03 November 2011

How To Wear a Hat

Like you mean it...
 photo credit: not sure, but I heisted it from "Where Is The Cool"


The kid in the middle gets a pass for wearing a double breasted suit. Otherwise, a "rakish tilt" is always a nice touch, and these kids have been taught well. Imagine how difficult it would be to find five grown men you know and line them up for a photo and have it look this killer. And that's just the word for it, killer. These kids are strong and confident, and I can tell not just by what they're wearing but how they're wearing it.

p.s. I'm off to New York tomorrow. More shallow drivel Sunday or Monday. Your humble "pedant" needs a few days off to "get over" himself. (see comments to the last post...the one about socks with ducks on them)

35 comments:

Pancho said...

These kids look really comfortable (especially the first kid on the left). You can tell it's not the first time they've dressed this way. I think that's why what you write is true, about finding 5 grown men nowadays who'd look this killer. Men back then had a lifetime of dressing this way, even if only for church on Sundays, and of observing other men (young and old) dressing this way, and they didn't have to apologize for it.

Anonymous said...

Safe travels G. Ignore the negative comments. People who leave those tend to be bored of life.

davidsl said...

Amazing photo! I think you are right that you couldn't line up 5 random adult males today and come up with a picture as good. I shudder to think about it actually.

Connor T Lawrence said...

I own one really good hat (and a lot of caps). I don't remember the brand, but it's a large fedora made in Italy with a really neat brown pattern. I don't wear it all the time, but throw it on when I feel like dressing up a bit, always with a brown jacket and tie. It's a great fit, not too large, and full of style. I think it looks great, my girlfriend agrees, and my male friends who watch old movies agree as well.
I have been the butt end of jokes at school Every.Single.Time I've worn this hat!
The most recent time two gents asked if they could see it and proceeded to play dress up, saying things like "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" and "Indubitably inspector, I'm on the case." The former I took as a compliment.
My point is, most people just don't "get" wearing a hat anymore. I might as well have walked into my calculus class wearing spats and monocle. Of course, I say damn the bastards, I'll wear whatever I want, it's just surprising that you call more attention to yourself by dressing nicely than by dressing like shit.

maven said...

Ooooooh, a monocle! I'd forgotten about those. Maybe I could get one for my husband - I think that would be a very sexy look for a middle aged guy. (I'm sorta kidding, sorta not)

Anonymous said...

Isn't it rather obvious what those kids grew up to be?

julezwinfield said...

It is obvious that these boys grew up to be gentleman. Anything else would be uncivilized. BTW every generation at one point has embraced the DBS this young man was a rebel.

Anonymous said...

I'm all about wearing vintage, shaving with a safety (one blade) razor, bringing back the customs of my grandpappy...
but hats are one thing I just cant get my head around.
I think its because 99% of the guys who wear them nowadays do so as a trend or to be ironic. Kind of like people who wear vintage only to be ironic.

I have a couple of beanies and one of those hunting caps with the large ear flaps, and thats about as close as I can do.

Hats are like vests for me- for some reason, they just dont work.

Roger v.d. Velde said...

Echoing Connor's last comment I'd say that if anyone is going to wear a hat today you have to be prepared to dismiss most of the general opinions about hat-wearing.

The common view now, on clothing forums particularly, is that they look like 'costume'. Perhaps they do, but they've not yet reached the point of monocle, spats or cravat. You can wear a hat and have it appear anywhere on the scale between unique-cool-costume-eccentric, maybe a bit of all those things, but so what?

I just know that more men than care to admit it would wear a hat, but don't because they fear contradicting general opinion, and the opinion of those who have declared it 'costume'.

Randall said...

What did they grow up to be Anon? Men?

HosMan said...

I`ve been wearing vintage fedoras for the past few years and most of the comments I get are positive or encouraging.Most people that make fun of or tease you--well,it`s largely because they,themselves,lack the style and finesse(if not the nerve)to be a little bit different and sport a classy "old school" fedora or derby.
You should wear that fine Italian fedora much more often,Connor!
Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Old English Saying:

‘An ape's an ape, a varlet's a varlet, though they be clad in silk or scarlet.'

Anonymous said...

@ Randall

I fully agree with Giuseppe that we should not only dress like grownups, but behave like them as well.

Grownups do not feel the need to be politically correct.

Giuseppe said...

I smell Cod.

LLP said...

If socks are a mere commodity, then I suspect so too are hats. Some commodities are cheaper (cost less, owing to greater supply or insufficient demand, etc.) than others. Some are more difficult to trade... Poor hats...

Randall said...

