Copyright, Legal Notice and Disclaimer This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this Guide to anyone else. Please note that much of this publication is based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Although the author and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this Guide, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it's likely that they won't be the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms. Finally, use your head. Nothing in this Guide is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical or other professional advice, and is meant to inform and entertain the reader. So have fun and learn to dress sharp! A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style
A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats Written By Antonio Centeno Edition 2 2017 A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style
Contents Copyright, Legal Notice and Disclaimer Chapter 1: Why Should A Man Wear A Hat Why a Hat? Defining a Classic Hat Chapter 2: Choosing a Hat Material Shape Size Budget Chapter 3: Classic Hat Styles Fedora Trilby Homburg Porkpie Bowler/Derby Western Hats Panama Hats Boater Top Hats A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style
Chapter 4: What to Wear with a Classic Hat Caring for a Hat A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style
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Chapter 1: Why Should A Man Wear A Hat A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 2
Chapter 1: Why Should A Man Wear A Hat Ignore, for a moment, the changing winds of fashion. Classic hats the kinds of hats our grandfathers used to wear have had their ups and downs in popular culture. Sometimes they re in, sometimes they re out; sometimes they re co-opted by a particular entertainer or subculture. None of that matters much. If you want to wear a hat, wear a hat. They re comfortable, practical, and a good way to add a touch of personal style to your outfit. A high-quality hat is a fantastic addition to any man s wardrobe. That said if you re going to wear a hat, wear one well. Why a Hat? Hats aren t a mandatory piece of men s clothing. They never have been, really. People may speak fondly of the days when men wore A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 3
hats, usually meaning the 1940s through the 1960s or so, but it wasn t required. The reason you see so many men in old photographs wearing hats is that it was comfortable and convenient for them. Clothes weren t waterproof, buildings weren t climate-controlled, and sunscreen didn t exist. A sturdy piece of wool that could stand up to the battering of the elements was a nice thing for a man to have on his head. These days, we have a much more comfortable lifestyle, and if we need weather protection we can invest in serious sporting wear. That leaves classically styled hats in the realm of accent pieces: optional clothing to express your personal style. Hats are mostly worn outdoors. That means the accent is going to be dressing up your outerwear more than your other clothes nice if you ve got a fairly bland looking jacket or coat and you want a little more pop to your look. Of course, they can be worn in the summer too, at which point they ll be dressing up your lightweight jackets, shirts, and slacks. Defining a Classic Hat Remember, for most of the history of men s style, hats were functional articles of clothing. They needed to look good, but they also needed to keep off sun, rain, and wind. From those practical necessities, we get the classic style of men s hat. Don t get too hung up on details here, but broadly speaking a classic men s hat refers to the stiff-sided, structured styles popular in the middle 20th century. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 4
Most share the same basic elements, in different angles and proportions: felt material (typically wool) a stiff crown a circular brim a band or ribbon around the base of the crown Return to Table of Contents Different styles of hats are usually nothing more than variations in the sizes and shapes of the brim and crown. There are a few outliers (soft flat caps, for example), but most classic hat styles fall into the stiff-sided felt family. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 5
Chapter 2: Choosing A Hat A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 6
Chapter 2: Choosing A Hat There are a few factors that go into finding the perfect hat. Everyone s needs are different, and you ll want to choose the hat that s right for your look and your budget. Material Most classic hats are made from felt, a condensed mat of tough fibers. Wool is the most common material, and by most standards the best. It is tough, warm, and breathable, and it keeps its shape well. The quality of the wool used affects the texture and durability of felt hats. An ideal hat should feel soft against the hand, with a bit of a fuzzy knap, and it should keep its shape but bend easily under pressure. A slick, hardened surface or a brittle stiffness is a sign of cheap construction. A few classic styles of hat use non-felt materials: Panama hats are woven from straw, and there are several other styles of straw hats as well, and flat caps are usually made from a woven wool cloth like tweed. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 7
Another alternative to wool is fur felt, which can be made from nearly any kind of hair. The hair of beavers and other small, aquatic mammals are still used for luxury hat felts, and cow and horse hair are used in tougher, more rugged styles, especially Western hats. Shape You want the shape of your hat to balance your face. In this context, balance means the hat should help bring out the facial features that need strengthening and de-emphasize the ones that are already strong. So, for example, a very round-faced man is going to look better in a hat that tapers to a peak at the crown, like a sharply-angled fedora or trilby. A man who thinks of himself as very angular in feature, on the other hand, benefits from something that will round him out, like a porkpie or a bowler. Most men don t fall neatly into obvious extremes like that, of course. Expect it to take you a while in front of a mirror with lots of options to try on before you figure out what s perfect for your face. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 8
