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Interesting theory. Regardless, I'll quote P.J. O'Rourke: "A hat should be removed upon greeting a woman, and remain off for the rest of one's life. Nothing lo
by paulsutter 15y ago
Interesting theory. Regardless, I'll quote P.J. O'Rourke:
"A hat should be removed upon greeting a woman, and remain off for the rest of one's life. Nothing looks more stupid than a hat".
I'm only half kidding. Hats were probably more functional when bathing was less frequent. Unless you spend a lot of time in the bright sunlight or out in the cold, today there is little reason to wear one so now they just look silly.
- jamesbritt 15y agoUnless you spend a lot of time in the bright sunlight or out in the cold, today there is little reason to wear one so now they just look silly. I kind of agree; some people look good in some hats, mostly though people look best in hats when the hat is serving some specific function. OTOH, I know a few people, and see quite a few more, who wear hats all the time. Know a guy who was married in a hat. Know a guy who wears a wool cap no matter how hot it is. I assume this is just some cultural difference, though I'd be interested in hearing from any all-the-time hat wearers how they came to decide this was a good thing.
- LeafStorm 15y agoI wear a black fedora just about everywhere, mostly because I think it looks cool. I later came to discover a couple other benefits, including: - It's easier for people to recognize you if you have a hat that you always wear. (Conversely, if you want said people to not recognize you, you can take the hat off.) - It's also easier for people to find you in a crowd if they know you're wearing a hat. - If you Scotchgard it, it's reasonably waterproof and can keep rain out of your face. - Occasionally random people tell you, "Nice hat."
- Drbble 15y agoOur success is predicated on hats being not popular, though.
- jff 15y agoA few more things to discover: - If you're not wearing a suit, and you're not Indiana Jones, you shouldn't be wearing a fedora. - Fedoras never, ever go well with a terrible patchy little goatee. I went to a tech school, I have stared into the abyss of fedoras and it has changed me. Also, leather fedoras are the most terrible abomination ever created.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- noduerme 15y agoC'mon. PJ O'Rourke? Is that supposed to be some sly, postmodern reference to retrograde '80s culture or just a Yuppie twitch? If that guy had his way, Reagan would still be president, Alzheimer's and death be damned. PJ O'Rourke should probably be the last person on earth you consult for fashion advice, short of the Pope, whose bathing habits aren't available to us mere mortals, but who has at least one die-hard fan left... In all seriousness, hats are great; like anything else, they'll see a comeback when the pendulum swings the other way. I smoke a pipe and shave with a straightrazor, when I don't have a beard (which is most of the time). I think I'll buy myself a good hat one of these days just to bring it back and prove old PJ wrong.
- planetguy 15y agoP. J. O'Rourke is an old curmudgeon, and old curmudgeons give the best advice.
- caf 15y agoYes, but they also give the worst advice; the trick is distinguishing the one from the other.
- paulsutter 15y agoWould you care to make a $1 bet regarding the popularity of hats over the next 20 years?
- philwelch 15y agoHey, I think the Pope is very well dressed for a major religious leader. And he has a wide selection of very nice hats.
- sopooneo 15y agoGenuinely curious: why would less frequent bathing make hats more functional?
- waterlesscloud 15y agoLess frequent bathing -> greasier hair -> hat serves as vanity shield from greasy hair. It's not the worst theory I've ever heard.
- Drbble 15y agoWhere do you live that is neither sunny nor cold?