Hats for Men
Hats have been compulsory wear for men for almost all of recorded history. For centuries hats kept peasants' heads warm and were fashion accessories for the rich. Men always wore hats outside the home, even up to the early 1970s.
Hats for Men-History
Men lose a lot of body heat through their heads particularly men who are going bald. Hats have always been worn to minimize this heat loss. Men would wear nightcaps in bed, even up to the early years of the 20th Century.
Over the centuries affluent men have worn fancy hats, such as the one in this picture, to set themselves apart from ordinary men.
Hats for Men-Recent History
Photography gives us wonderful evidence of men's hat wearing styles over the past 200 years. In different countries hats for men had different styles, but the wearing of hats in public was universal. Even in the 1960s a man would keep his hat on a hook by the door and grab it every time he went out.
Hats for Men in Britain
In the 19th century Great Britain's society had a rigid class structure. Men's hats were used as badges to show their class. Flat caps were for working class men. Bowler hats were for men who were overseers and foremen bankers or who worked in the City of London. The Top Hat was for men of the upper classes, gentlemen.
The flat cap is no longer the exclusive preserve and badge of the working man though, even lords wear flat caps when shooting on their estates.
The bowler hat was the hat for middle class men, lower and middle level management in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. In Northern Ireland it became a badge of the Orange Order, a group of protestant men who still hold marches today to celebrate Protestant victories over Catholics. These men would have been the protestant foremen of long ago, supervising Catholic working class men in their flat caps.
It was an Englishman in 1849 named William Coke who originally commissioned the design for the bowler hat. He specified that he needed a low crowned hat that would protect the heads of his gamekeepers from low hanging tree branches while they were riding. Reports have it that when Coke arrived to view the hat's design, he stamped on the sample hat twice to test its strength. It stood the test and has been in use ever since. British colonial administrators even introduced the hat to Nigeria, where it is still in everyday use as an essential male fashion item.
The Trilby hat was for men at horse race meetings and similar sporting activities. It is still popular at these venues today.
The Top hat is very expensive, so wearing one is a sign of affluence. The tophat was the hat for rich men, for gentlemen, for members of the gentry. It is made from a felt made from wool and rabbit fur.
Panama hats Were also hats for rich men who travelled or lived in India and the tropics. These hats are traditionally hand-made from particular grasses from Central America, so were expensive, making them another affectation of the moneyed classes.
The Homburg was the hat for men who were affluent and influential. It was introduced to England by King Edward VII, who brought a hat back in this style from Bad Homburg inGermany. It is a ery stiffgelt hat with a tightly curled brim and a sharp indentation along the crown.
The Pork Pie hat was a hat for men living in towns in England and America. It is a rigid hat with a low, flat crown. The crown is indented all the way round, like a pork pie, rather than having the longitudinal indentation of a trilby or fedora. It came to be associated with musicians, comedians, such as George Formby
Hats for Men in USA
Hats for men followed different fashions from those in Europe. Hats were influenced by western style cowboy hats, whereas European hats were not.
Bowler hats were more commonly worn in the American West than the Cowboy hat. In America it is usually called a Derby hat or a Coke hat
The Watch cap was a hat for men who wanted to keep warm. Anyone working outside in cold weather would wear a watch cap. Some watch caps had ear muffs or a pom-pom attached. This hat is found in every country because it does an excellent job of warming the head and ears
The News Boy Cap is a variation on the Flat Cap. It has a bulkier, puffed out appearance.
The Fedora hat was for middle class men, including bankers and teachers. This is the hat that Hollywood took to its heart and increased its popularity by making it a hat for men who were successful both financially and with women. Even today, the stereotype of an American police detective wears a rain coat and a fedora hat. All fedoras have a hat band, usually in a contrasting color
Hats for Men Modern Styles
Trilby hats are soft hats with a flexible brim. They have a deep indentation along the crown. Traditionally made from rabbit fur, most trilbies are now made from tweed and wool. Race-goers and bookmakers at race-courses often wear trilby hats.
Fedora hats have a wide brim and are indented along the crown. They are much stiffer than trilby hats and generally more suited to wearing with a suit than a trilby is.
Hats based on the Australian slouch hat are widely available and are usually worn as a casual hat, especially in sunny countries.
Straw hats for men are ideal for summer. Some have ventilation holes that create a forced draught through the hat, cooling the scalp.
There are straw or straw and felt dress hats available from any good hat shop.
Bowler hats are still available and still popular.
Cowboy hats are popular in some parts of the United States, as are Stetsons and waterproof slouch hats.
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Comments
Great use of pictures to really make this article standout!
I definitely agree! Incredible article.
thanks lovespaces
I love my hats. I have worn various styles of hats all my life, but I keep coming back to three main ones. The basic ball-cap, a western cowboy hat and, my current favorite, a Tilley hat from Canada.
My hats depend on the season. flat cap, woolly hat or balaclava currently while it's so cold, mostly straw hat or bush hat in summer
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