Club Obi Wan

I went to the local shoe repair store (one with a good reputation in this town with three locations) to fetch a repair job on my old style paper planner's binder's zipper, and the fellow behind the counter started talking to me about my hat. I'd popped on a beaver AB styled as "Indy IV" on the sweatband, earlier in the day, and decided to wear it on my errand. "Nice hat you have there. It was getting to be a little cloudy out, but UV exposure is a high hazard in my town a 100% of the time. Where did you get it? How much did it cost? He was very complementary about my nice hat.

And the questions kept coming. He said he noticed me out of the shop window as I was walking through the parking lot to get to the storefront. He ended up telling me that he has 13 hats himself (or was it 30? his accent was thick, maybe it was 13 Panama hats as part of his collection). "Nowadays, nobody wears a nice hat or dresses well." I just had a pair of old Levi's and a cotton adventure shirt. The AB seemed to top off the casual outfit. He went on to complain about his son wearing his pants down so low and sporting the sloppy look that seems so popular with today's youth. Demonstrating the slouched, baggy look without dropping his pants.

But he was thrilled to see someone in a nice hat and I think I made his day. I shook his hand and thanked him for the complement. I left the shoe repair store feeling pretty good.

Class never goes out of style.

See, why can't everyone get these kind of remarks instead of snickers and folks going "DOCTOR JONES! DOCTOR JONES!"

Mmmm. It's not helped when the only hat wearing person in my place of work is a somewhat mad old guy who likes going on caravan holidays and talks constantly about the state of the railways...

Castor Dioscuri wrote:See, why can't everyone get these kind of remarks instead of snickers and folks going "DOCTOR JONES! DOCTOR JONES!"

My thoughts exactly.

djd wrote:Mmmm. It's not helped when the only hat wearing person in my place of work is a somewhat mad old guy who likes going on caravan holidays and talks constantly about the state of the railways...

Hummm. My kind of guy!

Regards! Michaelson

Generally I notice it is the older generation that give the compliments. Seeing some of our generation wearing the old style probably brings back memories of a more civilized age. Fedoras aren't as clumsy or random as ballcaps.

I was walking past the Ritz-Carlton on Tremont St. tonight with a black fedora and long overcoat on tonight, and a guy said "It's D1CK TRACY". What the ####?????

People need to keep their mouths to themselves. If I wasn't wearing a tuxedo under the coat, I was in just the right mood to get a little blood on it this evening.

All black isn't what I remember Tracy from the Sunday comics. I thought he had a touch of blue, but my memory isn't what it used to be.

Not exactly black.

Lets face it, we're rare birds in a society full of sheep, and sheep are dumb. People will run their mouth and think they're funny. Always will. I like being just a little bit different, heck I LOVE being a little bit different! I've always been a square peg guy in a round hole world. Just think about this guys, a week from now will someone remember that guy with the baseball cap and saggy pants that walked past them on the street? Probably not. Will he remember the guy in the fedora? Probably!


Travis

Hollowpond wrote:Lets face it, we're rare birds in a society full of sheep, and sheep are dumb. People will run their mouth and think they're funny. Always will. I like being just a little bit different, heck I LOVE being a little bit different! I've always been a square peg guy in a round hole world. Just think about this guys, a week from now will someone remember that guy with the baseball cap and saggy pants that walked past them on the street? Probably not. Will he remember the guy in the fedora? Probably!


Travis

Amen, brother

Great thatyou met a hat affictionado!
I tend to get three kinds of comments and they're almost an anthropologist's cultural indicator for tribal membership!
"ha ha, look he finks he's Indy / Crocodile Dundee / Van Helsing." -generally from the dumbest man in a group of men all under 25. [type: 'Insecure Sheep']
"That's a smart hat, where could I get one for my man?" -generally from women over 25 [type 'Confident Leader']
"Cool hat dude, bet it was expensive." -generally from men under 25 when they are not in a group [type 'Flockless Sheep']

Thanks VP, that yellow hat and coat would be hard to miss. I'm wondering now, was there a movie version of D1ck Tracy?

Indiana MarkVII wrote:Thanks VP, that yellow hat and coat would be hard to miss. I'm wondering now, was there a movie version of D1ck Tracy?

There was a movie made with Warren Beatty and Madonna. It was not very good as I remember. If a BRIGHT yellow fedora is anybody's cup of tea Baron's makes one of these. I personally wouldn't be abnle to pull off this very loud style of fedora.

Yeah, not sure how you missed that one. The advertising for that movie was INSANE!! It was around the time that Warren Beatty and Madonna were HUGE and were all over the trash papers. The merchandising for that movie was everywhere as well. I think Al Pacino was in that movie too.

It wasn't very good as I recall.

A yellow D1ck Tracy outfit would only be for costuming at Halloween or a convention, in my humble opinion. I can't imagine anyone wanting to wear a bright yellow fedora and overcoat in public, although it reminds me of the rain gear we wore as kids walking to school on a rainy day.

Oh, and about the movie, I do remember it vaguely, so thanks for the reminder. Late 1980's I would say, and yes, it was not that memorable.

Indiana MarkVII wrote:A yellow D1ck Tracy outfit would only be for costuming at Halloween or a convention, in my humble opinion. I can't imagine anyone wanting to wear a bright yellow fedora and overcoat in public, although it reminds me of the rain gear we wore as kids walking to school on a rainy day.

Oh, and about the movie, I do remember it vaguely, so thanks for the reminder. Late 1980's I would say, and yes, it was not that memorable.

I agree I wouldn't go out wearing a bright yellow fedora and trench coat. I bet that some would say that about a brown fedora and a leather jacket though. So I say to each his own. Wear what you like.

