The London Lounge

Is straw substituted for felt for hats in Paris in the summer as it would be in, for example, New York or London?

dopey wrote:Is straw substituted for felt for hats in Paris in the summer as it would be in, for example, New York or London?

On whom and in what universe? I have seen very, very few hats worn here, straw or otherwise.

rjman wrote:

dopey wrote:Is straw substituted for felt for hats in Paris in the summer as it would be in, for example, New York or London?

On whom and in what universe? I have seen very, very few hats worn here, straw or otherwise.

On me.
I normally wear a fedora-style hat when walking around outside in a suit or sportcoat, which is my usual dress except on some weekends. Usually it is a felt hat, but in summer it is straw.

If there were a Parisian dopey inclined to wear a hat, would he also be inclined to switch from felt to straw in the summer? Putting aside particular ethnic communities, are there circumstances where a felt fedora would be appropriate but a straw one would not?

We really should ask this question again in August. And even if there were no hats, I can see wanting to start a fashion in cities from NYC to Washington, because we get so beastly hot.

brescd01 wrote:We really should ask this question again in August. And even if there were no hats, I can see wanting to start a fashion in cities from NYC to Washington, because we get so beastly hot.

Blaze the way, Bresch. We're (cough) right behind you.

You better be RJMan!

I have to agree with RJ, not too many hatwearers in the City of Lights, except yours truly.

In my mind hats are not a fashion accessory but a practical necessity in the Winter to keep warm and in the Summmer to keep the sun away. Straw hats are informal daywear only as are linen caps, my own choice to keep the UVs away. A lightweight gray fedora is a good choice for Summer for all around use when wearing a suit.

alden wrote: In my mind hats are not a fashion accessory but a practical necessity in the Winter to keep warm and in the Summmer to keep the sun away. Straw hats are informal daywear only as are linen caps, my own choice to keep the UVs away. A lightweight gray fedora is a good choice for Summer for all around use when wearing a suit.

Would this apply in the tropics as well? Please correct me if I am wrong but it seems to me that a felt hat is not a practical choice in the tropics.

Would it be acceptable to wear a panama hat with a business suit in the hotter climes like in Manila? I imagine though a panama hat would look better with a light colored suit.

GB

Alden's comments are interesting. I can say with certinty that in New York, during the summer, a nice Panama is as appropriate with a suit as a felt hat. It is also much more practical, even s compared to a lightweight felt. Straw is pourous and heat rises up off your head and out through the hat. Felt, no matter how thin, is an insulator. Except among Orthodox Jews, felt disappears as a hat material in the New York Summer (and I have noticed a few Orthodox Jews who have figured out that you can get straw hats, albeit only cheaply made ones, in black).

alden wrote:I have to agree with RJ, not too many hatwearers in the City of Lights, except yours truly.

In my mind hats are not a fashion accessory but a practical necessity in the Winter to keep warm and in the Summmer to keep the sun away.

I agree completely about hats being more a practical necessity than a fashion item. They are even better than sunglasses at reducing glare. It is also better to have the hat absorb the heat of the sun than your head.

Last August when I was in Paris I found a nice selection of hats at Printemps. I brought myself a nice straw hat and wore it everywhere.

On really hot summer evenings in Sydney I would gladly wear the finest Panama hats to the Opera House as felts hats can be too warm for comfort even late after sunset.

Dopey:

Man-up, and set a real trend....


http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl;jsess ... =A&id=5690

kirsch wrote:Dopey:

Man-up, and set a real trend....


http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl;jsess ... =A&id=5690

It's already de rigeur in Arkansas.