When is a hat acceptible?

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by AlanC

That's because you're giving all your money to Chan and AE.

Actually, I did the "hat" phase of my wardrobe building before I was even aware of the existence of Chan and barely aware of A-E. Unlike my "suit" phase around the same time, I have never really rued getting rabbit fur hats instead of beaver. With the suits, I should have bought fewer and better. (Wish I'd known about W.W. Chan then, but these fora didn't exist at the time!)

I am rather proud of myself that I have been "shoe sober" for almost 11 months. The only footgear I have purchased was a pair of Chuck Taylors for exercising on my wife's elliptical machine.

Another "Chan Day" is a scant 17 days off. I'll go away somewhat the poorer for that but eagerly awaiting the arrival of a couple of jackets three months later. Will probably make purchases of that sort with considerable less frequency thereafter since I am planning to retire next year and my income will drop appreciably.

 

[Crane's]

Originally Posted by Shraka

However! I'm not going to be uncomfortable balancing my hat on my lap while trying to eat just because someone thinks it's impolite to wear one indoors. I think it's very impolite to ask someone to remove their hat, and not give them somewhere to store it! I'm certainly not going to stop wearing hats, as I'm very fair, and live in Australia. Skin cancer is a real concern for me.

I think next time I'm asked to remove my hat, I'll hand it to the wait staff to deal with.

If the restaurant does not have a proper hat rack for their clients then it's my understanding is you wear it. I read that somewhere about supposed hat etiquette. Makes sense to me.

 

[BBRex]

The whole idea of wearing a hat indoors being "impolite" is, in my opinion, ludicrous. Some people actually seem to get offended, and my question to them would be "why?" I'd be curious to know if they had an actual reason, or if it was just because some outdated social convention told them they should be offended.

According to what I've read, it started with churches. There's an obscure passage in the Bible (I'm not going to bother to look it up) that says men shouldn't cover their heads when they pray while women should. A few very conservative Western Christian churches still follow this, but most don't. This carried over to homes, though the sources I've consulted aren't sure why. In more recent times, when hats with brims were more common, hats often were dirty (men usually only had one) or wet, so wearing it around someone's home meant the possibility of tracking in extra dirt or water. I can understand this. But nowadays, this usually isn't the case. Most of the older men in my family wear or have worn hats (mostly trilbys), and I've never seen a dirty hat. We ride in cars, carry umbrellas, etc. If one of you did happen to go to someone's home with a dirty hat, I'd think you'd have the good sense to remove it at the door. But what about the perfectly clean hat? Why is it somehow "offensive" to wear it indoors? This is what happens when people blindly follow traditions without thinking.

I always thought hat etiquette was sort of the opposite of this. The hat was a tool to keep one's hair clean when people didn't bathe every day. In that respect, that could be why hats were considered "dirty" and worth taking off. Also, there might be more emphasis on wanting to take the hat off rather than wanting to wear it, and so there would be more options on temporarily storing a hat when one was out. Now the hat, because it is more style than function, is worn less often and the options of taking it off at a restaurant or friend's house are definitely more limited because of it.

 

[Shraka]

Originally Posted by BBRex

I always thought hat etiquette was sort of the opposite of this. The hat was a tool to keep one's hair clean when people didn't bathe every day. In that respect, that could be why hats were considered "dirty" and worth taking off. Also, there might be more emphasis on wanting to take the hat off rather than wanting to wear it, and so there would be more options on temporarily storing a hat when one was out. Now the hat, because it is more style than function, is worn less often and the options of taking it off at a restaurant or friend's house are definitely more limited because of it.

It has a big function for me: Stopping me from being sunburned.
Also, during winter, it keeps my head warm, and if I am caught without my umbrella, it keeps my head dry.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by BBRex

I always thought hat etiquette was sort of the opposite of this. The hat was a tool to keep one's hair clean when people didn't bathe every day. In that respect, that could be why hats were considered "dirty" and worth taking off. Also, there might be more emphasis on wanting to take the hat off rather than wanting to wear it, and so there would be more options on temporarily storing a hat when one was out. Now the hat, because it is more style than function, is worn less often and the options of taking it off at a restaurant or friend's house are definitely more limited because of it.

ewww... putting a hat on your unkempt, unbathed, sweaty and smelly hair is.... ewwww.....