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How do folks react to your hat wearing?

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,801
Location
New Forest
Went into my favorite watering hole yesterday wearing my Dorer bar 50. A young woman sitting at the bar looked over and said, "I really like you hat, you wear it well and you look good in it." I thanked her for the compliment and she replied, "I'm not hitting on you but I really like that hat."
Greg walks into a bar and the voluptuous barmaid asks for ID. “You’ve got to be kidding,” he said. “I’m almost 60 years old.” The barmaid apologised, but said that she had to see the license. Greg showed his ID, then paid, and told the barmaid to keep the change. The barmaid put the change in the tip cup. “Thanks,” she said. “Works every time.”
 

Tukwila

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,382
Location
SW of Antifa Central (PDX)
I have been seeing a guy walking across the bridge to the downtown area and he always has a hat on. Yesterday, I saw him at the corner where I pulled up to a stop sign so I called out to him and told him I was a hat collector and sure appreciated seeing his nice hats as he walks to town. He told me about the haberdashery in Portland and we chatted for s short time before I had to drive off because of traffic coming up behind me. I offered him a ride to town, but he declined saying he enjoyed his walks.

Later, at the bank, a new young teller has been noticing my hats. I guess it started when I asked if she had gotten her hair done lately and told her it looked nice. Now she comments on my hats. Yesterday she asked how many hats I had... about 50, I guess, and she said she needed to pick up something besides her wool fedora. I told her about a real nice 1950s 3X Stetson at a local shop, if she was a size 7.
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,801
Location
New Forest
In The New Forest, where I live, there are wide clearings known as fire runs. The idea being that if a forest fire took hold, the flames would, hopefully, not be able to cross the fire run. These fire runs lend themselves to walkers and also cyclists, so many out on their megabucks bicycle, in skimpy lycra, pedalling furiously along.

Since my hip replacement I too have been cycling to exercise the muscles around the new hip. Only my trusty bike is a bit more sedate than those of the lycra set. A young fellow on his bike said to me: "When I saw you I looked around for the film crew, I thought that you were being filmed for an advert or something." I smiled and said: "Flatterer," he smiled back, took a picture on his phone and cycled off.
Can't think what all the fuss was about.
hats 012.JPG
 

Tukwila

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,382
Location
SW of Antifa Central (PDX)
In The New Forest, where I live, there are wide clearings known as fire runs. The idea being that if a forest fire took hold, the flames would, hopefully, not be able to cross the fire run. These fire runs lend themselves to walkers and also cyclists, so many out on their megabucks bicycle, in skimpy lycra, pedalling furiously along.

Since my hip replacement I too have been cycling to exercise the muscles around the new hip. Only my trusty bike is a bit more sedate than those of the lycra set. A young fellow on his bike said to me: "When I saw you I looked around for the film crew, I thought that you were being filmed for an advert or something." I smiled and said: "Flatterer," he smiled back, took a picture on his phone and cycled off.
Can't think what all the fuss was about.
View attachment 167509
Fabulous!
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,801
Location
New Forest
The United States has been operating on the principle of "Lowest Common Denominator" and letting it set the direction American society takes for far too long...
Thanks for the compliments, you are as flattering as my fellow cyclist, but I love it.
Dm, your comment about Lowest Common Denominator seems to run through all the English speaking countries, but there again, it's also true of most of Europe. I agree that the dumb down look as become so common place that supermarket staff in their uniforms look smarter than the shoppers.
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,801
Location
New Forest
Like most who have posted on this thread, I can't remember ever hearing a negative comment, on the contrary, the remarks that I have heard are most complimentary. There was one that has to be my favourite. I posted it on the vintage car thread but I must share it again.

Last summer, my missus and I were on our way to a classic car meeting. There were two lanes of slow moving cars, as a car drew level I heard a child's voice shout: "Mister!" Looking round a young lady about ten years old was leaning out of her Dad's car, treating us to a toothy smile: "Mister," she repeated, "your car is so cool." There was just enough time to wave a thank you as her Dad drove off, with her cheeky grin still beaming from the car window.

