February 7, 2012 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“Hats”
01/20/12
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High and Tight

Avoiding Hat Hair

The groundhog is still fast asleep, and it’s only getting colder out there. As the winter gears up, you may notice more and more disarray in your usually well-ordered coiffure. It’s the affliction known as hat hair, currently ravaging scalps across this great land of ours.

We couldn’t just sit back and let the widespread mussing go unchallenged, so we’ve consulted the experts and developed five steps to keep your ’do intact under even the most stifling of hats. Ladies and gentlemen, your guide to defending against hat hair…

Our five tips for beating hat hair»
 

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12/19/11
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

The Santa Hat

We’d like to be clear on this.

We do not endorse wearing a Santa hat to every party you attend over the next two weeks—especially if any of the parties in question are Kwanzaa-themed. There will be cameras, old friends and alcohol. A single costume-y element—like, say, a socklike, red velvet topper—could throw the whole thing out of whack, doing permanent damage to your reputation and your dignity.

However, if you decide to disregard all warning and go forward with your bizarre festivities, you will find an appropriately luxurious Santa hat here.

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08/17/11
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LinkOut

Zuzana Gregorova is Arm-Wrestling Her Hair

Zuzana Gregorovavia WBE

These Are the Hats of our Lives: Your humble narrator faces off against The Grungy Gentleman on the question of gentlemen’s hats. [Esquire]

Fantastic Voyage: Ralph Lauren offers a peek at his latest batch of goods, across all the labels. Gatsby is well represented. [WWD]

The Top Seventeen: GQ unveils their first batch of commercified goods at Park & Bond. We’re loving the Filson briefcase. [GQ]

In Which Math Solves Everything: MB proposes the perfect ratio of sideburn length to sideburn width. Remember, it’s only a theory… [Magnificent Bastard]

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07/11/11
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LinkOut

Naked Duck Hunting is Trending

duckhunt2via LikeCool

Failure to Produce: A cringe-inducing personal essay peering into the world of artificial insemination. It gets real. [The Morning News]

On the Road Again: A tour through Sparta, Tennessee with Emil of the Hill-Side. Ten gallon hats were worn. [Secret Forts]

Against the Sun: An infographic guide to sunscreen, which you really should be wearing. [Swiss Miss]

Dressing for the Weekend: Andrew Williams ponders the weekend suit. In our opinion, it’s the most covetable item a man can own—but stay away from the large checks. [Men’s Flair]

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07/05/11
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Good Idea

The Kempt Guide to Extremely Hot Weather

Summervia Flickr

It’s official: July fourth is past, and we’re now into the “soul-crushingly hot” portion of the summer.

But don’t despair—or worse, turn to t-shirts and shorts. We’ve got five bits of wisdom to see you through the dog days in style. They involve madras, handkerchiefs and rum…

Kempt’s five tips for keeping cool…»

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06/23/11
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The Past

Today in Urchin Style

UrchinSee it full size

Boing Boing stumbled on this classic urchin photo, of the local genus known as the Spitalfield Nippers.

They were name for the Edwardian street youths that haunted the East End of London in ragged suits and, apparently, fantastically wide-brimmed hats. You can see the whole thing here, but we thought we’d focus on this fire-eyed youth, who seems to have mastered both the intricate scarf knot and the rakish hat-tilt at an early age.

Does he remind anyone else of Mister Mort?

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06/16/11
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Good Idea

Men in Hats

Men in Hats

These two Street Peeper snaps reminded us of just how useful a hat can be once the sun gets serious. Neither of these are exactly beach hats, but they manage to keep the gentlemen out of the sun and add a bit of off-beat style along the way. The cardinal rule: in the name of functionality, steer clear of the stingy-brimmed Bruno Mars vibe. A healthy overhang is the whole point.

And be ready to doff it once you get inside.

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05/27/11
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LinkOut

Solange is Shedding Layers

Solangevia Fashion Copious

Please, Let’s Not: The Latest in shoe trends: Mexican jester boots that curve up two feet in front of your toes. We’ll say it: worse than Crocs. [Antenna]

This Week in Slander: A fake Q&A with Terrence Malick. Apparently he’s a big American Idol fan. [Vulture]

Top Hats For All: A spotter’s guide to well-dressed Englishmen this summer. [Men’s Flair]

Under the Brim: An intelligent gentleman thinks long and hard about purchasing a hat. [A Suitable Wardrobe]

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05/02/11
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Good Idea

A Gentleman’s Guide to the Panama Hat

Panama Hat

Consider the Panama Hat.

It’s the perfect tropical accomplice, a mesh of finely woven straw designed to protect you from the sun without interfering with any nearby breezes. Obsessives have been known to drop up to 35 grand for the perfect one, but just finding it takes a good deal of legwork. Luckily, we’re here to help.

