why I like fedoras now

[scottyrocks]

deleted

 

[scottyrocks]

Here is an example of how young or new fedora wearers may have come to the intimidation stereotype.

Bill Watterson drew upon the classic gangster theme for his highly imaginative Calvin, daydreamer-extraordinaire.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It does give an added authority. I find if I'm cleaned up nice and wearing a fedora, the whole shebang seems to command a bit more respect. I'm 6'1" and 225 lbs and with a higher crowned fedora on, I tower over most people, which adds to the whole authority thing.

Being 5' 8" and 140lbs, I am anything but intimidating. I do think the hats give me some added "height", though, and dress things up a bit. I've never felt afraid of fedora-wearers, on the contrary, always thought they were cool and added some panache to an outfit. I think at some level, people may like the fact that a hat gives them some added "authority".

 

[The Good]

It's taken me maybe two or three years, and even now, I'm still trying to figure out why I like this type of hat so much. My first interest in hats really, was of cowboy hats, and I even wore one semi-continuously for two or three years as a kid before abandoning wearing hats altogether besides the rare baseball cap I'd wear at the game or some such. I think fedoras are cool, but I can't necessarily attribute that to one thing either. There are multiple reasons as to why I started trying to get into wearing fedora hats. One thing I can easily detail is that most of the cool and/or well respected guys, whether heroes or villains, wore these hats in old movies. Detectives, lawyers, adventurers, Mafia dons, gangsters, assassins, and many more wore this type of hat, even the ordinary citizenry. It certainly represents the first half of the 20th century, and then some up to the mid '60s. There is also just something mysterious about these hats, and it just so happens that I've been told I'm a "mysterious person," so that could be a reason.

When I was a kid between 8 to 10, I wanted to dress like the cowboys of the 19th century (and a lot of that came from seeing a lot of western movies/TV shows, and playing Oregon Trail). Seeing the 19th century through a more current lens, I find that a lot of it can look very antiquated, anachronistic, or just plain dated. I doubt that all that much that was worn in the 1800s could work with just about anything worn today. While there are things I think would be hard to pair with current aesthetics, I believe that elements of early to mid-20th century style are still possibly relevant and worth preserving into the 21st century, and that includes the fedora hat. So, by choosing to wear a fedora (and other hats) and not wear baseball caps, yes I'm making some sort of statement, but I'm still trying to figure out what sort of statement that is. What I explained is maybe only a part of it. My statement, whatever that may be, is certainly not intended to offend those who like baseball caps more.

To sum it up, I think a lot of my appreciation for fedoras comes from my liking of a number of classic films, and liking styles between the 1920s to 1960s in general (to some extent, I like aspects of the '70s, '80s, and '90s styles too). Men wore suits more then as well, and it was often paired with the hat.

 

[HatsEnough]

Well, I still think the "intimidation" comes from the man, not the hat. The exact same hat does not "intimidate" when on someone that can't carry it off.

 

[Sam Diamond]

Because who doesn't look good in a fedora? Nobody! It's a fantastic hat. I'm not a fan of the stingy brim (just my personal taste).

 

[dogrocketp]

Everyone looks good in some style of hat. They can be worn for absolutely anything from authority to Art Fawcett unbelievable style. In the end, most of us on this forum just plain like the look, and appreciate the added panache. Danofarlington is a bonified hat junkie, a very interesting person to talk to, and very knowledgeable about his hats. I appreciate his comments, others comments, and especially the comments from our lovely ladies. ENJOY!