Men who didn’t have the guts to wear hats despite what the culture said.
More on the connection between hats and being regularly out in the weather:
People who take trams to work walk several blocks to the metro station, and then the several blocks from the metro to their office.
And they do it every day, whatever the weather, rain, shine, snow, sleet, whatever. So, the hat has a practical purpose. When you start driving, you're out of the weather from your front door to the parking garage to the office. Average office workers simply aren't out in the weather for longer than it takes to walk from the parking lot to the lobby door. That killed the hat.
Kennedy & Eisenhower, I believe.
Nowadays, it seems like every guy I run into who walks around under a hat all the time is actually a self conscious bald guy who’s trying to hide it from everyone. So hats are for baldies. Or that’s the impression. Too bad people don’t seem to be expected to remove their hats anymore when going indoors. Agree with the person who said America quit wearing hats when Hollywood quit wearing them.
I wear a fedora to work Monday through Friday. Sometimes on the weekends if I’m dressing up...
No, I don’t care if folks think it’s out of style. It’s MY style...
I often wear a cap when outside for sport events or doing yard work. But it sure bugs me to see men in restaurants wearing their caps or western hats while eating with others. I was taught that was impolite, and I agree.
IMHO, more people spent less time outdoors, due to more indoor jobs and air conditioning. Hats were in part to protect the head and eyes from sunlight.
My head gets oily when I wear one, so I rarely do, unless I’m in the hot sun or in the rain. Yes, I use a hat when it rains because I don’t like to use umbrellas.
I bought a hat a couple years ago, but I haven’t worn it much.
Skateboarder type boys wear some nice hats. I forget what they are called but they have a smaller brim than a fedora but are nice looking on many heads. They look manly, not metrosexual, like some of the other looks for tweener and high school boys.
The fedora/homburg/bowler/boater type hat for men died out for many reasons, but I think Kennedy had little to do with it other than being around at the same time that the tide turned.
Dress in general is less formal. Most folks are less exposed to the weather. Cars are less roomy than public transport.
All these valid reasons have been posted. Another is that men got hit up for a tip every place they went and checked a hat. It got to be quite a racket. The hats themselves weren’t cheap, and you needed more than one.
I think when you combine all of the above with the dawning of the age of technology worship, where appearing old fashioned was the worst thing you could do, the hat was done for.
That said, I wear a fedora almost every day. Screw convention, I like ‘em, and when asked about it I say “If Obama is going to lead us into another Great Depression, I want to be dressed for it.”
That shuts up the libs and makes the conservatives like my hat.
Hat hair. I have fine hair. I don’t look human after I uncover, even with a crew cut.
Here in L.A., a lot of young men are wearing flat caps or trilbys.
This guy ruined it for everyone else.
-PJ
Nobody wears spats anymore, WHY???
Let's talk about this, people, it's much more interesting than talking about the Recovery That Never Was...
“The chicken or the egg”. When men began to stop wearing hats, the early 60’s then the automakers began to lower the tops. Hats lost there luster in the 50’s. Actors and rock and roll stars set the pace. James Dean( rebel without a cause), Elvis, etc. This was the beginning of the LOSS OF “CLASS” in society
Modishly hatless men are the reason for the upsurge in skin cancer!
My 15 year old loves hats and very rarely goes out without one. He has baseball style caps. Trilbies. A Fedora. And an English style cap.
Ya, everyone quit wearing hats...lol