(now in English)
The Way You Wear Your Hat | Parisian Gentleman
by Dr. John Slamson
In matters of personal style, hats often generate mixed feelings as even the most assured gentleman can feel the fear of overdoing.
Hats are frequently considered to be accessories that are not only superfluous but downright ostentatious, transforming their wearers into show-offs. Today, hats seem to be more accepted if they are needed as protection against rain or sunshine. To think that a few decades ago, hats were de rigueur for men and women alike…Our era ranks among the rare times in history where most people do not wear hats.
Film-maker and traveller Burton Holmes shot a few reels that give an idea of what Paris was like in the 1920s’—a period when homburgs and straw hats, three piece suits and pocket squares are not just common, but prevail !
Cars and bikes are sometimes blamed for the disappearance of the hat. It is said hats became too unwieldy and flew off too easily in transit and so out of necessity, the once strong preference for hats gave way to a hankering for caps. In reality, social, economic and cultural factors converged to result in a more casual style for the mainstream, which created a big shift in contemporary meanswear. Hat-wearing was part of the sartorial order that gradually disappeared after World War II, much like the diminishing of ties and pocket squares.
TRILBY OR FEDORA ?
And yet, the hat is making a comeback, not only in classic menswear but also, paradoxically enough, among hipsters, rappers and other popular icons who are followed by fans who emulate their sartorial fads. In pop culture, personal whimsicality is the only rule that prevails.
continue…
