“How to wear a hat” by James Cameron
Posted By Steven Lewis on June 13, 2009
“Hats have slowly but surely crept back into fashion, but if you’re going to make this part of your wardrobe it’s important that you look like you know what you’re doing.”
So writes menswear designer James Cameron in his new blog, Suits You, in the Fairfax [Australian newspaper stable]. Surely it says something that it took only three posts for James to be talking about hats.
Cameron takes a balanced view on the “formality” of hats, advising:
“What you need to remember if you’re going to wear a hat, and particularly a brimmed style… is to not look like you’re in costume.”
That can be a hard balance to strike, especially when many people can’t help but think Indiana Jones or Dick Tracy whatever hat they see, but Cameron’s piece is full of practical advice without being prescriptive.
Most heartening is the enthusiatic response in the comments section (more than on any other post). I hope Cameron will use them as the springboard for future posts on men’s hats and styling.
About the author
Steven,
Thanks for the comments on my blog! I agree that you have to be careful about not appearing to be in costume when wearing a hat … especially when a lot of people only wear a hat (besides a baseball cap) when they are going somewhere in fancy dress. Then again, is it bad to look like Bogart or even Indy, at the right time?
To be honest, I have never gotten any questions about how many hats I own or anything like that .. but I have gotten comments that I look like a country gentleman or a Victorian street-urchin (but that was not just because of the flat cap but also the fingerless cycling gloves).
The oddest thing that I have noticed recently is that I get similar reactions when I wear a tie. The same type of comments and questions, such as why are you dressed up? Or, are you going somewhere special?
Btw, if can, check out the pictures from Ascot … it starts today ,,, and you can see some remarkable hats (on both sexes).
Cheers,
Thad