Would you like the fedora and related hats to become main stream fashion

[vespasian]

Sightings in the last couple of days. Man in wide brim fedora and black 3/4 length cashmere coat strolling along high street. Man in fedora, white shirt and braces driving car on Motorway. Theres a lot of us about folks.

 

[Feraud]

When/If fedoras make a significant comeback we should all expect a lot of bad looking hats being worn. The low end, inexpensive wool fedoras will probably dominate for a while. Expect to see a lot of hats blown off heads too.
Due to the years of men going hatless (b-ball caps do not count), most folks have lost the knowledge from experience that comes with hatwear. The experienced among us will have to be very patient and teach the newer men how to choose a hat.
I have had men ask me about buying a fedora. Their eyes tend to glaze over when I say it is more than walking into a store and charging it on their credit card. I smell the fear when I suggest trying on different styles to see what fits their face shape. Speaking of fur blend? You would think I am a serial killer discussing my hobby.

 

[tonyb]

I'd vote "ambivalent." Pure selfishness has me wishing that most of those other old-hat fanciers would develop an obsession with something else and leave those vintage lids for me. Prices have risen quite a bit already and will continue to rise, I bet, at least for the foreseeable future. And an influx of hat wearers would only make matters worse.
But, as Art noted, additional millions of hat wearers spell a business opportunity for new generations of hatters. Yes, most of those recent adopters of the style will buy junk, at least initially, but enough of them will come to appreciate the difference between quality and crap to keep custom hatters (and hat renovators) in customers. And the mass manufacturers may get a clue and again offer the sort of quality they produced half a century ago. Maybe.
How many of us here would patronize a good, local hat renovator and/or maker, provided there was one? A bunch, wouldn't you think? And how many would consider getting into the business ourselves, if only we had more confidence we could make it pay? We're the fanatical fringe (I mean that in a good way), but our numbers keep growing and growing.
It's doubtful we will ever see the sorts of hats we prefer regain the popularity they once had, back when most men wore a proper lid. Grandpa wouldn't step outside without one. But I'll tell ya, fedoras and the like are not a rare sight out here on the wet side of the Cascades. I see more and more all the time. Now all that's needed is a couple of nearby places to get 'em cleaned and blocked.

 

[Legal Concepts]

When/If fedoras make a significant comeback we should all expect a lot of bad looking hats being worn. The low end, inexpensive wool fedoras will probably dominate for a while. Expect to see a lot of hats blown off heads too.

Exactly CHINA would flood the market with "sell for less" hats.
...but you never know!

 

[riosfernando]

For some reason I can not vote; However...

... I want to offer my humble opinion, Yes, If wear a hat become part of the regular and expected attire then we will have more choices. Certainly, that we will see a lot of different styles, materials, prices, etc, etc. But, that is what make the life interesting, the differences, the options and our own savour.

Best regards to all.

 

[JPS]

You Betcha!

I don't think I could say it better than riosfernando.

JPS

 

[gekisai29]

ditto

 

[Akubra Man]

Exactly CHINA would flood the market with "sell for less" hats.
...but you never know!

This is very true...in the end quality lids will stand out and as people become educated about hats quality will become more important to some people...the best hats will cost even more but will be worth every dime.

 

[GWD]

A completely selfish motive.

I voted no, I enjoy my individuality. I don't mind being the only one in a crowd wearing a fedora. Besides that, if the whole population starts wearing hats again, all the good hat deals on ebay and thrift stores will be gone. With todays manufacturing processes the market will be flooded with lessor quality hats at ridiculously high prices. I was recently in Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills and looked at some very poorly made stingy straw hats that started at $200.00!

I know I know, Neiman Marcus sells Kleenex for $100.00 per box! Just an example.lol

 

[kaiser]

Sounds like a good idea to me, as Hats would add some individual touch to the men's fashion world.

