Costumey?

[kaosharper1]

I've run into a bit of an issue lately. I have a hat by Art Fawcett which is similar to the fedora Bogart wore in the Maltese Falcon (the one in my avatar). I also have a nice Aquascutum trench coat. My wife says that wearing them together is too much like a costume. Would any of you weigh in on this? I suppose that the average person would consider it a very Bogart/Phillip Marlowe/spy type of look though I've always just thought of it as "classic." Maybe it is too much. I'd appreciate an opinion. (Don't ask for pictures. It's pretty much a "Casablanca" look).

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's not too costumey if it's raining. Otherwise... well sometimes yes.

 

[bigbjorn]

In the rain, I think it's the perfect, practical look.

 

[rcinlv]

I must agree

I must agree. It absolutely depends upon the weather. Rainy evening, no problem. Sunny day, even if chilly, you'll probably get comments...

Cheers,

RC

 

[MKB]

First off, in my opinion, if you like the combination and you can own it, then wear it (although maybe not with your wife). But, your posting, and the questions you ask, lead me to believe that you don't own the look, therefore, you can't pull it off. I tend to dress more contemporary, but I can definitely appreciate classic style. I prefer to accessorize with the occasional period piece. I think that, ultimately, what it comes down to is, if you think it's a costume , it is a costume.

 

[dhermann1]

If you lived in a climate with a respectable amount of natural rottenness, then it wouldn't be an issue. This whole business of "owning" it just means deciding that it makes perfectly sensible sense to wear it. If it does, then what the hey.

 

[John in Covina]

It's a hard call, you may wish to post some pictures to get a better handle on the concept. Costumey to me makes me think of a cheap & crummy representation. If you've spent good money for fine apparel that's not costumey to me. Fedoras while not quite in vogue are very acceptable headgear and trenchcoats are still acceptable cool weather wet weather wear. Do you feel that the combo makes you out to be something you're not? Is it too iconic a look for an ordinary guy? Is it "pretentious?"

Tough call if you're uncomfortable with it.

 

[Widebrim]

I live in N.E. Los Angeles, the same general area as you. I personally only wear a trench and a hat if it is really chilly and/or raining (which is not that often). Even under those circumstances, I usually get at least one "secret agent" or "Noir" comment. It's true that the hat and trench combination is a "classic" look, but being "classic" does not guarantee contemporary acceptance by the general public.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I don't know how much it rains out there, but I'm guessing that winter doesn't get cold enough for really heavy coats. If a trench coat is your version of winter wear, though, then the combination makes sense, even without the rain.

However, I've been where you are... except that I'm my own critic. I have an Adventurebilt Indy fedora and an Indy leather jacket. I also happen to wear a lot of khaki (mostly because it's easy to find khaki clothing in my size). Even though all of those items are perfectly normal for me to wear, I often avoid wearing all three at once. I especially avoid the hat/jacket combo. I wear my more non-Indy lids with my Indy jacket, and my Indy hat get more wear with my trench coat and blazers. lol

However, I caught myself doing it a few times this season; I'm two hours out of the house and suddenly realize I'm wearing "the costume." But I think I finally "own my look" enough that it doesn't seem or feel costumy anymore. I mean, if I just put that stuff together naturally without thinking, it must have just made sense at the time. [huh]

So, maybe you just need to give yourself and your wife time to get comfortable with the items separately before putting them together.

 

[carldelo]

I'm two hours out of the house and suddenly realize I'm wearing "the costume."

I think that's just about the perfect definition of 'owning it'. You did it without thinking because it looked and felt normal and appropriate. I do the raincoat and fedora pairing occasionally - but it's a fairly unobtrusive dark taupe raincoat - no extraneous flaps, buckles, epaulets, etc. and the fedora is also not flashy, dark brown with matching ribbon. I think this takes some of the 'costume' out of it and it looks great with any earth-tone suit. The look is not attention-grabbing, but those who are paying attention generally respond positively.

PS it does help that NYC has a fair share of crappy rainy weather, LA would be difficult for me...

 

[John in Covina]

LA does have a rainy season and if it's a particularly rainy, rainy season like those real El-Nino years, I'll tell you my feet were starting to form webbing. We do get some cool weather too. During the winter there may be frost warnings at night a few times per month depending on the jet stream. We have had storms that wiped out bridges and roads so it's not always sunny and 78 degress in the winter. THe past week has given us rain and chilly days and evenings. So while we don't need those arctic parkers ouside of the mountain areas, a trenchcoat does nicely here.

 

[kaosharper1]

It's not too costumey if it's raining. Otherwise... well sometimes yes.

Well, I have been wearing this combo in the rain here this week and in London and New York where it was also raining. That seems OK. But if I wear it when its cool, but not raining, that's when the wife has an issue. I'm actually comfortable with it and I wear the fedoras all the time. This morning I walked to work and it was about 45 degrees outside. I had to wear a suit, but it was a little too cool to go without a light coat so I put on the Aquascutum. My wife has a pretty good fashion sense so it gave me second thoughts. I always thought that wearing quality clothes would overcome the stereotype, but maybe that's not the case.

