Tuesday, October 02, 2007

And the hat came back


If you were to study photos of groups of men from the 1930s, ‘40s or ‘50s the one thing you would notice was that virtually all the dudes have covered heads. To be a man was to wear a hat. ‘Man hats’ (we used to call them when I was a child), such as fedoras, trilbys, homburgs and bowlers were very much the order of the day for decades. A man wasn’t dressed properly without his chapeau, and boys longed to be men so they could deck out in proper man hats, rather than the caps of boyhood. It was one of those rites of passage, sort of like taking up smoking or buying your first condoms.

They say that the sartorial style set by JFK killed the hat vogue, and virtually every male in the western world doffed his hat in the utterly vain hope that he too might get laid as often as the hatless president. It didn’t work, in the getting laid department that is, but the fashion statement remained right to the present day.
Now, it seems, that hats for men are making a comeback. I don’t mean the ubiquitous and hideous ballcaps that should only be worn by ballplayers, truckers and farmers and then only frontwards, I mean real hats. I’m happy about that. I like the idea of grown-up fashions.
I should note, however, that I don’t ‘do’ hats. I like the look of them, and I wish I liked wearing them, but I think I look stupid in a hat, and I don’t like the sensation. I always find if I have worn a hat that two days later I still feel like I’m wearing one. Anyway, I don’t want to mess my hair. I got this far in life with all my own hair, so I’m not about to mess with that success by covering my head.

Not only are hats making a return for men, they are as well for women. That’s even nicer. I love to see a woman I a hat. Sometimes nothing but a hat provides an agreeable image, but one beyond the scope of this blog. But, one of those lovely, wide-brimmed Audrey Hepburn kind of creations enhances the beauty of any female, and definitely makes her look like a sophisticated adult. Or, how about that little
pillbox that Jackie Kennedy used to wear? That was an item that was cute and chic.
At one time females always wore hats when they went to church. Even little girls had their little ‘Sunday go to meetin’ hats. Adorable and again, properly dressed. I think God likes to see his congregations show proper respect, and part of that is care with appearance.
What I am hoping, with the hat thing, is that it marks a genuine return to non-slob dressing. Maybe a guy could wear a jacket and tie once in a while when he goes out to dinner – to a wedding – to a funeral? And women could maybe lower their slacks (as it were) and deck themselves out in dresses, or blouses and skirts? Oh, and put on a lovely hat. All of this would give a big boost to the millinery industry, not to mention the hatbox industry. When did you last notice a hatbox on somebody’s upper closet shelf? Exactly.
For men, there are many hat options. As I said, there are fedoras, trilbys, bowlers are cool, or flat straw boaters. Some Bogey macho sneaking up? Well go for your standard Sam Spade fedora. Feel like a be-bop jazz musician ambience? Can't go wrong with a pork-pie. And, for formal occasions, why not go the whole hog with a topper? I've always like the look of stetsons, but I am wary of fake cowboy motifs. I mean, for real cowboys, it's kind of mandatory, but for day trippers?
For women there are even more. And so many more chances to wear them, since they can be worn in office environments, and at formal and informal situations.







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12 Comments:

Blogger Lee said...

hats are nice, but they make my head hot.

and that's just not sexy.

hothead.

franki

6:10 PM  
Blogger Liz Dwyer said...

I love hats on men. My husband wears a newsboy cap on the weekends and I think it's so attractive. I'd love for him to be able to find some other styles that look good on him.

I don't know how I feel about hats for women though. I do think some of them are cute, but I can't imagine wearing most of them.

10:37 PM  
Blogger geewits said...

My husband and I are old movie buffs and he really really loves the hats. I think I will get him one for Christmas although I can't see him wearing it anywhere but in the house. Old men were still wearing hats in the late 60's and early 70's in North Carolina, and that made it seem even more quaint and outdated. One of my favorite pictures of myself (and I wish I had a copy) was taken at Louisiana Downs. A group had purchased a fancy suite and it had a dress code: suits and dresses. I guess I was thinking about The Kentucky Derby and bought the cutest white dress with gold buttons and a matching white straw hat with gold buttons. I really felt like the Belle of the Ball. But like you, I get hat head. I think I felt like I was wearing a hat for a week after that!

12:04 AM  
Blogger Casdok said...

Isnt it great being a woman!!

3:23 AM  
Blogger laughingwolf said...

yes and no... yes, they are fine, for some, pretentious for others

i've had my share, and still wear my toques in inclement weather

other times, i like my black 'outlaw style' cowboy hat... 'day tripper' or not... depending on who i'm with and where we're going

4:24 AM  
Blogger Janice Thomson said...

I love hats Ian and have a couple myself. I think they add a sophistication to anybody. They were the 'in' thing some years back and then it died off. Hopefully it will stay this time.

9:26 AM  
Blogger Tai said...

I love hats...I have many myself (including a few of those wide brim hats you mentioned) BUT there are so few places to where them without looking 'out of place'.
And while I know that a woman need not remove her hat when she is indoors not everybody does and besides oh! the hathair when the hat DOES come off.

11:38 AM  
Blogger meggie said...

Cheesecutters.
As a rule I dislike hats for men. I do love the racing styles of frivolous hats for women!

Why is it, that a cap worn backwards immediately lowers a male's IQ by at least 30 points. And those pants where the crutch is at knee level.....? 50 points.

4:32 PM  
Blogger Jazz said...

Lordy how I hate hats. On me at least. I wore one in Vietnam (those conical ones) after I got the beginnings of a heat stroke. And I got one in Australia when I was up north.

But I'd never wear one just for the hell of it.

I think hats for men are coming back because Brad Pitt started wearing one. Soon as he stops the rest of the world will.

4:40 PM  
Blogger jmb said...

I haven't noticed the return of men's hats yet but women's certainly are.
I remember wearing hats everywhere I went, even to dinner in a restaurant when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I actually still have a beautiful hat with roses I bought to go to a wedding 50 years ago. I even wear it once a year. I went to count my hats and I have 12 summer and 7 winter hats. They are a pain to store however.

9:19 PM  
Blogger Angela said...

I have the best big, black Audrey Hepburn hat. I'll have to go see if I can dig it out. It's been a while and a couple of moves. I love that hat. Black mesh over the front and everything. Ahhhhh.

12:18 PM  
Blogger Eastcoastdweller said...

We do think alike. I'd love to see hats come back, too. I wore one -- not a damned ballcap -- for a while when I was in Europe.

And anything that Audrey Hepburn ever put on Her divine body instantly became glorious and beautiful by association.

12:46 PM  

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