Hat Attack!

[ThinkMinty]

I'm bored and can't sleep, so let's talk about silly cool hats.

I'll start us off with a classic; the Fez (sometimes known as the Tarboosh).

Here it is being worn by a bunch of charging Turks...

http://i.imgur.com/gG7ASjF.jpg

And here it is on cartoon sidekick Morocco Mole...

http://i.imgur.com/l9NMauH.jpg

The Fez is a great hat because it can be as serious or silly as you want it to, all while being all felt and comfortable.


I'm trying to find good pictures of the Musketeer/Cavalier/That-One-Hat-With-The-Feather Hat, and it's proving harder than I thought. If anyone has any of those lying around, I'd appreciate it.

So, Playground, any other cool hats you can think of? Do you have a different opinion of the Fez?

[Fragenstein]

Lore Fitzgerald Sjöberg had a thing or two to say about hats. He only granted the Fez a D+, though.

Accountant Caps
I want one of those green accountant visors because I think it will make me irascible. Guys with accountant visors in movies always seem to be irascible, hard-nosed bookkeepers and/or bookies, and I think that would be good for me sometimes. Although, now that I think of it, maybe it's the black straps on their upper arms. Or both; having your blood circulation cut off by little black tourniquets while a green visor makes the world look like a thrift-store TV set from the seventies would make anyone irascible. B

Beanies
I've always liked beanies, but then I've always thought Jughead was a stylin' guy. I'm sure one of these days wearing a beanie and walking around with your eyes closed will come back into fashion and I'll be vindicated. I'll just have to put on my own beanie and close my own eyes. C+

Fedoras
For some reason, and I don't claim to understand this, there's a general semiconscious desire running throughout geekdom to see the men's hat make a comeback. This is hampered by two facts. First, anything coveted by geeks is unlikely to become a popular accessory unless it keeps track of phone numbers, and second, all the good hats have been taken by fictional characters. Before Raiders of the Lost Ark, a fedora was just mildly eccentric. Now it's just this side of wearing a Vader mask. C-

Chef Hats
The chef hat seems to be going out of style. The only TV chefs that wear them are the Iron Chefs, and even they take them off when it's time to get down to stirring, braising, and gutting live fish. This is unfortunate not only because it further lowers the status of the venerable chef hat, but because it makes them look even more like members of a Japanese version of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band. B-

Fezzes
In some counties, the fez is considered a perfectly reasonable piece of headwear. In the US, however, it's associated with middle-aged men and tiny novelty cars, the sort of thing one of the Village People would wear if they were a polka band. The really interesting thing is that the fez has managed to remain a symbol of something only the previous generation would wear for decades, meaning that either the lure of the fez becomes irresistible once you hit forty, or Shriners are immortal. Neither option is comforting. D+

Personally, I've always been a fan of the Silverthorne (https://img1.etsystatic.com/055/1/6754833/il_570xN.759439461_rqqr.jpg). This was, of course, after my collegiate fascination with the Fedora. But then, who here hasn't had their Fedora faze?

The Silverthrone served me well on many-a-hike. But I was forced to get rid of it because it looked dumb on me. Or so I've been told.

[Greenish]

The thread title made me immediately think of this:

http://www.mwctoys.com/images/oddjob001.jpg

After initial worry I was relieved to find it is actually on topic.

[miner3203]

So, Playground, any other cool hats you can think of? Do you have a different opinion of the Fez?
It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool.

[ThinkMinty]

The thread title made me immediately think of this:

http://www.mwctoys.com/images/oddjob001.jpg

After initial worry I was relieved to find it is actually on topic.

Oddjob! He both has a cool hat, and attacks people with it. He's the James Bond version of Kung Lao, who was apparently inspired by Oddjob.

http://i.imgur.com/0ClM43o.jpg


It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool.

I like this guy.

[Dire Moose]

Top hats really need to make a comeback. There's just no better headgear that shows how classy you are. Preferably with a monocle, of course.

[Corlindale]

This thread reminds me of one of my favourite Dickens quotes:
"There are very few moments in a man's existence when he experiences so much ludicrous distress, or meets with so little charitable commiseration, as when he is in pursuit of his own hat."

