Why All the Hate for Hats?

[Thin White Duke]

Well I hate gardening but if I spent any time doing that nobody else would see me so style takes a back seat to function. There's a fella down my street cuts his own lawn wearing a Chinese coolie type conical straw hat. He's had skin lesions removed so needs to be careful.

The wind problem affects all hats to some extent. Not sure if there's a viable solution there. Some hats have that fishing wire thread which you use to attach to a button but I don't think that's the way to go.

I got a couple of panamas in different colours to the standard beige straw, on sale. Check out JJ's website and do a search for Graham, Bowery, Blair and Harlem styles for a Panama in a darker colour that might not show the dirt as easily!

 

[Sam Hober]

"Panama in a darker colour that might not show the dirt as easily!"

Thats an idea - actually we have local simple rough straw hats that are low cost and that don't seem to get that dirty but they do fall apart over time... which is OK adds character..

 

[Andy57]

Panamas are certainly beautiful and useful but I worry about the wind and how to clean them.

I love gardening and getting hats dirty at times is par for the course and the wind can easily blow light hats off to the horizon..

So am I missing something - can you easily clean a muddy Panama and do they stay on your head in the wind?

If not no problem I can save them for going out to lunch or social events.

Although my social events tend to involve large dogs and small children both come with mud at no extra charge.

You can clean Panamas with a damp sponge, but carefully. As for staying on in the wind, if the hat fits you, then it should stay on. I have had a hat stay on my head in extremely windy conditions, on a boat off the coast of Nice. I was surprised, but it stayed on my head. If the hat is too bag, it may well get blown off. Hard to say.

 

[Andy57]

Bates Hats of Jermyn Street has a caramel-colored Panama (not a Montecristi or anything like that) called "Antibes" that is excellent. I've been wearing one all summer and I like the darker color. It's also woven from a coarser straw than fine Montecristis and so is less affected by a breeze.

 

[Sam Hober]



Bates Hats of Jermyn Street has a caramel-colored Panama (not a Montecristi or anything like that) called "Antibes" that is excellent. I've been wearing one all summer and I like the darker color. It's also woven from a coarser straw than fine Montecristis and so is less affected by a breeze.

Some very beautiful hats on that website - thank you for the suggestion.

 

[meister]

The cheaper and less tightly woven Panamas are a better long term prospect than Montes simply because they can take the wear and tear and even light showers don't wreck them.

I had a Monte I wore on Melbourne Cup day once and typically it rained/showered a little and the hat was basically ruined and need a reblocking which you would be hard put to find Down Under.

I bought a very nice quality Panama with a woven edge for USD60 in summer in JosA Bank in NYC on holidays. Nice hatband too and has had a lot of use already this Spring.

 

[meister]

http://www.wsj.com/video/men-hats-n...C1-F3A43926A077.html?mod=trending_now_video_3

 

[Dandy Wonka]

I wear a hat most days and have never experienced "hate for hats". Indeed. many ladies have come up to me and complimented me on the hat I was wearing. Admittedly a lot of them had walking frames and probably flashed back to their father but still...

 

[Captain O]

I grew up during the 1960's when hats were slowly going out of style. I wore a bowler during the 1970's and have been wearing them again. I'll have my new handmade bowler on Thursday. Yes, Dress Hats are coming back.

Screw the rest of the "trucker cap" public without any sense of real style. I get compliments on my Dress Hats and Flat Caps as well. (I'll be wearing a straw boater and a Panama Fedora hat this summer).

 

[Captain O]

I have purchased more "summer" fedora/trilby Panama and paper/straw hats. I'll be headed to Tijuana for the bullfights on August 19th and plan to be "well covered" while in the bullring.

 

[Captain O]

Hey all!

I wear hats on a regular basis; so I find it hard to understand the hate they usually get online communities. I was hoping someone here could explain it to me. Could it be because there are too many "fedora guys" who throw on a black Triliby with a black t-shirt and jeans and think that their Sinatra? Or is it due to guys who think they can wear a brown fedora and look like Indiana Jones?

While I do think that guys wearing hats like that look ridiculous, a hat that meets the formality of your outfit and suits your face usually seems to enhance a gent's look, rather than detract from it. At least that's my opinion.


What do you all think?

Thanks for your time!

The "Trilby and T-shirt" crowd have no concept of real style. Men's hats are to be worn with a minimum of a sports jacket and slacks (even jeans). You can get by with a polo shirt but a sports jacket and dress shirt are preferable.

I can wear a cap or "walking hat" when feeling "casual" in winter. In summer, I have 2 trilbies (Shantung and Paper Straw) and 2 Panamas. I wear fur felt bowlers and true fur felt fedoras during the autumn, winter, and springtime.

Dressing well should come with adulthood (maturity). So many young men have no concept of style or living gracefully. They act and speak as if they have no education and dress even worse. Trust me, a graphic t-shirt with a "tuxedo print" does NOT qualify as "formal wear".

See a haberdasher and dress as if you are a self-employed entrepreneur. You'll feel better and be treated with greater respect. It comes with living in the "adult world". Stop dressing as a child and embrace maturity.

 

[pacnyc]

As an occasional visitor to this site, I only just came across this thread. My father never left the house without a hat, and neither do I. Flat caps are great for some occasions, but usually I need the the brims on my fedoras and straw hats to protect my face and ears from the sun. I had a pre-cancerous growth removed once, so I don’t much care if someone else doesn’t care for my Panama.

I have a number of hats of different types, but if I’m dressed in a suit and overcoat, a fedora is the only appropriate head gear, as far as I’m concerned.

 

[GT-R]

We carry too much **** in our hands. Phones, keys, wallets. If I have to take off my hat, that's an additional item to carry or just keep track of. Also, if you get you hair done a certain way, the bloody hat ******** it up.

 

[BXpress]

Where i live the general attitude towards hats is that they are for stylish old men or very old men.

If a young guy wears a hat then he's on his way to a 20s themed party, or he will be categorized as a hipsterish retro try hard. I have never considered wearing a hat. I think i could pull it off easily with my facial structure but the hipsterish connotation is just too much for me to even try. Also i like to show off my hair.

 

[pacnyc]

Don’t you wear a hat when it’s cold out?

I forgot to say—people on the street should wear what they want, but I personally just wish those who go in for baseball caps would choose ones without logos or slogans. They’re perfectly easy to find, and don’t look quite so athletic and noisy, in my opinion.