A second compliment whilst out with the car came from a guy whilst I was putting fuel in, at the garage. He had just paid, and instead of walking back to his car, he approached me. It happens a lot, I was expecting the "nice car" remark, but instead he surprised me. He said: "I noticed the car, but I couldn't help noticing what you're wearing. On you it looks good, but if I wore something like that, I would look like a banana." "No you wouldn't," I argued, "if you like something and wear it proudly, it will look just as good on you, or anyone else." "OK," he answered, adding, "but the jury is still out." Then as he was leaving he said: "Nice car, by the way." Thanks for the compliments," I said, smiling inwardly. Funny old world, I'm not sure if I've just been called a banana or what?
yellow outfit & car 001.JPG yellow outfit & car 002.JPG
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
Like most who have posted on this thread, I can't remember ever hearing a negative comment, on the contrary, the remarks that I have heard are most complimentary. There was one that has to be my favourite. I posted it on the vintage car thread but I must share it again.

Last summer, my missus and I were on our way to a classic car meeting. There were two lanes of slow moving cars, as a car drew level I heard a child's voice shout: "Mister!" Looking round a young lady about ten years old was leaning out of her Dad's car, treating us to a toothy smile: "Mister," she repeated, "your car is so cool." There was just enough time to wave a thank you as her Dad drove off, with her cheeky grin still beaming from the car window.

A second compliment whilst out with the car came from a guy whilst I was putting fuel in, at the garage. He had just paid, and instead of walking back to his car, he approached me. It happens a lot, I was expecting the "nice car" remark, but instead he surprised me. He said: "I noticed the car, but I couldn't help noticing what you're wearing. On you it looks good, but if I wore something like that, I would look like a banana." "No you wouldn't," I argued, "if you like something and wear it proudly, it will look just as good on you, or anyone else." "OK," he answered, adding, "but the jury is still out." Then as he was leaving he said: "Nice car, by the way." Thanks for the compliments," I said, smiling inwardly. Funny old world, I'm not sure if I've just been called a banana or what?
View attachment 167692 View attachment 167693

Not once did the thought 'banana' ever cross my mind, before, during or after reading your post and seeing your pictures. :)
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,801
Location
New Forest
Scotty, you are as complimentary as ever, and it's much appreciated. There's a tale to be told about my 'banana' outfit. A few years back Tina and I went to a rather good wedding. It was second time round for both bride & groom. Without the self imposed pressures that newlyweds experience, these two went for a themed wedding. Their honeymoon was to be in Hawaii, so they chose Hawaii as the theme for their wedding. I wore a sky blue linen suit, but how quickly I found out that linen cannot resist being creased up. Just a half hour drive to the function and the pants looked like I had slept in them.

Later I told Tina that I loved the suit but oh how I wished that I had listened to the tailor and had a 60/40 linen/polyester mix. So, bearing that in mind Tina came across a pair of trousers in a charity shop, for the princely sum of four pounds. They weren't linen/poly, in fact they were linen/calico, but they were far to big for me, what's more, they were very modern looking, slim line & tapered, but they were of a very smart appearance.
trousers 008.jpg
The yellow in this picture is the result of my inexperience at photoshopping, the colour is much more cream than yellow. Anyway, Tina unpicked the trousers completely, she then brought the squab of the backside in, repositioned the crotch area, replaced the zipper with a buttoned fly, brought the length up to my measurement, leaving enough material to turn up a reasonable size cuff.
trousers 012.jpg
Just in case there was any chance of the hems fraying, she sewed a line of reinforcement around the inside of the hem line.
trousers 013.jpg
Now I have the perfect summer, linen like trousers, all they need is a shirt to compliment them. So Tina made a matching yellow shirt.
shirts 013.JPG shirts 012.JPG
Add a pair of contrasting spectators,
Shoes spectators 001.JPG
And of course a summer straw hat, and I'm good to go. Step forward Mr Banana.
yellow shirt 001.JPG
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,084
Location
London, UK
it is very much a shame that somehow being well dressed fell out of fashion.

To an extent 'well-dressed' can be highly subjective.... That said, the trend towards ever-increasing casualisation on a day to day basis does seem to proceed unabated. I often think that surely, fashion relying on the novelty, there must be change sooner or later - wider legs, higher waist, more formal - simply because it has gone so far to the other extreme. I see something of a thing in fashion at the minute for 'jumpsuits' which amuses me (not so long ago I was considering a pair of the cotton Goodwood Racetrack coveralls as easy 'around the house' wear, especially in Summer). I think it all goes back to the fact that the world is still largely run by a generation that saw the ultimate success as being able to go casual and not being told what to wear like the squares, "the suits".... suits being perceived the way a uniform might once have been.