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[metropd]

Is your wife a member of Style Forum?

Seriously IMHO Nothing is too costumey(no matter how theatrical) unless you feel like you are wearing a costume. Personal style is personal style, let know one dictate to you how you feel and what you want to express.

 

[daizawaguy]

An Art and a trench coat...those are just classy clothing, not a costume, unless you are off to an event which would not need such fine clothing...but a visit to any city...spot on:eusa_clap

 

[JimWagner]

I find that your style is something you wear nearly all the time. If you only wear it occasionally it tends to be a costume. I'm not talking about a particular item here, but a "look".

It's when you deviate from your "style" that your friends comment, I find.

If you wear suits day in and day out your friends will comment when you show up in jeans and a tshirt. And vice versa.

As far as "owning" a look, if you wear something that deviates from your norm you tend to be self conscious and I believe that you telegraph that with your body language. People pick up on that and it draws comments. If you're completely comfortable and un-self conscious in what you are wearing you own it and are more likely to draw nice comments than jabs, if any comments at all.

Show up dressed like Pee-Wee Herman and all bets are off, though.

 

[Hal]

Well, I have been wearing this combo in the rain here this week and in London and New York where it was also raining. That seems OK. But if I wear it when its cool, but not raining, that's when the wife has an issue. I'm actually comfortable with it and I wear the fedoras all the time. This morning I walked to work and it was about 45 degrees outside. I had to wear a suit, but it was a little too cool to go without a light coat so I put on the Aquascutum.

In the UK it's perfectly acceptable to wear a raincoat (including a classic trench-coat) as a light topcoat for cool dry weather - perhaps it's less acceptable in the USA - I simply don't know. It's a pity that light wool topcoats, designed for just the sort of temperature you mention, have been absent for 30 years or so, but in the circumstances you mention fedora and trench-coat are a great cool-weather combination.

 

[Dreispitz]

In the UK it's perfectly acceptable to wear a raincoat (including a classic trench-coat) as a light topcoat for cool dry weather - perhaps it's less acceptable in the USA - I simply don't know. It's a pity that light wool topcoats, designed for just the sort of temperature you mention, have been absent for 30 years or so, but in the circumstances you mention fedora and trench-coat are a great cool-weather combination.

Fine in Germany, too! Covert Coat and a Bowler is a singularity, tough. However, it is pretty acceptable and one is not confused with Mr. Chaplin lol

 

[scottyrocks]

I find that your style is something you wear nearly all the time. If you only wear it occasionally it tends to be a costume. I'm not talking about a particular item here, but a "look".

It's when you deviate from your "style" that your friends comment, I find.

If you wear suits day in and day out your friends will comment when you show up in jeans and a tshirt. And vice versa.

As far as "owning" a look, if you wear something that deviates from your norm you tend to be self conscious and I believe that you telegraph that with your body language. People pick up on that and it draws comments. If you're completely comfortable and un-self conscious in what you are wearing you own it and are more likely to draw nice comments than jabs, if any comments at all.

Show up dressed like Pee-Wee Herman and all bets are off, though.

And sometimes, when youre on the borderline, as you are, you have to wear an item, or items, very often, if not all the time, for them to become commonplace on you.

Ive always worn hats. Occasionally, Ive attempted new styles (you dont wanna know). Sometimes I didnt believe in these styles myself, but I tried them anyway, because I liked the idea of the way they looked, both in general, and on me. Sometimes the style worked and sometimes it didnt.

Theres three types of acceptance, the way I see it. From least to most importance:

- of strangers. Quite frankly, I dont care what strangers think, but some wearers are bothered by the comments of people who mean nothing to them and whom theyll never see again.

- of people you know. This can range from casual acquaintences, to people you work with, to friends, and to family. This is one general category you might wanna consider, as far as their opinions go, especially if most of them have the same reaction to your look, especially if its negative.

- yourself. This goes back to what so many others have said. Are YOU completely comfortable in what youre wearing. Ive put on stuff that was 'uhuh,' 'well maybe,' and 'yeah man.' The 'yeah man' stuff is the stuff youll carry best because you believe it and thatll show when you wear it. The other stuff will range anywhere from a toss-up to failure.

 

[kaosharper1]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm actually very comfortable with this combo myself, but I don't want to embarass the wife, so when it's not raining but I want to wear a light coat, I think I'll just go with a different hat. The Dingus is really close to Bogie's hat and maybe the combo is just a little to archetypical. Its kind of like wearing a short leather jacket and a fedora just evokes Indy for too many people even if the jacket and hat are different.

So I'm going to try going with one of the lighter colored hats, like my VS with the two buttons which is silverbelly rather than granite, and see if that makes a difference.

 

[norton]

I wear a trench and fedora when its cool or damp and a british warm and fedora when its cold. I felt self conscious at first, but then I decided if people can go around with facial piercings and tatoos and some of the torn/dirty or oversized clothing I see daily, then there's no reason I can't dress my way, even if I do get inspector gadget comments occasionally.