Hat traditions ?

[moontheloon]

my grandfather had 3 hats and was always wearing one of them a Dobbs twenty , Stetson Stratoliner (of which I have), and a Stetson open road .... I have no idea what happened to the other two ... someone in the family must have snagged them unfortunately

but... he kept a fifty dollar bill in the sweat of each of those hats that he put in there in the early 1940s... the Strat I have still has it in there and I will never take it out.

he also always wore a pearl hat pin in the bow of the ribbon and despised feathers .... he always said that a feather in a gentlemens hat was like putting a mustache on a beautiful woman ... the hat pin was a tradition from his old neighborhood in Brooklyn.

so my question is .... are their any hat traditions in your family or neighborhood ?.... or just any hat traditions in general

I'd love to be aware of these things ... I find it all very interesting

 

[-30-]

" ?.... or just any hat traditions in general."
moontheloon

After having worked within The Dismal Trade during the 60's - 70's, we never wore any feathers or fancy adornments for

obvious reasons, in fact, the last company if memory serves, was the last to wear a homburg within this city.

I continue that tradition.


Regards,
J T

 

[AndyR]

Moon, having and not removing your grandfather's fifty dollar bill from his Strat is very cool!

This really isn't a tradition along the lines that you're talking about, but it was an ongoing thing we enjoyed. In the '60's, my dad, uncle cousin and I used to go to some Blackhawk hockey games. My uncle always wore a fedora. At every game, my cousin and I threatened to jump my uncle, steal his fedora and throw it on the ice if Bobby Hull got a hat trick. It's tradition to throw hats when someone scores three goals. We never did see a hat trick, but if Bobby Hull had two goals, my uncle would take off his hat and hold onto it for dear life.

As far as traditions for me, I like the idea. I'll have to start one. Somehow, my napkin inside for added sun protection for the top of my head doesn't quite cut it.

Andy

 

[Historyteach24]

I have a hat custom made to celebrate the birth of each of my children with the express idea to pass them down when I die. I have two girls and a boy so I hope the boy wears the hell out of his and the girls keep them as mementos of me

 

[JoeyC]

my grandfather had 3 hats and was always wearing one of them a Dobbs twenty , Stetson Stratoliner (of which I have), and a Stetson open road .... I have no idea what happened to the other two ... someone in the family must have snagged them unfortunately

but... he kept a fifty dollar bill in the sweat of each of those hats that he put in there in the early 1940s... the Strat I have still has it in there and I will never take it out.

he also always wore a pearl hat pin in the bow of the ribbon and despised feathers .... he always said that a feather in a gentlemens hat was like putting a mustache on a beautiful woman ... the hat pin was a tradition from his old neighborhood in Brooklyn.

so my question is .... are their any hat traditions in your family or neighborhood ?.... or just any hat traditions in general

I'd love to be aware of these things ... I find it all very interesting

Being born and raised in Brooklyn, at least fr the first 18 years and remembering all the male members of my family always wearing a fedora and one uncle in particular who was a very smart dresser, it left an impression on me so much so that I started wearing fedoras from the tender age of about 18-19 years of age and continue to do so to this day. Agree, feathers were a no-no. Now, having said that I also can appreciate the American west culture and have many western hats as well as western boots, a bit of an anomaly for a boy from Brooklyn . What part of Brooklyn was your grandfather from, I'm old enough to remember the era starting in the mid to late forties.

 

[moontheloon]

Being born and raised in Brooklyn, at least fr the first 18 years and remembering all the male members of my family always wearing a fedora and one uncle in particular who was a very smart dresser, it left an impression on me so much so that I started wearing fedoras from the tender age of about 18-19 years of age and continue to do so to this day. Agree, feathers were a no-no. Now, having said that I also can appreciate the American west culture and have many western hats as well as western boots, a bit of an anomaly for a boy from Brooklyn . What part of Brooklyn was your grandfather from, I'm old enough to remember the era starting in the mid to late forties.

he grew up in Bensonhurst then later Bay Ridge before moving to NJ in 1974

 

[Redshoes51]

"but... he kept a fifty dollar bill in the sweat of each of those hats that he put in there in the early 1940s... the Strat I have still has it in there and I will never take it out."

This is fantastic! What an amazing way in which you honor this man!

~shoes~

 

[JoeyC]

he grew up in Bensonhurst then later Bay Ridge before moving to NJ in 1974

I grew up in Williamsburg, later moved to Queens then on to Long Island. Great story and a great way to honor a man.

 

[Zombie_61]

my grandfather had 3 hats and was always wearing one of them...but... he kept a fifty dollar bill in the sweat of each of those hats that he put in there in the early 1940s... the Strat I have still has it in there and I will never take it out.

First, I think leaving the bill in the sweat is a terrific way to honor your grandfather's memory. But it does make me wonder if you know his reason(s) for doing so? When I became old enough for my dad to be certain that I would not violate his trust, he revealed to me that he always had five $100 bills hidden in his wallet just in case he needed cash in an emergency situation, and he advised me to do the same because, as he put it, "You never know what will happen." So I wonder if your grandfather's motivation was similar, if it was a "good luck" thing, or...?

