Morning temperature -5 degrees. Daytime high 18 degrees. What a perfect day for a hat!
We lost something both in practicality and style in the late 20th century - men wearing hats as a common accessory! I've always admired them - seeing old pictures of my father and grandfathers wearing derbies and fedoras - and longed to feel "adult" enough to wear one and feel comfortable in public. A few years ago I guess I felt that I had reached that "adult" threshold and purchased a proper fedora from my good friends at Hatman Jack's in Wichita. Jack Kellogg has, by far, the best selection of wool to top one's head in the region, and he's a master when it comes to selecting and shaping.
The best hat isn't the hat that looks like someone's...it's yours. When a man wears a hat, it becomes who he is. Mine, a beaver felt fedora, has found my head's shape and has become "my" hat. It fits as soon as I put it on...no tweaking it atop my head to find a comfortable landing spot, and it stays on even in a strong Kansas wind gust.
Wearing my bow ties at school I get the occasional strange glance and behind the back comment, but couple the tie and the fedora and I'm suddenly enigmatic to many. But on a day like today, certainly I'm not such a pariah. In fact, two good friends made the comment that they wish they had a hat to put on in such cold weather.
The wearer of hats is not the reactive type...he's a proactive symbol of style! Keep your head warm!
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