[ThinkMinty]

This thread reminds me of one of my favourite Dickens quotes:
"There are very few moments in a man's existence when he experiences so much ludicrous distress, or meets with so little charitable commiseration, as when he is in pursuit of his own hat."

Wow Dickens was on the ball.

[Half-Lord]

I for one still believe in the humble power of the fedora. Even though it has coopted by Mobster and wannabe gangsters/ "cool guys". They can be really cool in the right situation when worn by the right person. Unfortunately I am not one of those right people. :smallfrown:

[ThinkMinty]

I for one still believe in the humble power of the fedora. Even though it has coopted by Mobster and wannabe gangsters/ "cool guys". They can be really cool in the right situation when worn by the right person. Unfortunately I am not one of those right people. :smallfrown:

The fedora is acceptable when accompanied by a suit. Otherwise, you just look like a fedora-tipping [REDACTED].

[golentan]

The fedora is acceptable when accompanied by a suit. Otherwise, you just look like a fedora-tipping [REDACTED].

To be clear: Actual fedoras will always look cool, no matter how people try to ruin them for me. Trilby hats always have and always will be awful.

I could see making a bid for the Tricorn to come back. Now THAT was a nice hat. And practical too! spilled water in predictable ways. And I really like the Saklat.

[ThinkMinty]

To be clear: Actual fedoras will always look cool, no matter how people try to ruin them for me. Trilby hats always have and always will be awful.

Laypeople aren't going to care about the difference between fedoras and trilbys, so making a rule of thumb about fedoras being strictly a suithat is a good way to distinguish between a dapper gentleman and a "supreme gentleman".


I could see making a bid for the Tricorn to come back. Now THAT was a nice hat. And practical too! spilled water in predictable ways.

It goes well with looking like a dandy highwayman.


And I really like the Saklat.

The Sakkat hat, you mean? If so, I like those.

[golentan]

Laypeople aren't going to care about the difference between fedoras and trilbys, so making a rule of thumb about fedoras being strictly a suithat is a good way to distinguish between a dapper gentleman and a "supreme gentleman".

It goes well with looking like a dandy highwayman.

The Sakkat hat, you mean? If so, I like those.

They've got about 50 names, many being localizations of other places names, and not generally written conveniently and consistently if written in roman letters, I went with the Filipino Saklat for reasons that have no particularly good reason other than my own interests. Think we're talking about the same.

Also, I like looking like a dandy.

[TheThan]

This is my Uncles hat. He passed away from ALS this year; I wear it to remember him.


http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g42/TheThan/20150929_191137_zpsd0dwlh8k.jpg (http://s53.photobucket.com/user/TheThan/media/20150929_191137_zpsd0dwlh8k.jpg.html)


There is no better reason to wear a hat, or any other article of clothing.

[veti]

This thread reminds me of one of my favourite Dickens quotes:
"There are very few moments in a man's existence when he experiences so much ludicrous distress, or meets with so little charitable commiseration, as when he is in pursuit of his own hat."

Paraphrased in one of my favourite movies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Y6UQLWPyY) as "There's nothing more foolish than a man chasing his hat". I didn't know the Coen Bros were giving a shout-out to Dickens there. Cool. Thanks for that.

I wear a Panama hat. A genuine Panama hat, made to order in Ecuador and imported at huge expense in a beautiful balsa-wood box. It makes me feel like a colonial civil servant circa 1890, or alternatively a cricket umpire.

[ThinkMinty]

Also, I like looking like a dandy.

You have ten limbs, you are hereby required to be fancy and dandyish.

[huttj509]

I like the fiddler. Inherited a Greek Fisherman's cap from my grandpa, eventually fell apart, recently replaced it with a Fiddler's Cap (same style, but without the lace/braid). Forgot how much I missed it. Yeah, not a great image quality.