Wait, who's saying they went out in a yellow coat and hat? I don't think anyone is saying they would wear that. My point was that I was wearing all black and got that comment.

Maboot, I don't think anyone said that you or someone else went out in a yellow coat and hat. The fact that you got the D1ck Tracy comment only shows how dumb the commenter was. But trying to correct him would be like trying to teach a pig to sing.

Yeah, which is why I kept walking.

I guess I'm the only one who LOVED D1ck Tracy. It came out when I was a kid and I was all over it. There was even a show at MGM studios in Disney World that I would always make my parents take me too...always following the IJESS.

Dave

djd wrote:Mmmm. It's not helped when the only hat wearing person in my place of work is a somewhat mad old guy who likes going on caravan holidays and talks constantly about the state of the railways...

Funny! The other "hat guy" where I work is an old guy who can quote every Seinfeld and Southpark episode, has a picture of himself dressed as the Phantom of the Opera and totally wrecks the men's room on our floor (does he eat burning tires for breakfast?).

Here I am: 25 years younger sporting a fedora. They all think that I'm going to grow up to become just like him.

I started wearing my fedora to church and pretty soon, some of the other guys started wearing. I guess once that first person "braves up" others will follow.

jkdbuck76 wrote: I started wearing my fedora to church and pretty soon, some of the other guys started wearing. I guess once that first person "braves up" others will follow.

Interesting. there was a time when it was deeply sacreligious for a man to wear a hat in church, or a woman to go bareheaded. I still always take my fedora off going in a church, and I'm a pagan!

I think this thread is veering off course. I just wanted to share the happy news about the compliment I received, so now that is going into hat etiquette, I think it's best to post related events.

I agree, that was all I had to say on that topic. I expect the place for a hat etiquette thread would be over at 'the Fedora Lounge'.

enigmata_wood wrote:I expect the place for a hat etiquette thread would be over at 'the Fedora Lounge'.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=1493
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=12533
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=16491
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=18596
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=28602
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=35152
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=39606

beaverlid wrote: memories of a more civilized age. Fedoras aren't as clumsy or random as ballcaps.

Good one!

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

I was at Legoland on Halloween, and though I was dressed as Indy, a man came up and complimented me on my early production AB. He admired the quality of the hat and said I wore it well. The thing is, the compliment had absolutely nothing to do with it being an Indy hat, but everything to do with it being a quality fedora. I took it off and let him handle it, which he did with great care. Not once did I mention anything about the provenance of the hat or its maker, other than that Steve made it by hand like they used to ages ago. The Indy connection didn't matter. The hat spoke for itself. We had a great conversation for about five minutes. It stands as one of the greatest compliments I've received.

I get quite a few compliments when out and about, but I think it is sometimes the entire outfit that often brings about a hat compliment. Case in point: I've got a charcoal doublebreasted pinstripe suit and I most often wear a modern black Knox hat with it: one or two errands on the way home and it would be the norm fro someone to compliment me on the hat or the entire outfit (but the hat is usually included as part of the overall compliment). It's not one of my most favorite hats, but it does go very well with that suit. Perhaps good justification for having multiple hats

I live in Colorado Springs...one would think there would be more dress hats in the DC area, but that is not what I encounter on my travels. In fact, most of the "Indy" hat comments I have received have been on trips to DC. Go figure.

Bernie

djd wrote:Mmmm. It's not helped when the only hat wearing person in my place of work is a somewhat mad old guy who likes going on caravan holidays and talks constantly about the state of the railways...

the Chief Constable?

I was at the bank just now and got a nice compliment. The teller looked at my hat and commented on what a nice hat it was. He then said "Man, it looks like you could have taken that from the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark." I'm surprised that he was able to identify it as specifically a Raiders hat. He asked how I was able to get it off of Indy's head and I replied with "I distracted him with a snake."

Dave

Castor Dioscuri wrote:See, why can't everyone get these kind of remarks instead of snickers and folks going "DOCTOR JONES! DOCTOR JONES!"

I completely understand, I've gotten that twwice know ,and both times I wish i replied "What is it Short Round?"

I went to Verizon wireless today to negotiate a new contract on our company business cell phones. I am in need of an internet capable phone that can process data for my line of work. My sales person said he really had to compliment me on my fedora. He said he loved mine but he could never pull one off. I told him he would be surprised and I gave him some advice on the vendors I am familiar with and told him to join COW and look around. I was wearing my AB CS so as a test to the internet capabilities of the phone we surfed the web looking at AB and Penman Hats. He was really taken by the AB I was wearing. I was pleased to not get the " nice cowboy hat" comment. He was able to tell it was a fedora. Who knows maybe one more will be added to our army.

Beaverlid

I think in general, all kinds of hats are making a modest comeback. I noticed younger guys wearing the "hip" versions of fedoras. I have a variety of hats that get compliments. One of those being the Kangol wool hats.

I'm not a fan of those "Stingy Brim" plaid fedoras you can get at Target and other stores. I have an experience to share......

I was working at a camp for kids with serious and terminal illnesses last weekend. We were getting ready for the "Stage Night" talent show. I was wearing my Fed4, leather jacket, and Indy style satchel. (all regular gear for me). A camper and his mom came up to me, and he asked if my hat was a gift from the real Indiana Jones, and could he have a picture with me. The camper turned out to be a HUGE Indy fan, and I allowed him to borrow the hat and jacket so he could play Indy in his skit. Afterwords he said he was going to get his own hat and jacket when he got home. (one of the most satisfying things I've done with my gear!)

Its a choice to wear the gear we wear, its classy, and it serves a purpose. The rare "Dr. Jones" comment I receive only confirms to me that some people are jealous. Life is short wear what makes you happy!