Back when I wrote about my top list of the most stylish men in American History, I mentioned one day in history, January 20, 1961, that, perhaps more so than any other day to that point, changed a nation’s collective mind about their fashion sense.
At noon on that January day, John F. Kennedy chose to give his inaugural address to the nation after publicly taking off his stovetop hat. And while it may seem trivial, this would have been the first inauguration to be televised to any significant number of people. So when Kennedy purposefully stood up and took off his hat before taking the oath and speaking, all of a sudden, the new, young, hip president had taken a men’s paradigm and completely dismantled it.
You see, in case you are not aware, it is cold in January in D.C. So Kennedy not wearing a hat while he spoke meant he had to make the decision to uncover his head and keep it that way, bucking the trend of the fedora always being worn outdoors and for any occasion.
Let me briefly offer some photographic proof to this point. First, a picture from a baseball game in 1955:
You can see that the large number of men in the crowd wearing fedoras or other kinds of hats. Compare that to this 1962 photo of (who else?) JFK throwing out a first pitch at a baseball game:
Sure, there are still some men wearing hats in the picture, but I am certain in saying that the majority here are no longer wearing them.
And one could argue the point that the first picture is taken when it was colder weather, so more hats were needed, but the second picture was taken in Washington D.C. on April 9 – not necessarily the warmest time of the month there either.
From that day forward, for better or worse, men’s traditional, dressy hats began to fade from style and from public view. But it was not only hats that were eventually lost; we also lost a time when men knew how to WEAR hats.
Fifty years ago, men knew how and when to wear hats. They knew their function – to protect the head and eyes from various forms of weather. Men knew to take their hats off indoors and when you met a lady. They knew that they were to keep the head warm in the cold or to shade their heads or their eyes from the heat and sun.
Hats, fundamentally, are not terribly functional when you consider them outside of the weather. They mess up men’s hair, they get messed up when you lean your head back in a chair, they shade your face, etc.
But in the past forty years, we have forgotten most of these rules as hats quickly made their way out of the typical men’s daily wardrobe. In fact, when the next major moment in men’s headgear would arrive 25 years later, we as the male species would be so unprepared and unfamiliar, that we had no idea what to – and ended up failing the test miserably.
In 1986, New Era Cap Co., the primary manufacturer for Major League Baseball’s on-field caps, as well as a manufacturer for countless other minor- and independent-leagues, was given permission to mass-produce MLB-licensed caps to the public. For the previous ten years, New Era had experimented with individual, special orders through magazines and periodicals, but nothing to the scale or price of hats being available at every mall Foot Locker in the country.
As should have been expected, the country’s macho obsession with their favorite teams in the stadium spilled out into the everyday streets and everyday wear. And over the past 25+ years, it has reached the point where hats have evolved from an accessory of necessity to the horrors you see on the heads of males across the country.
So in true revival form, here are my guidelines for hats that are appropriate and not appropriate and what occasions call for them.
Let me address baseball caps first. You should wear a baseball cap if you are on a field playing baseball. That’s it. You want to throw one on while you walk down the street to check the mail or go drop off the overdue movie? Fine. But let’s please not make a habit about of incorporating a baseball cap or other similar chapeaux into outfits. There are a few derivatives of baseball caps (such as visors) that are acceptable in certain sports – and in these sports only: tennis, beach volleyball and golf. Notice the similarity to baseball? They are, of course, played outside
A popular hat some 60-70 years ago has recently made a fashion comeback, but in an altogether different use. Celebrities have recently taken possession of the driving cap and made it into a fad.
These hats were originally intended to do just what the name states – protect the head and shade the eyes while driving. That’s not to say that they can’t be used for other ventures (I recently wore mine in Moscow, and my warm and cozy head thanked me). But now, every Hollywood A-, B-, C- and D-lister wears one with their sport coats, skinny jeans and white shoes.
If you own or desire to own one of these, you have plenty of options of price and location to buy; just not in where they should be worn. GAP sells one for about $20 online, albeit in just one color:
Searching a little deeper J. Press also has one for $60 that can be purchased via their website.
Living in Texas, one thing I get plenty of throughout my week is cowboy hats. I can think of a few places where they are acceptable, so please consider this list as comprehensive. You can wear a cowboy hat if you:
1. Work on a ranch/farm
2. Participate in rodeos
3. Are an actor that requires a cowboy hat for a particular part
Feel free to refute me if you like, but to me this seems like the list. But if you need to purchase one for some reason, try a Texas institution like Cavender’s. Their basic line of cowboy hats run from as expensive as $200+ down to about $50. Just don’t make a mistake like this:
As discussed above, the traditional, classic men’s hat for business wear was the fedora for years. It was a staple of the suit and it was in the same class as wallet and briefcase as items you had to have when you left the house.
But in the past five years, the fedora has seen a mini-revival, although not in the business-suit sense. In the past few months, I have seen everything from American Idol hopefuls to Oscar hopefuls in this “new fedora,” with celebs from Brad Pitt to Hugh Jackman buying in.
Looking for a fedora? Banana Republic has, at $60, several variations available - but most of these still don’t look like the “business suit” style:
For more styles, including some that will correspond well with suits, or any other style for that matter, try the website for Hats in the Belfry. You will find what you are looking for there – all for under $100.
One last version of hat worth mentioning is the rain hat. This hat is a call-back to olde english and reminds me of Mackintoshes and the rainy streets of London. When an umbrella just won’t do the job, a rain hat could be necessary. But, much like most of the hats above, this has a very limited responsibility – to be worn in the rain. Nowhere else.
If you’re looking for one of these, may I suggest Brooks Brothers, who sells one for a very reasonable $38.
Above all, remember: Hats do have a place, but that place is not indoors. When you come in, remember to always take it off.
You said “chapeaux”.