35 yrs olds - old enough to carry off a hat?

[Flashman]

Sirs

An odd question granted.

But, let me explain.

I have MANY hats - baseball caps with racing car motifs, some ralph lauren and hacket etc...

Plus, this summer a lovely Seville (Panama) hat.

As a shaven headed bald gent...i felt that this autumn/winter i would forego the usual bland 'wooly hat' option (as i have to set it off ,quite badly, with a 2 or 3 piece suit) for a black fedora!

So having been to Bates earlier in the year for my lovely panama - a few weeks ago i returned to try out a fedora...!
I tried on a few blacks for size.

The ever helpful gent suggester not a wide brim fedora as i am only 5 7" tall and have no hair....so went for a medium brim one! We struggled with the right size as one size was a tad too big and the other a tad too small...(unlike the panama which was perfect!)

So he spent afew minutes 'steaming' the slightly smaller one and it fit fine!

When i returned to the office i got some comments and laughter - Bogarde etc was shouted by some twats!

I took i on the chin - cos i must say it looked rather dashing (at least to me).

But i must say i feel like an alien as i rarely if ever see any other gents on thr City of London donning a hat of that type....am i being too OTT?

I attach a photo of my hat (mine is in black)

 

[TheFoo]

You could be a special exception, but I've never seen a man look earnestly good in a hat who wasn't old enough to have worn hats back when they were regularly worn.

 

[Flashman]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

You could be a special exception, but I've never seen a man look earnestly good in a hat who wasn't old enough to have worn hats back when they were regularly worn.

Thats awfully kind of you - i rather wished i was not an exception. I must say i do get a lot of second glances....partly maybe because i look a lot younger than my 35 yrs suggest (i would be considred to be late 20s by most).

But i take some comfort from the fact the the Johnny Depp/Christian Bale movie 'Public Enemies' gave the old fedoras a good showing!!!

 

[Bird's One View]

The idea that you have to be X years old to wear something is how such things are consigned to the dustbin of history.

As with suits, colors other than black are better for general use.

Don't buy hats "sized" as small, medium, large, etc. Buy ones with proper hat sizes.

Brim width and crown shape should be decided to harmonize with the shape of your face and the size of your head. Your height is not important.

 

[Crane's]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

You could be a special exception, but I've never seen a man look earnestly good in a hat who wasn't old enough to have worn hats back when they were regularly worn.

Nonsense.

The key to wearing a fine hat is not to be self conscious. Just put it on your head and go.

 

[AlanC]

You're certainly old enough. You have to get used to it yourself, and wear it with confidence. There will always be naysayers. Holdfast in the WAYWN thread is a good example of a younger fellow in the UK wearing a fedora well.

Black would not have been my first choice (well, or my second or third). I think grey or navy would have been better.

 

[Bird's One View]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

You could be a special exception, but I've never seen a man look earnestly good in a hat who wasn't old enough to have worn hats back when they were regularly worn.
Few men that old are still alive. Hats have been in decline since the second world war. I recently watched some home movies that my grandfather (born in the late teens) made in 1949-1951. He only wears a hat when in uniform (USN), except for a cap similar to a baseball cap that appears a couple of times when he is camping or fishing. His contemporaries (who probably all served in WWII) appear hatless as well. His father (my great grandfather) does wear a fedora whenever he appears outdoors. I am told that my other grandfather did wear hats throughout his life. But he was born at least a decade earlier.

 

[Zintintin]

In my opinion most men don't look good in hats. Granted there are always exceptions. But when I look through the WAYWT thread and I see people sporting fedoras and the such it always looks off to me because they really don't carry the look correctly.

 

[Flashman]

Originally Posted by Crane's

Nonsense.

The key to wearing a fine hat is not to be self conscious. Just put it on your head and go.



Well, my good sir - i certainly have been doing just that!

 

[LeonM]

Is Bates still open? When is that block going to be (shudder) re-developed?

Leon

 

[Flashman]

Originally Posted by Zintintin

In my opinion most men don't look good in hats. Granted there are always exceptions. But when I look through the WAYWT thread and I see people sporting fedoras and the such it always looks off to me because they really don't carry the look correctly.



BTW where exactly is this WAYWT thread???

 

[Flashman]

Originally Posted by LeonM

Is Bates still open? When is that block going to be (shudder) re-developed?

Leon


Very soon.

The LA have deemed that it is going to have to be done so Bates will be moving down the street 'somewhere'.
There was a petition that was set up - but i doubt it had much impact!

Redevelop and get higher rent is the motto i think!

 

[JustinW]

Originally Posted by Crane's

Nonsense.

The key to wearing a fine hat is not to be self conscious. Just put it on your head and go.

... and take it off when you are indoors!

otherwise you are not only being rude, but giving people the impression you are just another self-conscious prematurely bald guy.

 

[Flashman]

Originally Posted by JustinW

... and take it off when you are indoors!

otherwise you are not only being rude, but giving people the impression you are just another self-conscious prematurely bald guy.

Rest assured i always do.

 

[larsrindsig]

Originally Posted by Flashman

I tried on a few blacks for size.
... as the actress said to the bishop. As someone who's about to turn 30 and am beginning to thin on the top, I'm seriously considering hat wearing also. Knit skull caps look very silly and in some situations flat drivers' caps aren't right either - and going without is just too cold. However, as others have commented, I would be looking at shades of grey and brown rather than black.