@anon 8:41

I also hope that a grownup can read punctuation. You apparently know what they grew up to be. I guessed men, but evidently that's not the answer; so why don't you tell us what they grew up to be.

Answering a question nonresponsively is not very grownup or gentlemanly.

My next guess is a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, a policeman and a felon, respectively. Close?

Anonymous said...

A real English gentleman would not acknowledge such a vulgar saying. However, here is a saying worth mulling over: "you cowardly pathetic pratt anon".

Sam Archer
(yes, that is my name)

Honest Trad said...

The "attitude" of these future gangsters makes my stomach turn.

Giuseppe said...

Stomach turn? Seriously? What century is this anyway?

I seem to be digging them out of the woodwork lately. Better write something vapid and meaningless, quick!

Honest Trad said...

Rest assured Giuseppe,

If they were white, they'd still make my stomach turn.

(Future rapists is what they look like).

What century is it? The century in which we can express our feeings openly, instead of playing Politically Correct games.

Giuseppe said...

I just wasn't aware how easy it was to identify not one but five future rapists in thier childhood simply by their stance in an old photograph. Thanks for clearing that up, you really made your point.

Jho78 said...

Cute kids, very dapper. They probably look so proud because whoever took the picture told them how handsome they looked.

Sheik of Araby said...

Wow! Did that Laguna Beach guy link his followers over here or what? What's with all the latent rage?

Giuseppe said...

Your guess is as good as mine.

Anonymous said...

"The latent rage", as you put it, is the result of crime, illegitimate children, and filth.

Got it?

Anonymous said...

Is it really possible not to be a racist in America today?

Are you people blind?

Anonymous said...

Must we continue to look at these midgets?

Giuseppe said...

Crime, illegitimate children and filth are problems which pervade all societies, and all races.

As for continuing to " look at these midgets", feel free to leave if you me this blog so offensive. Your hatred and vitriol, especially with regards to photos of mere children, will not ne missed.

This is a clothing blog, for heaven's sake. Get a hold of yourselves.

Looks like I willunfortunately need to rethink my open comment policy. Disagree all you want, but I won't habe the topic of menswear be used as a springboard for racist political posturing by anonymous blowhards any longer.

francis jones said...

You must live a really long way from any black people to have such stereotypical and outdated negative opinions towards them.

Anonymous said...

I'm having a difficult time writing something that isn't completely sarcastic. So here are my thoughts as I can make them: all one can tell about these kids is that someone cared enough about them to dress them up very nicely for a group picture. And from that comes "apes," "future rapists," and "gangsters."

Calling that out isn't knee jerk political correctness. Honestly, what the fuck? Just because you don't use the "n-word" doesn't mean you aren't straight up, old-timey racist. Jesus.

maven said...

I think that those boys are just adorable. Perhaps they have just been to Sunday School? I hope each well-dressed boy has had a wonderful life and that they all have their own darling grandchildren by now.

I see a pastor, a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, and a haberdashery owner when I look at that photo.

Anonymous said...

Hear hear Maven.

Anonymous said...

Great pic.

Please don't feed the trolls (that means the tools leaving the racist comments).

Ken said...

As an African-American native of Chicago's south side, I remember this era well. Church, graduations, weddings, funerals, even school field trips: we DRESSED. Suits and ties (at the least sportjackets and slacks). No sneakers, no jeans. Sometime in the '70's, school, church and special-event dress codes dropped away. When my 12 y/o cousin showed up to my mom's funeral in Carolina blue t-shirt, shorts and sneakers, I was ready to strangle him and his mother, who let him out of the house in that get-up in the first place. Sadly, Pandora's box has been opened.

Young Fogey said...

I know everybody's been waiting for me to weigh in on this... (sound of tongue being removed from cheek)

First, the little boys are adorable, except for maybe the one second from left. Is he copping an attitude? Does he hate having to dress up? Does he hate having his picture taken? Did he feel unwell on this day? Dunno. Bad picture day.

Second, hats are great. I just got a very nice compliment on the fedora I was wearing the other day (I wear one daily). The young, attractive woman who made the comment was practically gushing about how nice I looked. Gentlemen, how about a fedora with your jacket and tie?

Third, Admiral Cod/Laguna Beach Whatever does not seem to be shy about expressing his views and identifying himself as their author. I doubt he has commented here anonymously.

Finally, saying these boys grew up to be "a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, a policeman and a felon" or "a pastor, a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, and a haberdashery owner" is just as fatuous as saying they grew up to be "apes," "varlets," "gangsters" or "rapists." The only thing we can say is what Anonymous 10:11 said: "all one can tell about these kids is that someone cared enough about them to dress them up very nicely for a group picture."

And that is where we should be: caring enough to dress nicely.