Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

Fedoras

Rate this topic


JMartins

Recommended Posts

I'm experiencing an increasing love for the fedora – it's the king of headwear, and can give you a very dignified and gentlemanly appearance. All respectable men used to wear hats such as fedoras, but suddenly, throughout the late 50's and 60's, it came to an end. Why do you think it happened – were Woodstock and the hippie generation perhaps responsible for this as well?

Do you wear fedoras, have you worn them, and do you want to see them brought back to style? How do you tend to judge the men who do wear them?

fedora.gif

Edited by JMartins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 51
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

All respectable men used to wear hats such as fedoras, but suddenly, throughout the late 50's and 60's, it came to an end.
You know, all respectable men used to wear outrageous wigs, too. The fedora is and looks outdated, which is why men don't wear them anymore. It takes a while for something to get trendy and accepted again, and the right set of influences and circumstances. Right now fedoras are probably most associated with pimps!

Stylistically there's nothing terrible about them, but I'm not a fan. If I were to wear a hat like that, it would be a cowboy hat or some sort of farmer hat. They're less commonly seen and do a better job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say it's a result of people not dressing so smart anymore. I'm no expert on fashion, so I have no idea why smart went out of style. You'd have to look into that to find your answer - why the shift towards casual? An embrace of the joys of life? The freedom (and money) to enjoy the luxurious and casual? I don't think it's the 'hippy generation' though.

I wouldn't want to see them brought into style, unless suits came back big time. And I don't honestly care to see everyone dressing so formal again. I prefer seeing variety - it's why I like living in the city. Formal hats on a guy in trainers, jeans and t-shirt looks ridiculous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or maybe the wrong people have been wearing them and ruining them?

kid-rock-pam-anderson.jpg

:D

I just think hats are impractical in most situations. Unless it's raining, snowing, cold or you're keeping the sun out of your eyes, what's the point? They look great in old movies and stuff, but for real life, I find hats impractical.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a top hat, not a fedora. And if you're wearing a tux and tails, I think a top hat would look appropriate, even nowadays. For that matter, if you're dressed up in a vintage suit for a more formal occasion, I think a fedora could work too. If you're just going to the office in your Dockers, a dress shirt and tie, I think you will look geeky in a fedora. (Or top hat.) :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks damn sharp with my leather bomber jacket and shades. :)

This type of style? I think it looks pretty great, though hopefully you have the sense not to wear bright jeans with it. :D

I prefer fedoras with a bit wider brim than this however.

3177779941_5414cd38fd.jpg

I love the clothing style in the tv-series "Mad Men", which is set in New York, in the 60's.

Edited by JMartins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wish suits would come back as general day wear for men (and I wish white tie would make a come back, and that people would stop referring to tuxedos and suits as "formalwear", but that isn't going to happen).

Anyway, I do like fedoras, but I think they need to be matched well to the right kind of outfit, or they look strange. Incidentally, Borsalino tends to have what I think are the best looking fedoras:

http://www.borsalino.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to Andy Gilchrist(www.askandyaboutclothes.com) the decline in use of hats is often blamed on John F. Kennedy who is said to be the first president to not wear a hat to his inauguration. Though it may have helped the decline it may however just have been a reflection of the growing trend at the time.

Until the 20th century you were not considered well or completely dressed if you were not wearing a hat. During this time it was also considered good personal hygiene since the hat protected from industrial dirt. I suppose this is much less of an issue today, though it might still be valid in big polluted cities.

For a well dressed gentleman today I don't think it's a bad choice to wear a hat. For more traditional clothes I don't see how a hat could ever be out of place, unless you choose the wrong kind of hat. A hat can be a traditional and classic piece of clothing or be worn as a fashion statement(and thankfully there are more looks than "the pimp" or Kid Rock). Following more traditional dress rules also almost never looks out of place, even today.

My judgement of someone wearing a hat today is either "oh, pleeeaaaaseee!" or "nice, wish I could pull it off too!"(I don't think I look good in hats and it wont go well with my wardrobe as it is today). If the hat goes well with the rest of the look and it's not some sort of peacocking I kind of like it, and I always appreciate when people make an effort to dress well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wish suits would come back as general day wear for men (and I wish white tie would make a come back, and that people would stop referring to tuxedos and suits as "formalwear", but that isn't going to happen).

Anyway, I do like fedoras, but I think they need to be matched well to the right kind of outfit, or they look strange. Incidentally, Borsalino tends to have what I think are the best looking fedoras:

http://www.borsalino.com/

Have tuxedos ever been anything but formal wear? Suits I think can be buisness or informal, but not tuxedos. Though I think today some would even consider a sport jacket formal...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm very curious to see how they'll dress Hank Rearden and the other male industrialists in the upcoming Atlas Shrugged movie – I expect them all to be wearing hats, assuming it's set in the time period when Atlas Shrugged was written. Rearden is described as wearing one, in the scene where Galt talks about when he saw Rearden for the first time.

