Introduction
In my teens I was obsessed with hats. I was known by my friends as having more hats then they’d had hot dinners. In my old bedroom I had a ‘hat wall’ with racks of baseball caps and 5-panels.
Now I am nearer 30 than 20 I have grown away from caps.
A couple of weeks ago, with Halloween on the horizon, I started thinking about what to wear to a fancy dress party the Mrs and I had been invited to. This also coincided with the conclusion of Boardwalk Empire and so with this inspiration I decided to emulate one of the stand out characters and actor performances… the *ahem* British actor Stephen Graham as Al Capone.
A round of applause please… or else.
Having acquired a vintage Hugo Boss ‘Al Capone’ double breasted suit from my father, and making reasonable adjustments, I was all set… except I didn’t have a ‘Gangster’ hat.
It was now Thursday and I needed one by Friday. I walked up to a stall on Seven Dials, which I affectionately refer to as ‘Hat Woman’. This lady is there daily, just off the crossroads of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charring Cross Road.
All of her hats are a little too good/pricey for only a single night of fancy dress… so I found myself thinking why not just choose one that you may end up wearing any way, a two birds with one stone job.
I bought this fedora and long after Friday’s fancy dress party I have actually adopted it into my wardrobe. Partnered with an overcoat or tweed jacket, this Autumn style has kept me warm up top! Fascinatingly someone fairly stylish on the tube asked me where I got it from (aka #winning).
So – point coming here I promise – I thought I would explore similar fedora hats for your pleasure and with any joy persuade you to take the same dive.
Inspiration
Pharrell aside, I believe that the popularity of hit US TV shows, such as Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Masters of Sex have made hatted styles more accessible to those outside of the masculine fashionights (you heard it here first) seen at world fashion shows.
To give you a little knowledge here is an info-graph, courtesy of RealMenRealStyle, explaining hat styles.
If you were not already familiar:
Don Draper – Fedora
Nookie Thompson – Homburg
Heisenberg – Pork Pie
Sherlock Holmes – Deer Hunter
When thinking of the Walter White to Heisenberg transformation, it is worth noting that a hat is a great personality statement garment. You need to try a few to find the one that suits you.
Here is a Pintrest board I have compiled of fedora, or similar, hat wearing styles for your inspiration.
The Findings
1.
Paul Smith
Black Felt Fedora Hat
£95 at Paul Smith
2.
TOPMAN
Burgundy Puritan Hat
£22 at TOPMAN
3.
ZARA
Wide Brim Felt Hat
£25.99 at ZARA
4.
COMME DES GARCON SHIRT
Herringbone Felt Hat
£145 at Selfridges
5.
ASOS
Pork Pie Hat
£18 at ASOS
6.
Jaxon Hats
English Derby
$45 at Village Hat Shop
7.
Jaxon Hats
Crushable Blues Trilby – Peacan
£26.95 at HatsAndCaps.co.uk
Key Take Aways
Some key points to take away on hat selecting:
- Choose a hat that suits you – not just physically but also your personality. This can be easier than you may imagine, I believe that with a little confidence you will be drawn to the right shape naturally.
- Keep to simpler and solid colours to match with a wider range of outfits.
- Partnered with a smart casual, or even business casual a hat gives an injection of dapper into your look.
- Always remove a hat when entering a building. A man removing and carrying his hat indoors is a sign of chivalry and respect for surroundings. One place of acceptability for remaining hatted indoors would be the tube or subway.
- I have coined a new phrase ‘Fashionights’ from the combination of needing a masculine equivalent of ‘fashionista’ and the word ‘knights’ – definition: Fashionights – Masculine men with a strong sense of style. Often seen at global fashion shows. Example: Tinnie Tempah at every Burberry Prorsum Show ever.
Until next time,
Oxblood & Wolf 