JFK no hatless Jack

[DrSpeed]

In another thread Viper Man recommended this book that I'll read for sure if I can lay my hands on it:

http://www.amazon.com/Hatless-Jack-President-History-American/dp/0452285232

However, JFK was not always hatless. En route to his inauguration he did wear a hat:

http://www.homeofheroes.com/presidents/inaugural/inaug_jfk_jackie.jpg

And guess where it was made? I happened to stumble on it while reading up on the Dutch hat industry: in the Netherlands. In Eindhoven to be precise, in the Spoorenberg factory, long since gone. Never knew that.

 

[Viper Man]

Quite right, Dr. Speed. I am only about 100 pages into that book but it does discuss JFK's inauguration and his silk topper in great detail. Apparently wearing a high hat to the inauguration was a tradition for over 100 years. I believe that it was Truman who killed the tradition by wearing a homburg instead.

 

[DanielJones]

Here's another shot of President Kennedy with Ike, 22 april, 1961. Note the hats in hand.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Tomasso]

JFK was not always hatless. En route to his inauguration he did wear a hat

Yes, he'd occasionally wear a hat:

But even on those occasions, more often than not, the hat would be in his hand rather than on his head:

 

[feltfan]

The photos are small, but looking at the interior and the width of
the ribbon, I'd say JFK wore a Cavanagh.

 

[PhilS]

Try Abebooks.com

In another thread Viper Man recommended this book that I'll read for sure if I can lay my hands on it:

It's widely available used for under a fin. It is a very fun read.

 

[Colby Jack]

Man...I am really loving Ike's hat. They probably have their hats off to avoid the helicopter from blowing them off.[huh]

 

[Tomasso]

Man...I am really loving Ike's hat.

Hey, I'm diggin' Ike's suit even more. But then, I have one just like his.

 

[YARVTON]

JFK & Hats

JFK had a large head and I wonder if he had some trouble finding a suitable hat (without going Custom). He may have thought he never looked good in a hat.

As JFK & Co. were extremely image-conscious, it's likely someone suggested that he looks "so much more youthful without a hat". I also think that he and the P.R. folks never wanted his hair to be out of place should there be a juicy photo opportunity.

 

[mineral]

JFK had a large head and I wonder if he had some trouble finding a suitable hat (without going Custom). He may have thought he never looked good in a hat.

Kennedy definitely didn't think the hats fit his "image". And no, the pictures with him and Eisenhower don't definitely prove he wore the hats. These two articles are important references (should anyone really care about Kennedy and hats):

http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK+Libra...+John+Saltonstall+and+Al+Webb+Collections.htm
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1998/4/1998_4_5.shtml

He held the hat to help out his good friend who was a Vice-President at Cavanagh and angled the hat towards the camera in a way that made it undeniable it was a Cavanagh hat.

 

[YARVTON]

a tip o' the hat to mineral

Many thanks for posting those links!

 

[dnjan]

But even on those occasions, more often than not, the hat would be in his hand rather than on his head:

Perhaps he was just afraid of losing it in the helicopter blade wash ...

 

[waffle]

Perhaps he was just afraid of losing it in the helicopter blade wash ...

or.. maybe he just didn't want to mess up his hair for the pictures..

 

[MAB1]

Perhaps he just wanted to show people that he had hair?

Jack didn't kill the hat. Fashion designers did. They narrowed lapels, ties, pants, etc. including hat brims. They took the function out of the hat (shadewise) and made them useless. So why bother?

That's what killed the hat.

 

[Viper Man]

Perhaps he just wanted to show people that he had hair?

Jack didn't kill the hat. Fashion designers did. They narrowed lapels, ties, pants, etc. including hat brims. They took the function out of the hat (shadewise) and made them useless. So why bother?

That's what killed the hat.

I highly suggest you read that book if you haven't already. The author outlines the fall of hats quite well and there were/are a myriad of reasons for the decline of hat wearing including the disappearance of societal taboos and the prevalence of automobiles in the U.S. It really is a fascinating read.

 

[Wolfmanjack]

JFK had a large head and I wonder if he had some trouble finding a suitable hat (without going Custom). He may have thought he never looked good in a hat.

Spot on, YARVTON. IMHO, I think JFK was right that he never looked good in a hat...and that is (was) because he wore a size (or more) too small. Look in the pictures, the crown is too small for his face and the hat sits too high on his head.

I'm going to have to read Hatless Jack.

 

[SPRFINO]

Obviously JFK didn't respect his hat very much, notice how he's crushing the crown of his fedora See Eisenhower properly holding his by the brim.

 

[JOVE23]

There's also a fairly famous photograph of Jack Kennedy at Griffith Stadium in 1961. He and his presidential entourage are watching the flight of a foul ball and Jack looks a little nervous. He is also wearing a hat!

http://www.nytstore.com/ProdDetail.aspx?prodId=2648

 

[Jerekson]

Hey, JFK did have a really good haircut.

It looks like Ike is wearing some sort of Stetson. I want to say a modified Open Road, but I don't really know why it would have been modified.

 

[psugrad98]

It's Kennedy's Fault

I was in a food store today picking up some PG Tips. I was wearing my grey felt fedora with a black shirt and black and grey tie.

A gentleman in his early 70s or late 60s stopped me and said he really liked my hat. He said it's nice to see style. He said that he always loved hats, and about the time he was of age to wear a hat folks stopped wearing them. He said it was because of John F. Kennedy. He never wore a hat and caused the style to die out.

I always thought that was amusing that folks blame Kennedy for the demise of hats.

thoughtS?