In any case, this is probably the ideal style for anyone considering the fedora. ;)

article-1154622-038281D5000005DC-404_634x642.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like hats--in winter--but I wear ones that I can pull down over my ears so they look pretty dorky. Personally I think the decline in "smart dressing" for men and women is a result of the transition from an industrial economy to a knowledge/service economy. It used to be that the desire/ability to dress up was a status symbol--you HAD to wear heavy, ugly clothing if you had a manual labor job. It's much like how it used to be considered high-class if a woman had porcelain pale skin because that meant she wasn't out working. (And I know that's coming back in as aggressive tanning is now seen as low-class.)

Nowadays, the ability to swank around in sloppy clothing is a status symbol because it means you are a.) independent and b.) can afford not to give a damn about what anyone thinks. The guy who wears a suit and tie to work is either a corporate drone with no control over his life or a conservative elder businessman who can afford to have someone ELSE tailor and maintain his wardrobe. Either way, your clothing choices are dictated by your boss or by your handlers.

There's a lot of subtlety in the realm of modern comfortable clothing, of course, and a vast difference between tidy well-fitting jeans or slacks and a clean new-looking t-shirt and some of the stuff I've seen people wearing.. We've all become accustomed to evaluating people on that basis. Whenever I dress up (which is EXTREMELY rare), people assume I'm going to a job interview or a funeral. All the guys I know look pathetically unhappy and uncomfortable in a suit, but they dress nicely given their standards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or maybe the wrong people have been wearing them and ruining them?

kid-rock-pam-anderson.jpg

;)

I just think hats are impractical in most situations. Unless it's raining, snowing, cold or you're keeping the sun out of your eyes, what's the point? They look great in old movies and stuff, but for real life, I find hats impractical.

There's a hat in that photo?????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the clothing style in the tv-series "Mad Men", which is set in New York, in the 60's.

I agree! Although, I'm sure glad I can pull on a nice sweater and wrinkle free slacks for work rather than being required to wear nylons (ugh!), high heeled shoes and dresses that have to be ironed everyday. I can wear practical business clothes during the day, and that makes dressing up to go out all the more special.

...and that people would stop referring to tuxedos and suits as "formalwear"

I'm curious about this too, Alfa. When were tuxedos not formal wear, Las?

For a well dressed gentleman today I don't think it's a bad choice to wear a hat.

My judgement of someone wearing a hat today is either "oh, pleeeaaaaseee!" or "nice, wish I could pull it off too!" ... If the hat goes well with the rest of the look and it's not some sort of peacocking I kind of like it, and I always appreciate when people make an effort to dress well.

I agree. Most examples of hat-wearers today are bad examples, but I'm not opposed to good ones, albeit few and far between.

There's a hat in that photo?????

Ha ha! Yes! And the really bad part...that's a picture from their wedding ceremony. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know, all respectable men used to wear outrageous wigs, too. The fedora is and looks outdated, which is why men don't wear them anymore. It takes a while for something to get trendy and accepted again, and the right set of influences and circumstances. Right now fedoras are probably most associated with pimps!

Stylistically there's nothing terrible about them, but I'm not a fan. If I were to wear a hat like that, it would be a cowboy hat or some sort of farmer hat. They're less commonly seen and do a better job.

Hear Hear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have tuxedos ever been anything but formal wear? Suits I think can be buisness or informal, but not tuxedos. Though I think today some would even consider a sport jacket formal...

Tuxedos used to be considered informal. Even today (if one is pedantic, as I think I might be about this), tuxedos are merely semi-formal. White tie (i.e. a tail coat, low-cut white waistcoat, white piqué bow tie, mother-of-pearl studs, etc.) is formal.

In the 1920's-30's, when the tuxedo reached its modern incarnation, it was generally considered appropriate only for entertaining guests at home. Even at the Oscars up through the fifties, many men wore white tie, and those who wore tuxedos wore only the most formal type (peak lapels, low cut waistcoat, etc.).

Today, of course, when very few wear white tie, the tuxedo has taken on a kind of ersatz formal status.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like hats--in winter--but I wear ones that I can pull down over my ears so they look pretty dorky. Personally I think the decline in "smart dressing" for men and women is a result of the transition from an industrial economy to a knowledge/service economy. It used to be that the desire/ability to dress up was a status symbol--you HAD to wear heavy, ugly clothing if you had a manual labor job. It's much like how it used to be considered high-class if a woman had porcelain pale skin because that meant she wasn't out working. (And I know that's coming back in as aggressive tanning is now seen as low-class.)