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/v/t1.0-9/10428415_910637535636399_4102872050222417378_n.jpg ?oh=cda66d9c061d35ffc9c8e96f5f5ed12b&oe=56A4E21F

On the plus side, it only took the better part of a year for a friend to stop making George R.R. Martin references when I showed up. Kinda annoying when one of the reasons I like it is because when I look in the mirror, I see me looking back, instead of my hair, or eyebrows, or whatever. Kinda annoying when my reaction going out is "I look like me now" and other people say "you look like George R.R. Martin now."

[Rockphed]

I could see making a bid for the Tricorn to come back. Now THAT was a nice hat. And practical too! spilled water in predictable ways. And I really like the Saklat.

But how do we remake the Tricorn into something other than an accessory for people trying to call back the late 18th century?

I currently have 3 hats: two baseball caps with companies I have dealt with on the front and a hard-hat that I got from work. I don't think any of them is particularly dapper.

[Jay R]

Most forms of hats are meaningless, silly, or unimportant.

Until you start losing your hair. Then it's crucial sunburn protection. Trust me on this one.

[TheThan]

Most forms of hats are meaningless, silly, or unimportant.

Until you start losing your hair. Then it's crucial sunburn protection. Trust me on this one.

You’re forgetting warmth.

In cold environments you want to keep as much of your body protected from the cold. That includes your head. So a warm hat is very nice to have. Watch caps (which go by a lot of names depending on where you are) and fur caps like the ushanka (Russian fur cap you see in all the movies) to name only one example, are good ways of protecting your head from the cold. I'm sure anyone that lives in a cold place will back me up.

[golentan]

Most forms of hats are meaningless, silly, or unimportant.

Until you start losing your hair. Then it's crucial sunburn protection. Trust me on this one.

Also, I like looking nice. It's no more unimportant than a shirt: in the climate I live in a shirt is probably unnecessary most of the time. And in fact I go shirtless around my own home, but when I'm going out I like to wear something funny or nice looking...

[TheThan]

Also, I like looking nice. It's no more unimportant than a shirt: in the climate I live in a shirt is probably unnecessary most of the time. And in fact I go shirtless around my own home, but when I'm going out I like to wear something funny or nice looking...

you would be surprised how important a shirt is, even in hot climates, a shirt (cotton for reference), keeps the sun from baking you to a crisp. seriously, sunburn can be very dangerous (personal experience there) and heatstroke actually kills people. In cold climates a (wool for reference) shirt keeps you warm and dry, protecting you from hypothermia and frostbite.

So yeah, if you're ever outside of your house for any amount of time, you will need clothing, mother nature's a B*tch.

[Jay R]

You’re forgetting warmth.

Good point.

I live in Texas. The hat protecting me from sunburn is annoyingly warm far more often than pleasantly warm.

[Bulldog Psion]

And there's the insect issue, too. While a shirt isn't exactly +5 Full Plate, shirtlessness makes one a smorgasbord if mosquitoes or biting flies are around in any numbers. A hat also helps keep the mosquitoes from biting your scalp -- I speak from itchy experience here. :smallwink:

[Fragenstein]

... fur caps like the ushanka (Russian fur cap you see in all the movies) to name only one example, are good ways of protecting your head from the cold.

http://seinfeldism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/20130611-0710451.jpg
They really bottle in the heat.

[Scarlet Knight]

I wear a Stetson, or as I like to call it , my head umbrella. Great in New York rain or snow, lousy in the wind.

http://www.impossiblepodcasts.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-Z9HBjAXpnXA/TcQTX-veFSI/AAAAAAAAAnk/Jt0PzLNe0es/s1600/DoctorStetson.jpg

[Bulldog Psion]

http://seinfeldism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/20130611-0710451.jpg
They really bottle in the heat.

I've worn one; they are indeed quite warm.

[ThinkMinty]

http://seinfeldism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/20130611-0710451.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gNSGjX4.jpg
Russian Anarchist Batman and his sweet hat.

[TechnOkami]

~snip~

Hello Greek Fisherman Hat-wearer. I too wear the same hat, ye salty dog.

Amusingly I didn't k ow about George R. R. Martin when I started wearing mine. I did eventually though, and as a novice writer it makes me all kinds of pleased.