Will Obama wear a topper for his Inauguration?

[handlebar bart]

I can picture him wearing a fedora at some point during the occassion, but that may be more wishful thinking than anyhing........but I can't see a top hat happening.

 

[Maguire]

politics aside, have you seen his campaign? The guy barely wore ties!

His appeal to the "younger generations" also won't bode well. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even wear the tie.

Let's start a betting pool as to when presidents get sworn in wearing adidas tracksuits.

 

[Tomasso]

I recall seeing him wear the occasional fedora or flat cap on particularly arctic Winter days in Chicago but that was before he entered politics and began being chauffeured everywhere, door to door.

 

[cookie]

Our head of state ...yes the Govenor General ...not the Queen...in the 1975 constitutional crisis always wore a topper. Trouble was he liked a drink or three on a hot day ...especially at the Fosters Melbourne Cup where they have lotsa drinks. Suffice to say following that incident the cartoonists always presented him in their artwork as a slightly worse for wear guy in a morning suit with a topper. I don't think a topper has been worn again by any subsequent GGs.

 

[Big Man]

... During my life (born in 1970) I don't remember any president-elect wearing a hat at inauguration. ...

I believe President Reagan was the last President to wear a top hat at the inauguration.

 

[TopGumby]

Obama in Fedora = Depression image. I doubt his image people want that.

I don't think Reagan wore a hat. IIRC, he wore a morning coat and striped trousers. The last hat at at that event probably was worn by LBJ.

 

[Big Man]

Obama in Fedora = Depression image. I doubt his image people want that.

I don't think Reagan wore a hat. IIRC, he wore a morning coat and striped trousers. The last hat at at that event probably was worn by LBJ.

Yes, you are correct (about the hat). I was mistaken about President Reagan and the hat. After a bit of "looking it up", it was President Kennedy (not LBJ) who was the last President to wear a top hat to the inauguration.

 

[dhermann1]

Brace yourselves

God love him, here he is. It's obviously Photoshopped. For all the discussion of the Lincoln theme, it still does not explicitly say he'll wear a top hat. But here's how he'd look in a full on stove pipe.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01132009/news/politics/o_to_arrive_in_a_lincoln_149979.htm

 

[Feraud]

I saw the Post front page this morning and cringed. The media is getting giddy with this hat business.
As Tomasso noted, seeing how Obama is chauffered around there is little need for a hat. A topper at an inauguration in this day and age is as appropriate as a tricorn hat.

 

[trailrunner]

I saw the Post front page this morning and cringed. The media is getting giddy with this hat business.
As Tomasso noted, seeing how Obama is chauffered around there is little need for a hat. A topper at an inauguration in this day and age is as appropriate as a tricorn hat.

I agree. It would be cool to see him sport a fedora as part of his wardrobe during his term in office though.

 

[Lefty]

as long as he stays away from these...

it's just not his look.

 

[dhermann1]

If he did wear a topper, maybe he could carry his speech in it, the way Lincoln did.

 

[maggiethespy]

He IS a big fan of Lincoln...

 

[dhermann1]

One thing you can say about both of them, very very very canny politicians.

 

[Tomasso]

He IS a big fan of Lincoln...

Well, he IS from Illinois.[huh]

 

[Edward]

A topper at an inauguration in this day and age is as appropriate as a tricorn hat.

If he is wearing morning dress, I would still regard a top hat as correct, but maybe not with anything else. I would agree with the view that, given the perception of hats in general as "costume" nowadays, he is most likely to avoid one altogether rather than risk misinterpretation. A shame, really.

What is the normal dresscode nowadays - is it still morning wear, or has that gone?

 

[Nathan Flowers]

I think Reagan was the last President to wear morning dress to his inauguration. No hat, though.

 

[Big Man]

... What is the normal dresscode nowadays - is it still morning wear, or has that gone?

I believe the dress code for the inauguration is set by the President (elect). President Carter was the first (I believe) to depart from formal attire (morning dress) for the inauguration, but then President Reagan revived the mode of dress. I don't believe Presidents Bush, Clinton, and Bush followed the formal attire tradition. Therefore, President Elect Obama would surely be free to set that standard if he so chose (including the top hat).

Who knows what it will be like, but I would like to see some form of return to a level of formality take place.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

 

[Stoney]

I was kind of hoping that

he would wear one.... But after seeing Zohar's post above I hope he doesn't.

lol lol lol