As I wrote yesterday, I'm an adult now and no doubt about the fact that: Grown-ups wear hats. Right? Find out your favorite style and the type that suits your head.
Before the 1960's, hats were a common sight in every man's wardrobe. Everybody wore one. In fact, you were considered not decently dressed or even poor when you didn't cover your head. Before WWII there was a distinct difference between men who wore hats and men who wore caps. A proper gentlemen made sure he could afford himself a proper hat, only the poor people (mostly victims of the 1929 crisis) wore caps. It is said that it was John F. Kennedy who killed the image of the hat in 1960. He refused to wear a hat on national television during his inaugurational address. After his hat-less performance, fewer and fewer men wore hats and It didn't take very long until the hat had completely disappeared.
Obviously the hat is making a major comeback. Especially the "fedora" and the "trilby" are relatively popular and can go with almost any outfit. Though the hat used to be worn for protection against bad weather, it is now the ultimate summer accessory. By wearing a hat you'll create a summer-y look and you're also protecting your eyes from the sun. That's Fashion and Function at the same time. Another style that seems sort of popular is the "pork-pie". It's a little bit more edgy than the fedora or the trilby, and I think it sometimes makes men look a bit clowny. Nonetheless if you love being a little alternative, this is your pick. The ultimate summer-sun protector is the "panama". This style is originally hand-made in Mexico and an original panama-hat can cost up to hundreds of dollars. I often think the brim of this style is a little to broad and a broad brim makes you look very very old. One should always try to avoid that look. Nonetheless this is the lightest style and it covers your eyes perfectly and therefor the panama is by far the most functional summer accessory.
My personal favorite is this new woolen version of the panama style hat. It's a bit more gentleman-like. I believe it was Lanvin's Lucas Ossendrijver who came up with this style in their autum/winter 2011 show. (photo above) It's not originally his design but he sure designed the comeback of this style! After that, this hat was copied by many different other designers and it is nowadays even a popular style among women.
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