'Appropriate' attire to wear a fedora?

[Scary Mc]

Pardon me if this is not the correct place for this discussion and if it is not please move it to the correct location.

My basic question is whether or not it is appropriate to wear a fedora with 'work' clothes. I bust my rear for a living but have a bad hat problem. I generally get positive comments on my hats but have hesitated to wear a fedora for the most part unless I am 'stepping out'.
Thought? Opinions? Curses?

 

[Widebrim]

I'm pretty sure that there's a thread that addresses this question. During the "Golden Age," many men wore fedoras with work clothes, although at one time it was more appropriate to wear a flat cap. Of course, it wouldn't make much sense to wear an expensive Borsalino with a pair of overalls, but wearing a cheaper, wool or straw Jaxon would definitely work. If you do a search through the hat threads, you will eventually come across photos of men wearing work clothes along with hats.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

In general, I think that most of the guys back in the 1880's through the 1940's wore some form of hat when they were outside. Mr. White's website:

http://www.custom-hatter.com/hats.html#focus

has a hat called the moonshiner, and that certainly wasn't an occupation requiring formal wear. Personally, I would NEVER wear a felt fedora with shorts, but heck even Henry Gondorf in "The Sting" wore his fedora with wife beaters, dress pants and suspenders.

Later

 

[John in Covina]

First it depends on the fedora, a really dressy one probably won't go with work clothes well.

But a regular fedora or a sporty one like a thin ribbon type say an Open Road or Campdraft will do just fine.

I wear a fedora with my hiking shorts in the summer a lot.

Another route is to get a vintage beater, I have a J C Penny's brown Marathon that is a beater for doing yard work.

 

[scooter]

It's true what they say, you know, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Your Penney's Marathon is your "beater" and while I have nicer hats, I suppose, my Marathon is most treasured hat of all. As for when to wear one hat or another, I think it is all in the mind of the wearer. I've seen many on this site wear hats with aplomb, that I would never feel comfortable wearing. That is not a commentary on a given hat, but rather on my sense of style and/or insecurity.

 

[Widebrim]

It's true what they say, you know, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Your Penney's Marathon is your "beater" and while I have nicer hats, I suppose, my Marathon is most treasured hat of all.

The same for me: I bought my used, brown Marathon when I was about 20, and it already had about 25 years on it at the time.

 

[John in Covina]

The same for me: I bought my used, brown Marathon when I was about 20, and it already had about 25 years on it at the time.

My Marathon is old, the liner is gone and the felt is stained, faded and well worn. It's a great hat but I doubt I'd get it renovated.

 

[Widebrim]

My Marathon is old, the liner is gone and the felt is stained, faded and well worn. It's a great hat but I doubt I'd get it renovated.

Is that the one Max sleeps with?...:lol:

 

[John in Covina]

Is that the one Max sleeps with?...:lol:

Heck no! Max is at heart a chewer - no hat would survive Max attack. (Max the Wonderdog is my Dachshund.)

 

[CharlieB]

First it depends on the fedora, a really dressy one probably won't go with work clothes well.

But a regular fedora or a sporty one like a thin ribbon type say an Open Road or Campdraft will do just fine.

I wear a fedora with my hiking shorts in the summer a lot.

Another route is to get a vintage beater, I have a J C Penny's brown Marathon that is a beater for doing yard work.

Another aspect to keep in mind is that before the tee-shirt and shorts generation, work clothes looked a lot like dress clothes in cut and form. Mostly different in material and quality. That being said, as was pointed out, some can pull off a fedora with the more casual styles.

 

[Feraud]

A noticable difference between work clothes (most clothes really) from then versus now is the fit. People used to wear clothing that fit them. Nothing four sizes too big, material dragging on the ground and jackets with the shoulder seam hanging halfway down the arm.
Yes you can wear a fedora with work clothing if you want.

 

[Torpedo]

I agree with CharlieB and Feraud.

When I began wearing hats, I did so largely with "dress up" outfits only - suits, separates, sports jackets. I did not like the look with most of the casual clothing I had. Eventually I realized what was wrong, to my eyes: much of today's casual styles are very different (in cut, in pattern) from vintage times, and hats did not fit. So, I incorporated vintage or vintage-style casual items to my wardrobe, easing their combination with hats.

This said, not a few people here do integrate hats with current fashion items. Mostly, I would not like it on me, but that does not mean other people can not pull it off, or be comfortable with it.

 

[Scary Mc]

Thank you for the thoughts, folks. I do wear a Wigens wool flat cap in the cooler months and, in fact, it is my go-to hat when I'm wearing every-day clothes. I think I'll start hunting about for a Campdraft for everyday wear.

Thanks again- Gary Mc