Where do you stand on men's hattage?

Chances are, this question is a good indicator of your age.  Almost nobody alive today in America personally recalls the days when everyone wore a hat.  Or at least not many men alive today wore a hat as adults during those glorious days of yesteryear.  John F. Kennedy famously  didn't wear one at his inauguration and, like Clark Gable's famously nonexistent undershirt, there went an entire industry overnight- almost.

But I write this clad in an undershirt (under my shirt, that is), bought at my local discount store, so SOMEBODY other than me must be wearing them. And such is the case with hats. In fact, the business about JFK and his non-hat is entirely made up.  JFK wore a silk top hat to his inauguration, as many photos wil prove, but the story persists. And the more important point is  not WHY  men don't wear hats as much, but THAT they don't.

So, we begin with this minor controversy and we continue across rocky ground. Many men will tell you they don't look good in hats. Others will swear that they love hats, but then will choose only  the most exaggerated forms of headgear available. And most of us claim to avoid the issue entirely.

But when it is cold outside, or when we are going to be in the sun all day, we guys born before 1960 will often reach for some kind of head covering. Granted, we may not wear a hat to the office and we probably don't worry about what brand of hats our local clothier stocks, but we do somehow understand about protecting our heads.

The most practical advice I can offer about hats is the same advice I offer about all garments. If you treat it as part of a costume, so will the people who see you wearing it. You will exude an air of being in costume.  And, if you buy your hat from a costume seller, chances are that is what you will end up with.

On the other hand, if you buy a hat that doesn't make you look and feel like Indiana Jones or Sam Spade, maybe you will be able to wear it casually, offhandedly, practically, the way you wear nice shoes and a necktie. or jeans and boots, of any description.

May I recommend such a hat? The Stetson Open Road,  and its very similar cousin, made for L.L. Bean, the Moose River Hat.  This is a hat that is the perfect blend of country and city. It is the hat that people like LBJ and Strom Thurmond wore in parades and the kind of hat a rancher might wear to town. It is not particularly cowboyish, but it has a wide enough brim that it doesn't remind you of those last-gasp skinny ones Frank Sinatra sometimes wore.

The classic hat shape (and I mean HAT, not CAP, so no baseball caps, no "newsboy" tams, no Greek Fisherman or Beatnick Berets) is the fedora- a felt  hat with a brim around 2 to 3 inches wide.  A softer version is the Trilby, which seems to  be more suited to walks in the country. A flat-topped hat with a round brim is called a porkpie, much loved by jazz musicians of a certain age. A hat that has been sewn of cloth, rather than formed of felt is sometimes called a "bucket" hat or an Irish Walking Hat. One version  seems to be made more like a bucket (hence the name) , while another one, sometimes seen in old pictures of Rex Harrison, has arched stitching along the sides.  A very dressy felt hat with an upturned wide brim is a homburg, while a narrower brim on a crown with no dimple or creases defines a derby or bowler. There is a whole universe of hats originally worn by horsemen, from  true Cowboy hats to the Australian Stockman, which is wide and flat.   Panama hats, as you probably know, are mostly made in Ecuador. When you want shelter and not warmth, you probably want a straw hat.

Once you see a hat you like, try to form a picture of it in your mind and then go looking for ones like it.  There are several excellent sources of hats online, not the least of which is L.L. Bean, but you can always find hats on eBay. I find it is helpful, though, to look at hats elsewhere and to learn the vocabulary first. You might try Ben Silver, a seller of neckties, cufflinks, and hats, online and in Charleston, SC, or Hartford York (also online) or Menshats.com.  I am not affiliated with any of these companies or with any eBay seller.

Another handy trick is to know your hat size.  If there is a store in your town that sells hats, ask the clerk to help you learn your size- and I don't mean Small Medium Large. Good hats come in sizes like 7 1/4.  You can measure yourself (just above the eyebrows)  and the fine folks at Bean's offer a conversion chart on their webpage, but there is nothing like trying on a few to be sure.  You might check out uniform stores, western wear outfitters, or outdoor goods stores, if your menswear seller doesn't do hats.

Like so many other things that are practical, but hard to come by, nice hats are expensive. Don't be surprised to find retail prices of $100 and over. Of course, you can probably get one for less on eBay. If you happen to get a hat that is a little bit tight, consider having it stretched, or doing it yourself with a handy gadget called a hat jack. Or, you might just get a haircut.

I wish you luck in your search for the perfect hat. If your goal is to be theatrical, please don't  let my stodginess dampen your exuberance. If you want to look like a gentleman, I think my advice is pretty sound.  I hope you have found this guide to be helpful and will vote "yes" below on its helpfulness. I have written dozens of guides, designed to inform, to entertain, and, well, to guide. I hope they do what you want.

Take Care,

WT