A few weekends ago I wore my hat out to some college bars. A couple of the bars were frat bars, which I don't really care for but I was going around looking for some friends of mine. I wear dress shirts with the hat, usually Italian. Most of the guys at the frat bars would dress in either pinstripe dress shirts or designer t-shirts (the ones from the mall with the big designs) and faded designer jeans.
I figured I would look really out of place with my hat, but turns out, not so much, especially because of the rest of my clothing. Most guys there were hatless but there were quite a few ballcaps (including the wide-bill caps) and trilbys. I actually got quite a few compliments for my hat, especially from girls. I even had one girl yell from across the street who liked my hat. The hat and my style of dress didn't look out-of-place at all.
I also went to a dance hall that was mostly country. I wear boots and jeans to it but I still top it off with a dress shirt and a hat. In all honesty, I think my hat works really well. Unlike a trilby, a wide-brim fedora CAN look like a western hat. When I think of all those wilderness magazines from the 30s to the 50s and Elmer Keith kind of guys, I think of fedoras. Most of the guys in there were hatless but there were some straw cowboy hats (****kicker hats), ballcaps, and a few felt cowboy hats. I like how my fedora looks different but it still looks like it belongs.
Anyway, I went to a restaurant in a very nice part of Austin last night. It's actually where I took the picture above. A lot of the guys here were wearing dress or polo shirts with chinos. With my hat, I wore another dress shirt (RLPL) with chinos and a pair of Allen Edmonds. I fit in just fine. In fact, I had one guy who complimented my hat, saying that it was a "really sweet" hat. I noticed that people treated me with respect while I was there.
Here are some things I learned from these experiences:
1) Wide-brim fedoras are very versatile hats. I was able to wear it in three different environments without looking really out of place. In fact, I fit in just fine. I didn't come off as "some dude wearing a hat" but more like I had a complete look. I LOVE the fedora in lieu of a cowboy hat. It works!
2) People seem to only associate Indiana Jones with brown hats. They're also more acceptable to hats, which has only occurred in the past ten years or so. Hats in general are making a comeback and I think the rockabilly culture can get some credit for it. Hats no longer look "old fashioned."
3) It's really effective when you dress around the shoes and the hat. The hat in turn will compliment your clothing. Instead of looking like someone wearing a hat, I go for the complete look in which the hat is only a part of the package but it fits in with the rest of the package. I like to OWN the hat rather than it own me.
4) The Raiders turn is awesome.
I hope this helps!
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