Nowadays, the ability to swank around in sloppy clothing is a status symbol because it means you are a.) independent and b.) can afford not to give a damn about what anyone thinks. The guy who wears a suit and tie to work is either a corporate drone with no control over his life or a conservative elder businessman who can afford to have someone ELSE tailor and maintain his wardrobe. Either way, your clothing choices are dictated by your boss or by your handlers.

There's a lot of subtlety in the realm of modern comfortable clothing, of course, and a vast difference between tidy well-fitting jeans or slacks and a clean new-looking t-shirt and some of the stuff I've seen people wearing.. We've all become accustomed to evaluating people on that basis. Whenever I dress up (which is EXTREMELY rare), people assume I'm going to a job interview or a funeral. All the guys I know look pathetically unhappy and uncomfortable in a suit, but they dress nicely given their standards.

From what I understand the turn of the century sack suit was not particularly high-class. It's a development of the frock suit and was used as casual wear and adopted by the masses. Frock suits were still more high-class and formal wear until the introduction of tuxedos. The sack suit may have been adopted because it came from the high-class but it became the way for men to dress, which is also seen in the popular 1920's jazz culture. I think what really set things apart regarding social class, pop culture etc. was the styling of the suits - not the suits themselves. For example the jazz culture expressing rich style with baggy pants, flannel and tweed as common suit fabrics and later in the 1930's double breasted jackets were a sign of high-class.

I think rather the decline came from nihilistic influences against the social norms of those times.

Today I think there are alot of different perceptions regarding suits, the charcoal suit for example being the most conservative buisness wear that might have the wearer being percieved as a "corporate slave". Suits can also be fashionable and trendy, or classy(and regarding the conservative elder buisnessman let me just add that though it may not always be percieved that way he is not very likely to have someone else maintain his wardrobe, if he is well dressed that is. It's very difficult to have someone else dress you up, and a sucessfull buisnessman is not likely the kind of person who will have someone else tie his shoes. Good tailors are also hard to find so you have to know where to look for them, and even when you find one you'll better know a thing or two about clothes and tailoring to get the desired result. One can safely assume that if he's well dressed, he knows what he's doing). How one is percieved depends very much on the style and the situation. I guss the same thing goes for sloppy clothes. Sometimes you can just look at a person and tell that he's dressed like a bum, and most likely is a bum, and sometimes he has just spent a fortune to look like one.

I agree there's alot of subtelty in modern casual(I will not say comfortable) clothing. There's a great variety of stuff, and some can be made to look very good. Dressing well is also very contextual. In some situations jeans and a t-shirt is far more apropriate than a three piece suit.

As for suits being uncomfortable I personally think it's one of the most comfortable things you can wear, but quality and fitting is crucial. I mean, a tight collar, jacket and pants that are too tight(or too loose) in some places, fabric that doesnt breathe etc. That's very uncomfortable. When everything is fitting well and with good fabrics you can feel comfortable and look sharp through the whole day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought my son (he was 17) one last year, per his request.

They are cool hats. I wish more men would wear them. But not the skanky men. They can stick with skanky head gear, thank you very much hahah.

Target had them last year, pretty cheap, and had some decent ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. Most examples of hat-wearers today are bad examples, but I'm not opposed to good ones, albeit few and far between.

I think the trick here is to avoid poor fashion statements and not dress too costumey. It's good if the hat is suitable for the ocassion and has some function other than pure looks, like offering some protection from the sun/rain/snow/etc. More traditional mens clothes also have a good way of drawing attention to the mans face, for example by shirt collars, ties and lapels on the jacket. Here a hat can have a good way of framing the face, especially when the hat goes well with the rest of the outfit and the shape of the face.

Ha ha! Yes! And the really bad part...that's a picture from their wedding ceremony. ;)

Please tell me this is a joke!

Tuxedos used to be considered informal. Even today (if one is pedantic, as I think I might be about this), tuxedos are merely semi-formal. White tie (i.e. a tail coat, low-cut white waistcoat, white piqué bow tie, mother-of-pearl studs, etc.) is formal.

In the 1920's-30's, when the tuxedo reached its modern incarnation, it was generally considered appropriate only for entertaining guests at home. Even at the Oscars up through the fifties, many men wore white tie, and those who wore tuxedos wore only the most formal type (peak lapels, low cut waistcoat, etc.).

Today, of course, when very few wear white tie, the tuxedo has taken on a kind of ersatz formal status.

Thanks Laszlo, I wasnt aware of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they look pretty awesome and very classy. It's like the hat version of the Windsor Tie Knot - powerful, upscale, and classic.

I don't wear hats myself - I put too much effort into my hair (so I'm a guy who wants to look good - sue me!) to let a hat touch it unless there's a blizzard outside. But if I were to wear a hat regularly, it would definitely be the classic Fedora.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...