I have a hat custom made to celebrate the birth of each of my children with the express idea to pass them down when I die. I have two girls and a boy so I hope the boy wears the hell out of his and the girls keep them as mementos of me

I think fedoras look quite good on women, so I hope your daughters will wear their hats (at least on occasion) as well when they're older.

Back to the main topic, none of the men in my family wore hats regularly while I was growing up, so...I got nuthin'. [huh] But I'm also interested in the topic.

 

[el_ote]

this is a terrific thread. being the first in my family, in my memory, to wear fedoras, id like to think I will influence my kids to dressing presentable at all times and always wearing a good hat. i like the folded emergency money in the hat and was thinking of adding a picture of the wife and kids,... say the size of a business card like ive seen from custom hat makers here (which is a great idea also). i looked at my feather and noticed a dollop of silicone or hot glue holding it on. I'll build up the courage to scrape it off and hopefully not ruin my ribbon or hat!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[moontheloon]

First, I think leaving the bill in the sweat is a terrific way to honor your grandfather's memory. But it does make me wonder if you know his reason(s) for doing so?

I do not know his exact reasoning for doing so

I wish anyone who would know was still living but they are unfortunately not

I've thought about taking the bill out just to see the year on it ... but I am afraid it is brittle and may crumble or that I will damage it in some way... so I choose to just leave it.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Not so much a tradition, but my Great-Grandfather and my Grandfather were both regular hat wearers. You very seldom saw them outside of the house without one.

When my Great-Grandfather passed, I was six years old. One of my favorite things to do at that age was steal Gramps' hat and wear it. I'd run around and laugh and laugh. When he passed, Grandma and Grandpa gave me his hats.

I lost my Grandfather in November. Grandma gave away almost everything in the house to her kids and grandkids. By the time I got there, everyone else had kind of taken what they wanted. We went through and took what we wanted and were about to leave. Grandma has held up very well and has handled all of this with very little tears. The first time I saw her cry was this day. She stopped in the entry way and told me that she had put something aside for me. She opened the coat closet and three hats were sitting in the corner of the shelf, they were the only things left in there. She told me that she knew me of all people would appreciate something so personal of his and that she always loved those hats on Grandpa. Every so often, I'll go look at them. My favorite one is the least fancy of them all, as Grandma called it "an old man's hat," but it's the one I always remember him wearing. It has several hat pins on it and it just always makes me think of him.

 

[moontheloon]

Not so much a tradition, but my Great-Grandfather and my Grandfather were both regular hat wearers. You very seldom saw them outside of the house without one.

When my Great-Grandfather passed, I was six years old. One of my favorite things to do at that age was steal Gramps' hat and wear it. I'd run around and laugh and laugh. When he passed, Grandma and Grandpa gave me his hats.

I lost my Grandfather in November. Grandma gave away almost everything in the house to her kids and grandkids. By the time I got there, everyone else had kind of taken what they wanted. We went through and took what we wanted and were about to leave. Grandma has held up very well and has handled all of this with very little tears. The first time I saw her cry was this day. She stopped in the entry way and told me that she had put something aside for me. She opened the coat closet and three hats were sitting in the corner of the shelf, they were the only things left in there. She told me that she knew me of all people would appreciate something so personal of his and that she always loved those hats on Grandpa. Every so often, I'll go look at them. My favorite one is the least fancy of them all, as Grandma called it "an old man's hat," but it's the one I always remember him wearing. It has several hat pins on it and it just always makes me think of him.

awesome

cherish those hats my man

 

[RJR]

+1,memories are family everything.

 

[Preacher Man]

All beautiful stories! What a way to hold on to memories of our fathers. I don't have any of by dad's hats, he wore them all the time in my childhood days, but I do have pictures. My avatar was taken in February 1939 on my dad's wedding day. That's him on the left standing next to his dad on the right. I'm going to have a pic of me photoshopped into it. I think that would be a cool thing to have. I'll share it when its done! Keep the memories coming.

 

[LeBois46]

My father quit wearing fedoras in the 60's some time. But I remember him earlier wearing them for fishing and upland game hunting. Long time before those gaudy orange hats which are de rigeur these days. I wear broader brimmed fedoras when I fly fish these days and I am reminded of him.

 

[moontheloon]

All beautiful stories! What a way to hold on to memories of our fathers. I don't have any of by dad's hats, he wore them all the time in my childhood days, but I do have pictures. My avatar was taken in February 1939 on my dad's wedding day. That's him on the left standing next to his dad on the right. I'm going to have a pic of me photoshopped into it. I think that would be a cool thing to have. I'll share it when its done! Keep the memories coming.

great looking hats in that pic
the way men wore hats then could never be duplicated today... we try though

My father quit wearing fedoras in the 60's some time. But I remember him earlier wearing them for fishing and upland game hunting. Long time before those gaudy orange hats which are de rigeur these days. I wear broader brimmed fedoras when I fly fish these days and I am reminded of him.

funny how something as simple as a hat can do that for us ... it's a wonderful thing

I often thing about my daughter (who is 2 now) as an adult after I am long gone seeing someone in a nice hat and saying something like... my dad always wore a hat like that

thoughts like that make me happy

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Believe me, I do, and always will.

awesome

cherish those hats my man

 

[el_ote]

i hope to foster a similar set of good memories moon.

- Elías O.