But if you re starting with something that adds some curves or angles that you don t already possess, you re probably on the right track. Keep in mind that brims are malleable, to some degree. A fedora with the brim tilted down all the way around gives your face a different shape than one flipped rakishly up on one side. So you ve got options here but the shape of the hat should definitely be one of your main considerations when you re buying. Size Hat size is easy to measure, if you ve got a soft, flexible measuring tape. You can buy one at any craft or fabric store, and of course most hat shops and tailors will have them on hand. You can also use a piece of string, and then measure the string against a ruler. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 9
Measure the circumference of your head where you want your hat s inside rim to sit. Generally speaking, that should be just above the tips of your ears. A little higher will give you a tight fit; a little lower will be loose enough to potentially rest on your ears. Most manufacturers will have their own sizing charts to convert inches to hat sizes. As a loose rule of thumb, though, you can use the following benchmarks: Measurement 21-1/4 Hat Size 6-3/4 22 22-3/4 6-7- 7/8 1/8 23-1/2 7-3/8 24 24-3/4 7-7- 5/8 7/8 A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 10
Budget Be realistic about buying a quality hat. It s like a suit or a dress overcoat you re not going to pick one up at Target for twenty bucks. Plan on dropping upwards of $50 at the very minimum for a basic wool felt hat. For high-quality wool or fancy construction, it ll be up into the three digits. That s not a bad investment. Well-made hats will last several lifetimes. In terms of dollars-per-wear, a real wool felt hat from a reliable manufacturer might be one of the highest-value items you ever purchase. Look for deals where you can get them, absolutely. Sales or coupons are your friends here. But look for quality hats from brands that specialize in headwear, and don t make the price point your determining factor. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 11
Chapter 3: Classic Hat Styles A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 12
Chapter 3: Classic Hat Styles Down into the nitty gritty! Do you know your homburgs from your porkpies? If not, don t sweat it. We ve got all the specifics here. Fedora This is what most people think about when they think of classic men s hats. It s such an iconic style that low-grade manufacturers will call just about anything with a brim and a fixed crown a fedora, regardless of accuracy. For the purist, though, a fedora is a felt hat with pinched sides and a lengthwise crease down the crown. That gives the front a roughly wedge-like shape, though it can be molded to the wearer s taste. One of the big advantages of a fedora and one of the reasons for the style s widespread popularity is the wide, flexible brim. Fedora brims are flat, with no constructed edge or curl, and can be bent up or down as the wearer pleases. The flexible brim gives the fedora a little more versatility than a stiffer style. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 13
It can be tilted down over the eyes for a hidden, mysterious look, or angled slightly upward for a more open profile. Trilby A trilby is little more than a shortened, angular fedora (and is sometimes called a crumpled fedora, although the term is oldfashioned these days). It has the same crown shape as a fedora, but the back is shorter than the front, creating an angle. Trilbys are typically worn with the brim snapped downward in front and upward in back, adding to the impression of a narrowing angle at the back of the hat. The brim is smaller than on a fedora, usually only an inch or so wide. The style dates back to the turn of the 20th century, but in the 21st century it saw a revival as a youth style, particularly in music culture. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 14
Homburg The fedora s dressier cousin, the homburg is your best bet for a formal business look. It has the same creased crown, but without the pinches at the sides, and the brim is stiffer and has a slightly upturned lip all the way around. This is still the go-to dress hat of businessmen, politicians, and other well-to-do gentlemen in the western world. Porkpie A shorter style (and therefore a good one for men who are already tall), a porkpie has a flattened top without a crease down the center. It is pinched at the sides like a fedora, creating a slightly triangular or wedge-shaped front. The brim is usually small, and A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 15
turned up around the edge. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 16
Bowler/Derby The two names mean the same thing: a stiff, rounded dome of a crown with no creasing or pinching, and a short brim curled up at the sides. Pop culture has made the bowler hat into a stuffy British icon, but its origins are working-class, and it is considered less formal than styles like the homburg and the fedora. Western Hats Broadly speaking, Western hats are high-crowned, wide-brimmed hats. The most common style have a double crown, where the felt is stiffened with a crease down the center and a dimple on either side of the crown, but other shapes are possible as A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 17
