Ok, let’s talk about hats for a second. Baseball hat aside, I really like them. They add personal style, cover-up a bad hair day and come in all sorts of fun shapes and styles.
Ok, now let’s talk about fedora’s for a second. Last weekend I went to Chicago for Lollapalooza (now rocking a serious people crush on Mark Ronson) and five minutes into the festival it was very obvious that a fedora-inspired hat was the look of the weekend. I can’t begin to tell you how many people were wearing one.
Some of my favorite sightings included the straw version with a shorter brim, a yellow felt fedora with a black ribbon around it and an all black one with a big red feather sticking out.
The best part about something like a hat being a “trend” is that there are so many different varieties, so it can really be personalized to your own individual style. I decided to have a little fun with Wikepedia and see how fedora’s have made a scene in pop culture.
Here’s what I found:
• Hot mess of a musician Pete Doherty is often seen donning a trilby (a fedora variant).
• The DC comic book character The Question wears a fedora.
• In L. Ron Hubbard’s fiction, the Marcab Confederacy had a custom of wearing fedoras. It has become a trend among Anonymous to wear fedoras at anti-Scientology protests.
• The TV and video game character Carmen Sandiego’s trademark costume includes a red fedora with a yellow band.
• Ben Croshaw of the video review column Zero Punctuation wears a black fedora, and includes a fedora in his logo.
• The character Freddy Kruger of the horror movie series A Nightmare on Elm Street wears a fedora.
• Sylvester Stallone wears a fedora in the movie Rocky Balboa.
• In the stage production The Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom wears a fedora in three scenes.
There is no doubt about it, the fedora has made a comeback (or did it never really go away?). Either way, I am hoping that my super-short hair grows out enough by fall, just in time to dust off my grandpa’s old plaid fedora and start rocking the look.
On Hats:
*If you have a weird shaped head, you should not be wearing New Era fitted aps
*Guys, Fedoras and trilby hats are for famous dudes. Don’t come to a bar or a party wearing one of those things. You will get hated on.
*Ladies: That hat had better look dope. Otherwise, leave that jawn at home.
*HIGHLY UNDERRATED LOOK: The beanie that’s not quite on your head-as worn by Adebisi on HBOs OZ, and occasionally Ian MacKaye. Dopeness.
Patrick - does this mean I’m famous?
August 7, 2008 at 3:26 pmBaseball hats are for guys that still have daddy issues. Fitted baseball caps with tags still attached are for guys that have daddy issues and a rich boyfriend to fufill them. Fedoras and trillbys are the original everyone hat. Famous people that wear them are just trying to be normal. Kind of like that Spike guy with the overpriced hamburgers. He’s all like “hey, I just work the line like these other guys” Ladies with hats should try to at least have a little bit of class. I know it’s hard, god, do I ever, but put some effort into this. It’s worth it. Agreed with the beanie look. I could never rock it, but godbless those who can.
August 7, 2008 at 3:45 pmMeg-
Please dont grow your hair out…it will be hard for people to tell that you’re down with the pussy. Without short hair, how can you continue your quest to munch carpet?
Also, plaid fedora??? That is freaking the shit! You know I am all about pattern.
Love.
P.S. MEG IS NOT A LESBIAN…YET.
ITS AN INSENSITIVE JOKE.
Also, nerds like Fedoras. Seems like these dudes like the Indiana Jones-style joints, usually paired with a black t-shirt and high-waisted Wal-Mart jeans. Also often seen with scraggly goatees, paunch and ill-fitting black trench coats.
The guy in this picture is the ideal fedora candidate: http://www.viceland.com/it/dd.php?id=840&country=it
August 7, 2008 at 4:44 pmNow now Rex… just because I wouldn’t let you hit it, doesn’t mean I am a lesbian. I am just not into 15 year old boys.
August 7, 2008 at 4:46 pmJesse - you’re wrong.
Tonysmallframe - you’re right.
Check out old baseball game footage, every swinging Richard had a style of Fedora.
Also: Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, Count Basie, Archie Goodwin, Dick Tracy…
August 7, 2008 at 5:05 pmMichael- I don’t think that jesse was saying fedoras are strictly for nerds, i think he was pointing out that they ALSO like them (i could be wrong.) If that’s what he meant, then he is totally right. Nerds love that shit. Also, Sinatra, Bogart, Basie et al? You should try to make your case using someone who isn’t fictional or someone who wasn’t 50 years old 40 to 50 years ago. I mean, those guys are hardly bright young things.
Likewise, in reference to the original article, i’m not sure that citing a 32 yr old movie, a 22 yr old musical, a 24 yr old movie or a 23 yr old computer game is the best way to claim that fedoras are making a comeback.
August 7, 2008 at 6:08 pmwhat, no love for the pork pie hat?
August 7, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Time to retire the trilby. At least I got one last wearing of it last night.
August 7, 2008 at 1:28 pm