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How do folks react to your hat wearing?

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,775
Location
New Forest
Poole Goes Vintage 02.jpg MGTD_107.jpg
A fellow said to me today, while I was in the garage, carefully pumping fuel, there's no sensor so I have to be careful or it sloshes out over my shoes when full, he said: "Great car, but in this weather, you need the TD." "Oh I couldn't drive an open top, " I said, "my hat would blow away." "That would never do," he replied, "your hat doesn't look like it's from the cheap end." I took it of and showed him the hatband. "Biltmore!" He said, "I bought a felt Biltmore last year." He then said that his hat was complimented many times at the vintage event that he went to. I showed him the photo of my car at the same event. "I knew that I had seen your car before," he said. I then said that it's rather warm today for a felt hat but did he still get compliments. he told me that he hasn't had the nerve to wear it since.

The MG TD, is a shortened sports version of my car, the classic grille and MG "face" is retained . Just over 50,000 TD's were made, whereas my car the MG YB is one of only 1301 made.
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,775
Location
New Forest
Hope he changes his mind. Seems perfectly pointless to own a nice hat and not wear it...
What I didn't say was that he showed me a photo of himself at The Poole Goes Vintage event, I didn't remember seeing him but had I, then I would have certainly remembered him, I could tell from the picture that he showed me that he made an impression. He told me that I look the part in a hat, I answered that by explaining, that I put a hat on the way I put my shoes on, accoutrements to go with whatever I'm wearing.

Was he self conscious? Probably. Strange though, you can wear a cap back to front and that's an acceptable adornment. Put a decent hat on and you think that everyone is staring at you. Funny old world.
 
Messages
12,005
Location
Southern California
...Strange though, you can wear a cap back to front and that's an acceptable adornment. Put a decent hat on and you think that everyone is staring at you. Funny old world.
Aren't they? I mean, if it isn't a ball cap or knit watch/ski cap it's bound to attract attention these days, but there's nothing wrong with that. Say, "Hello!" Seize upon the opportunity to make a new friend! Be an ambassador for wearing a proper hat! "A stranger is only someone you haven't yet met," and other platitudes. Just be a Gentleman (or Lady; I don't want to exclude anyone). I've met some very nice people by simply giving them the opportunity to ask about my hat. Of course, that newfound friendship normally only lasts the duration of that conversation, but I walk away with the hope I've somehow inspired someone to do something they might not have had the backbone to do previously.
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
What I didn't say was that he showed me a photo of himself at The Poole Goes Vintage event, I didn't remember seeing him but had I, then I would have certainly remembered him, I could tell from the picture that he showed me that he made an impression. He told me that I look the part in a hat, I answered that by explaining, that I put a hat on the way I put my shoes on, accoutrements to go with whatever I'm wearing.

Was he self conscious? Probably. Strange though, you can wear a cap back to front and that's an acceptable adornment. Put a decent hat on and you think that everyone is staring at you. Funny old world.

Yeah, it's part of what is referred to as 'herd mentality.' Most people feel more comfortable when they are doing what most others in their peer group are doing. Many people wear lots of things on their heads these days. But a proper felt fedora? Not so much.

In my store, a (very) few people come in wearing (cheap) straw fedoras, and those small (cheap) cloth 'hipster'-style hats. Quite often, when it's not oven-hot, I'm wearing a '40s-style felt one (they are part of who I am). But believe me, I'm the only one.

Without going into details, it obviously doesn't bother me because of who I am. Not everyone is able to step outside the 'normal,' and that's okay. To each their own.
 

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,162
Location
North Texas
A few days ago I was wearing this Brent Black Montecristi. My wife and I were at a local restaurant having our weekly lunch date. Our waiter that day is a blue haired young man (early twenties) that we have known for a few years. He sees my hat and tells me how much he likes it. But then he says “I could never pull that off”. I look at him and say “you’ve got blue hair! Surely, you can wear a hat.”

C72D5EE3-C031-4C88-B9EE-797CF9604834.jpeg
 
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GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,775
Location
New Forest
For a second or so I thought that blue hair must have been a typo, but then you qualified it. But apart from your rather splendid hat, the most warming, moving, totally uplifting part of your post was. Dating your wife. Just brilliant. More than that, there's a rare word in the English language that describes such beauty and that is: "pulchritudinous!"
 
Messages
19,409
Location
Funkytown, USA
A few days ago I was wearing this Brent Black Montecristi. My wife and I were at a local restaurant having our weekly lunch date. Our waiter that day is a blue haired young man (early twenties) that we have known for a few years. He sees my hat and tells me how much he likes it. But then he says “I could never pull that off”. I look at him and say “you’ve got blue hair! Surely, you can wear a hat.”

View attachment 253109

True.
 

1967Cougar390

Practically Family
Messages
789
Location
South Carolina
A few days ago I was wearing this Brent Black Montecristi. My wife and I were at a local restaurant having our weekly lunch date. Our waiter that day is a blue haired young man (early twenties) that we have known for a few years. He sees my hat and tells me how much he likes it. But then he says “I could never pull that off”. I look at him and say “you’ve got blue hair! Surely, you can wear a hat.”

View attachment 253109
Priceless!! :)
 

MikeBravo

One Too Many
Messages
1,301
Location
Melbourne, Australia
A few days ago I was wearing this Brent Black Montecristi. My wife and I were at a local restaurant having our weekly lunch date. Our waiter that day is a blue haired young man (early twenties) that we have known for a few years. He sees my hat and tells me how much he likes it. But then he says “I could never pull that off”. I look at him and say “you’ve got blue hair! Surely, you can wear a hat.”

View attachment 253109
My response would have been: Keep dying your hair like that and you'll be wearing hats before you know it. :D
 

STEVIEBOY1

One Too Many
Messages
1,042
Location
London UK
A few days ago I was wearing this Brent Black Montecristi. My wife and I were at a local restaurant having our weekly lunch date. Our waiter that day is a blue haired young man (early twenties) that we have known for a few years. He sees my hat and tells me how much he likes it. But then he says “I could never pull that off”. I look at him and say “you’ve got blue hair! Surely, you can wear a hat.”

View attachment 253109 [/QUOTE

I like the hat and the tee shirt / sweater.
 

STEVIEBOY1

One Too Many
Messages
1,042
Location
London UK
A few days ago I was wearing this Brent Black Montecristi. My wife and I were at a local restaurant having our weekly lunch date. Our waiter that day is a blue haired young man (early twenties) that we have known for a few years. He sees my hat and tells me how much he likes it. But then he says “I could never pull that off”. I look at him and say “you’ve got blue hair! Surely, you can wear a hat.”

View attachment 253109


I like the hat and the tee shirt / sweater.
 

Artifex

Familiar Face
Messages
90
Location
Nottingham, GB
I tried that once when I was in my teens. I failed so miserably at it that I went right back to doing and wearing what I liked, and never looked back. :D

Thanks to my strange (but quite irreplaceable) family, I never learnt how to be a jeans-and-t-shirt person. Since the effort required to pull off normality wouldn't be remotely worth it, being a weirdo with conviction is the obvious choice.

More to the title of this thread, I heard the following yesterday, while walking down the street ahead of some youths.

Oi you! Dude! I bet yer sweating balls in that hat, aren't yer? Yer sweating bhalls! Oi! I know yer can 'ear me. Why'a got that waistcoat ...

I'm afraid to say that I couldn't think of a single polite response to such an opening.
 

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