well. The origins of the style are practical, but these days fine felt cowboy hats (with the Stetson brand leading the way) are just as much a fashion piece as anything else. They are somewhat more macho and less formal than other styles. Panama Hats Confusingly, Panama hats come from Ecuador (they were shipped to Panama to be sold to sailors and workers on the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, and the name stuck). The weaving is an art form, and true Panama hats cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and they re well worth the price for men in hot, humid climates. Most Panama hats are shaped like fedoras or triblys, but they are made from woven palm leaves or straw instead of felt. The flexible weave can be crumpled or rolled up and still retain its shape, and unlike most straw hats it can endure many soakings and dryings without distorting in shape. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 18
Panama hats are slightly more relaxed than their felt counterparts, but that makes them ideally suited to the lightweight styles and loosened formality of tropical climates. Boater Flat-topped straw hats with a wide brim, boaters are mostly novelty items these days, but are still considered appropriate (and desirable) attire for rowing and regatta events. Many barbershop quartets wear them, as well. While you won t usually see them outside those settings, they are technically still a perfectly acceptable summer alternative to a fedora or a homburg. If you want to wear one with a summer suit, more power to you. Top Hats The only modern use for a top hat (outside of costuming) is as the accompaniment to morning dress or white tie. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 19
Morning dress, the daytime formal standard, calls for a light-colored hat (usually dove gray), while white tie, worn at night, calls for a black hat. Unless you happen to attend a lot of formal events, or you need a top hat professionally (as with some coach drivers), it s probably not worth investing in one. Here s a quick video about the classic hat styles. Click here to watch. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 20
Chapter 4: What To Wear with A Hat A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 21
Chapter 4: What To Wear With A Hat It s worth noting that not all outfits are suited to fine felt hats. If you happen across the phrase fedora guy or fedora wearer on modern social media, it s not a compliment. The implication is a sketchy guy who wears the same ratty fedora with every outfit because he thinks it makes him look classy. Don t be that guy. Dress hats should be worn with dress outfits. Suits are always safe. Blazers and nice slacks are probably fine too. Return to Table of Contents Sports jackets can work, but keep them on the nicer and less thrift store looking side of things. Wool overcoats are fine. Once you get into the realm of blue jeans, however, even nice ones, or of practical working clothes like barn coats and plaid hunting jackets, you need to step your headgear down a notch as well. T- shirts are right out. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 22
Save the fine felt fedoras, homburgs, and porkpies for when you re dressed well. Western hats, straw hats, and derbies have a little more flexibility, and can be worn with less dressy outfits. Trendy pieces like the brightly-colored triblys that were in fashion a few years back are more flexible, and can be worn without classic menswear accompanying them, but of course the converse is also true: you shouldn t wear them with your good suits or overcoats. Caring for a Hat Felt hats are sturdy, but the material requires specific care and treatment. You should always handle hats by the brim, not the crown. Use your hands to shape the crown when you first buy the hat, if you have to (or better still, have the manufacturer shape it to your specifications), but after that keep your hands away from the crown, especially where it creases. Dirt and oil from your hands can weaken the fabric, and the creases are the points that will wear through first. When a felt hat gets wet, set it down flat on a towel and let it air-dry naturally. Heating a wet hat with a hair dryer, radiator, or other heat source can warp its shape. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 23
Your hat should have a sweatband on the inner edge, and the name tells you what it s for: when it soaks through with sweat, take the hat off and turn the sweatband inside out, so that it can air dry without soaking into the felt. Every few wears, give your hat a light brushing with a suit brush. That will get rid of loose dirt and other gritty particles that can eat their way into the felt and wear it away. If you get a dirty smudge or other stain, wipe very lightly with a damp cloth, or pat the stain with a gum eraser to pull it up without damaging the felt. For storage, a dry box with a frame for the hat to rest on is best. If you re not quite willing to shell out for an individual box for each of your hats, use a large wall hook, but cut a slit in a tennis ball and slip it over the hook so that your hat isn t hanging on a single point. Felt has memory, and if you leave it too long on anything that applies pressure (like a small hook), it will bend into that shape. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 24
The best way to keep a hat in its proper shape is simply to wear it! If your hats are seeing a good, regular rotation of use, they should do just fine. If they ever need to lie idle for a while, switch between hooks, boxes, or storage on flat shelves, so that they re never resting on the same part of the hat for too long. With proper care, a felt hat is an investment that won t just last for your lifetime it ll last for someone else s lifetime after you re dead and gone. Want some tips on wearing hats? Click here to watch the video. A Man s Guide to Wearing Hats 1 st Edition 2016 Copyright Real Men Real Style Page 25
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