you wear.

 

[Stoney]

When I was just a tike, we lived right next to my grandparents. Whenever Mom took me over to Grandpa and Grandma's house for a visit my Grandpa would carry me around and show me everything that was in the house. One thing that was there was a ceramic Donald Duck. My Grandpa would point to it and say duck each day. Of course one day when he said duck I looked back at him and repeated duck, my first word. I always loved my Grandpa. I grabbed one of his fedoras off of the hat rack and put it on my head as my Mother carried me out of the house after each visit. These are my earliest memories. My Grandfather often had to come over to our house to collect his hats that I had snagged on the way out the door as he had none left at home. This is why I wear fedoras today.

 

[ortega76]

I wear one because I like the way it makes me look. I like that it makes me feel a bit more civilized. I like that it provides a connection with actors, artists and musicians that I have admired. I wear one because my wife never fails to comment on how handsome I look.

 

[Fatdutchman]

"Why do you wear a fedora or cap?"......Why do you wear pants?



I just like hats, that's all.

 

[anon`]

"Why do you wear a fedora or cap?"......Why do you wear pants?



I just like hats, that's all.

I like that

For my part, I like how they look. Both fedoras and caps--I've got a fledging collection of scally & newsboy caps as well. They also serve to keep the rain off my head, sun out of my eyes and hair under control. I've also been told by several lady friends of mine that they suit me... and that never hurts, either!

 

[KY Gentleman]

My dad wears hats, he wore them all the years I was growing up and I always liked his hats. My grandfather wore hats, too. I guess its a family tradition.

 

[The Wolf]

good question

I have a bald pate and need a hat to protect it. A fedora just looks like a man's hat to me. I do wear my Hidalgo Trading Co. cap sometimes, if i'm being very casual or plan on getting in the muck.
I think a fedora looks natural on my head and some others agree.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

HERE! HERE!

I like that

I've also been told by several lady friends of mine that they suit me... and that never hurts, either!

Hey, with a mug like mine I need all the help I can get!

And what's wrong with wearing a rubber glove on my head, HUH!?!? Great on rainy days.

G

 

[HungaryTom]

GWD,

You should wear stingy brims because they really look great on you.

You look like a tough FBI agent in them.

1940's classics is one thing - Stingy brims are 1950-60's classics.

All those periods are classic and retro, now in 2008.

Dont worry that they don't shade you in the sun so much - straw hats are far better for that purpose than any felt hat.

I also begun with an 50 USD hat.

I can only repeat the opinion that I wear fedoras because I like them.

Balding? - not yet I have plenty hair which I now wear longer.

Fashion? - I don't wear hats just because lately a few celebs have re-discovered them.

Tom