 

[scotrace]

I know I know, Neiman Marcus sells Kleenex for $100.00 per box! Just an example.lol

"Neiman Marcus = Needless Markup..." - Hemingway Jones

 

[K.D. Lightner]

After two years (I voted yes back then), I would still like to see a few fedoras in Iowa. I hardly see anything, even in cooler weather. Once in awhile I see an old guy wearing a stingy brim straw or maybe even a felt hat; one in awhile, a guy my age will be wearing an adventurer-type wool hat. Once in a great while, a woman of color will be wearing a stingy brim stylish hat, or and elderly lady wearing a feminine fedora.

But, mostly here, it is nothing, nada, just baseball caps, if anything, and ... more baseball caps. The guys wear them even when they eat indoors at restaurants. The gals go bareheaded even in blizzards.

So, there they are wearing ballcaps indoors, wearing baggy, ill-fitting trousers or wrinkly cargo pants, and staring at me because I am wearing a fur felt fedora. Go figure.

One time I did feel comfy: I wore my fedora to a restaurant and, inside, seated at a large table, were women from the red hat society having their luncheon and doing whatever it is they do. Several fedoras in the bunch. And only one (red) baseball cap.

Bless their hearts. I should have gone up and thanked them just for being there.

karol

 

[charlie farley]

Yes especially if better manners started to emerge as a result (but I don't expect that ever to happen,unfortunately) that is what I like about the golden era most of all.

 

[carter]

My vote would be yes, but maybe not for the obvious reasons. Agreed, the market would be flooded, the quality would go down, the prices would go up ( just look at the typical ebay hat & compare it to 2 yrs ago) but the one thing that will emerge and shine even more than at present. Quality. When more people wear the fedora the easier it will be to educate Joe non hat wearer of today in what constitutes real quality and value. Yes, there will be KMart & WalMart hats for $12 but they will LOOK like $12 hats when compared to quality and I believe education will make a difference. Once again the artists that can't make a real living in the field can rejoin the arena and enrich ALL of our lives with their ideas and style. I'm not talking about the current big "Name" designers ...no thank you Mr. Lauren..but the small time artisan who had to close down for lack on interest or customers. The obvious reason for this post would be to boost my own business but then, I don't want that much work. What I would want more would be to bring out the younger talent and let them loose knowing there was a market out there even when the fad dies down. If a 20 million more men started wearing hats I don't believe all would stop just because the fad was over. The residual would be enough to sustain many a new talent. Just my humble opinion.

I agree with Art's 2006 response. His observations regarding a plethora of low end hats and rising ebay prices (look at today's prices vs 2006 and they have continued to rise) are true, but [as noted] the advantages of having more craftsmen making better hats more than outweigh the disadvantages. I voted YES.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Joe Non-Hat-Wearer. Hmmm... Is he related to Joe the....Oh, never mind...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Red McCutcheon]

s

Voted yes because I believe better taste would be indicative of a better society.

 

[mannySpaghetti]

I'm rather indifferent about it as I feel it'll never come back into fashion as it once was. Besides aren't the kiddies wearing something like 'em anyways? A lot I've seen look rather stupid. For instance.....

Bwahahahaha! lol lol lol lol lol C'mon!

 

[Red McCutcheon]

d

Fortunately, I've not seen anything like those in my neck o' the woods. Don't see many fedoras at all, to tell the truth.

 

[Delthayre]

Pleasant morning sights

I see those hats from time to time, oftener on racks than heads, and I don't like them, foremost because of their garishness.

I would be very happy to see more people wearing hats; I don't mind being an odd man out in a crowd at all, but I would enjoy seeing more head with hats upon them and perhaps enjoy the eventual rise in the quality of materials that this improbable scenario might bring.

Incidentally, some mornings when I ride the number twelve to work, I see a young man, who must be a student as he disembarks at the university, wearing a seemingly quite nice grey fedora with a center crease, medium width black ribbon and narrow brim that he wears turned up.

 

[Yohanes]

But Manny, I guess they're fun to wear especially for kids lol And the first hat: isn't that supposed to be Clark Kent's official fedora in Daily Planet? lol lol lol

The 2nd fedora is just fine for females...