My instinct is that dressing 'better' might, paradoxically, arise out of the increasing casualisation of the workspace. When even major law firms no have their staff in jeans, the ground is fertile for a suit to become a mark of rebellion, of being different; when a suit is no longer the enforced office dresscode, just maybe more people will see it as something they might like to wear, for themselves, casually. Who knows?

A second compliment whilst out with the car came from a guy whilst I was putting fuel in, at the garage. He had just paid, and instead of walking back to his car, he approached me. It happens a lot, I was expecting the "nice car" remark, but instead he surprised me. He said: "I noticed the car, but I couldn't help noticing what you're wearing. On you it looks good, but if I wore something like that, I would look like a banana." "No you wouldn't," I argued, "if you like something and wear it proudly, it will look just as good on you, or anyone else." "OK," he answered, adding, "but the jury is still out." Then as he was leaving he said: "Nice car, by the way." Thanks for the compliments," I said, smiling inwardly. Funny old world, I'm not sure if I've just been called a banana or what?
View attachment 167692 View attachment 167693

I think it's simple herd-instinct. Many people see vintage - or whatever - and see something they like, something they think is 'cool', but they lack the confidence to stand out and be different, preferring the security of blending in. I'm firmly of the opinion that it's no coincidence that, at least ere in the UK, such a significant proportion of the "vintage community" (including, broadly speaking, though it's mored of a large crossover than being the same thing as such, the Chap / Anarcho-Dandyist movement) are old punks, goths, Rocky Horrorists, Ted revivalists and whatever. People who were never afraid of standing out and being different in the first place.
 

Steinbockhase

Practically Family
Messages
514
Location
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
To an extent 'well-dressed' can be highly subjective.... That said, the trend towards ever-increasing casualisation on a day to day basis does seem to proceed unabated. I often think that surely, fashion relying on the novelty, there must be change sooner or later - wider legs, higher waist, more formal - simply because it has gone so far to the other extreme. I see something of a thing in fashion at the minute for 'jumpsuits' which amuses me (not so long ago I was considering a pair of the cotton Goodwood Racetrack coveralls as easy 'around the house' wear, especially in Summer). I think it all goes back to the fact that the world is still largely run by a generation that saw the ultimate success as being able to go casual and not being told what to wear like the squares, "the suits".... suits being perceived the way a uniform might once have been.

My instinct is that dressing 'better' might, paradoxically, arise out of the increasing casualisation of the workspace. When even major law firms no have their staff in jeans, the ground is fertile for a suit to become a mark of rebellion, of being different; when a suit is no longer the enforced office dresscode, just maybe more people will see it as something they might like to wear, for themselves, casually. Who knows?

Interesting thoughts.
Who knows, someday we might see a US president wearing jeans and Hawaii shirt for his/her inauguration.
Interesting that British lawyers and judges still wear wigs in court :)
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,084
Location
London, UK
Interesting thoughts.
Who knows, someday we might see a US president wearing jeans and Hawaii shirt for his/her inauguration.

Looking at how the Presidents' attire has changed for inauguration, it's not wholly unthinkable. Kennedy wore full formal morning dress; by Ford, lounge suits were the norm. If memory serves, Regan brought back at least black lounge for his first inauguration, but since his second term they've all been in lounge suits. I supposed the next step down would (ironically) be a return to a separate colour jacket and slacks. I suspect we'll see a tie dropped first. Kennedy wore white tie to his inauguration ball; black tie was the norm by Obama / Trump. I suspect it's not unthinkable the next president, whether in 2020 or 2024, might attend that in a lounge suit. Assuming, of course, it's a man: we'll see a whole new set of norms if and when the US elects a female POTUS. There are a few more casual step before jeans, but if society becomes ever-more casual without stopping, it's possible. A lot also depends on what people tolerate: many will think nothing of going to see their lawyer or bank manager in jeans but bed horrified if he wears the same. Politicians may be wary of being perceived as calculatedly casual: certainly when Blair and Bush did their "Here we are, just two regular guys in blue jeans" saunter for the world's press nearly twenty years ago it was rather mocked as stilted and staged, but that may not always be so.

Interesting that British lawyers and judges still wear wigs in court :)

Increasingly less, though. They've been dropped entirely in civil and family law cases. On the criminal law side of the courts they are still worn at Crown Court and Court of Appeal level, but not at all in the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justices and the remaining Law Lords only wear them now on ceremonial occasions, not in actual court session.
 

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