Does wearing a fedora make you seem old?

[stylemeup]

Some of my friends tell me that I shouldn't wear a fedora since it makes me seem a lot older.

They also say that mostly only old fogies wear fedoras these days and therefore to even wear a fedora is kind of associating one's self as an old fogey.

Do you think any of this is true?

Should a man in his late twenties/early thirties not wear a fedora because it makes him seem much older than he is?

Or is that nonsense?

 

[yfyf]

I find fedoras very difficult things to wear and I don't think I can pull one off myself. It is far too easy to look like a kid playing costume with a fedora or looking too affected.

 

[arvidg]

'round here (Northern Europe), most hat-wearers I see are in their early twenties. YMMV.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by stylemeup

They also say that mostly only old fogies wear fedoras these days

 

[BPerm]

No they are not only for old people to answer that question.
I think just like any other hat you have to have the confidence to wear one.
But that goes without saying that not everyone can pull one off.

 

[Zenny]

I wear a few, I'm under 20.

But I think it is trendy these days, most stores that late teens shop at here are bringing them in for summer. But mind you, they are straw and stiff cotton, not wool or felt (which seem to be scarce even during winter.)

 

[sfnewbie]

I think it depends on the hat, what it's worn with, and the person. I don't like them usually but every now and then I'll see a younger guy wearing one and think that it looks good.

 

[Cary Grant]

Wear it with pride.

 

[Jeff Naylor]

Originally Posted by BPerm

No they are not only for old people to answer that question.
I think just like any other hat you have to have the confidence to wear one.
But that goes without saying that not everyone can pull one off.

That is the correct answer. If you feel funny wearing one you're going to look funny wearing one.

Wear it with confidence and pride and you'll be fine. If you only wore what everyone else wore you'd be stuck in the same jeans and t-shirt rut they're all in. Same goes for hats, don't wear their baseball caps. You're here because you want to be better than that.

I unpacked my third Art Fawcett hat just yesterday.

 

[Matt]

Takes a certain kinda guy to pull it off.

Just cos Johnny Depp can do it doesn't mean that you can. I certainly can't.

 

[Cary Grant]

To the OP: Post a picture of you sporting a fedora and let's see gow you do.

 

[garmentmerchant]

Yeah wear with pride I certainly cant pull a fedora off. There are differnet types out there that dont look so old, something with smaller stingy brims, and trilbys dont look as old school as a full 3" birm fedora.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by BPerm

I think just like any other hat you have to have the confidence to wear one.
But that goes without saying that not everyone can pull one off.

If it's a good fit, complementary style for the face, and worn with confidence, then I think a fedora looks great regardless of age.

 

[Cary Grant]

Originally Posted by garmentmerchant

Yeah wear with pride I certainly cant pull a fedora off. There are differnet types out there that dont look so old, something with smaller stingy brims, and trilbys dont look as old school as a full 3" birm fedora.

Good point- Stetsons, for example, have a few Fed's that are qiute tall- not the best fit for certain faces. Whereas Borsalino is a "smaller" hat in each dimension.

But to the OP- it sounds like his peers are the ones who are uncomfortable.

 

[yo!]

I don't think I can pull one off myself.

I hear this from everybody.


When I bought my first hat it was for fun, and every time I wore it I felt like I was wearing a costume. But I was ok with it because I only wore my hat when I wore a full suit and tie, so at least it was a good looking costume.

However, after wearing it a couple of times I became very comfortable with wearing it and the way I looked.

Now, If I could afford it, I would wear a hat everyday. I have 4 hats and I try to decide what I will wear for the day by building an outfit around one of my hats just so that I can wear it.

It is all about two things: getting the right hat for you, and wearing it with confidence.


I always got the feeling that all of the people who wear ball caps are some how hiding themselves from the world. Maybe, just trying to blend in, saying "don't look at me, I am just like everyone else."

I wear my hat because I know that it looks good, and at first people give you strange looks because it is different, but then they realize that you do look good and that the hat is not a gimmick.