Everything you need to know about the Panama Hat»

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04/19/11
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Object

The Ballcap

Flannel Cap

It looks like our favorite baseball nostalgics have a few extra tricks up their sleeve. This hat comes from the vintage baseball jersey shop Ebbets Field Flannels. It’s the same wool flannel with all the nostalgia stripped away—or most of it anyway. What’s left is a classic, sturdy item that holds up pretty well against spring drizzles. Just don’t wear it to dinner.

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04/15/11
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Labeled

Club Masters

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As you might remember, we left the last round of shows buzzing about Riviera Club, and we’ve finally got a few lookbook shots to show you why. On the surface, it’s another line from the workwear mill, but there’s a more than a little continental flair below the surface. (Exhibit A: the porkpied and neckerchiefed gentleman on the right.) Keep an eye out for these when they roll into stores in August.

A few more looks from the fall/winter collection»

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03/25/11
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Object

The Summer Watch Cap

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The watch cap makes for a pretty good style signature for younger gents—especially if you do most of your socializing outside—but it presents a real problem once April rolls around. At some point, it’s going be too warm to keep it going. This should buy you at least a few months. (Hat tip.) It’s made of a loose-knit linen, so it’ll breathe well enough to stand up to warmer weather and keep some of the sun off your scalp. Just be ready to take it off if you find yourself in a courthouse or a church. (We won’t speculate as to why.)

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02/09/11
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The Past

Dusting Off: The Hat Rack

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As connoisseurs of history, we sometimes find styles, trends and turns of phrase from the past that we wouldn’t mind bringing back to the present, Doc Brown-style. This time around, we’re dusting off the hat rack.

In a few weeks, it’s going to be fedora weather—but something tells us we won’t see many of them on the street. And while plenty of bloggers have taken up the classic hat banner, it’s going to take more than just encouragement to make this happen. In particular, we place the blame for the non-resurgence of the hat squarely at the feet of the hat rack.

Allow us to explain»

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01/13/11
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Good Idea

The Watch Cap Manifesto

watchcapunionmade_crop.jpgvia Unionmade

The cold is officially abrasive.

49 of the 50 states have been blanketed with snow in the past week, and you might’ve found out yourself that the quest for warmth usually ends with a good knit hat.

From afar, watch caps can seem deceptively similar, so we’ve done the legwork to bring you three simple rules for finding the best and wearing it right.

Behold, the watch cap manifesto…»

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10/08/10
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Labeled

One Hat at a Time

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Here’s a late-breaking addition to yesterday’s winter hat compendium: our favorite southern gentleman Billy Reid has thrown his cap into the ring, in the form of a collaboration with the fedora godfathers at Stetson.

This one is our favorite, but there’s plenty of more wintry models to be found, including a pair of sharp driving caps and an achingly handsome cordovan aviator. It’s the kind of classic gear you expect from Stetson, given a modern brush-up and a bit of swamp-friendly flavor by Mr. Reid. It’s tough to go wrong with any of these—even if you’re more interested in warmth than style.

We didn’t even know they had winter in Alabama…

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10/07/10
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Good Idea

A Gentleman’s Guide to Winter Hats

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On the heels of our tireless survey of the sock world, we thought we’d take a look at winter hats. These aren’t for decoration; they’re for that rare time of year when going out of doors uncovered is practically an invitation to frostbite. So in the interest of protecting both your earlobes and your sense of style, here are three of the best.

The three hats that will get you through the winter»

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05/14/10
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Object

Tunisia Calling

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A beach can tempt even the most stylish gents into questionable outfits, but it’s not all bad. For instance, this beach hat from APC might be handsome enough to warrant a vacation on its own. Walking the line between native artisanship and cowboy colonialism, it’s our new favorite alternative to SPF. Watch for it arriving in APC shops on Thursday, along with the rest of APC’s new capsule collection, dubbed The Tunisian List.

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04/28/10
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Big Picture

The Enduring Appeal of the Watchcap

ragandboness_crop.jpg

The summertime watchcap has been around for a while, and while we’ve never quite understood the appeal of wearing it indoors, this Rag & Bone lookbook snap is enough to make us reconsider. At the very least, it’s better than a ballcap for covering up an unwashed mane. Extra points if you’ve got a nice suit and an adoring female companion handy. Cousteau would be proud.

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04/16/10
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Across the Sea

Tradfest 2010

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This weekend saw the 2010 incarnation of London’s tweed run, the trad version of critical mass. Naturally there were plenty of curled mustaches and boneshakers on hand, but we were most impressed by the staggering volume of fantastic fabrics on hand. But strangely enough, the gentleman in the red cravat was the only one with the wit to sport an actual biker’s brim.

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03/19/10
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

Trimming the Brim

fedorahat_crop.jpg

Norse Projects has done a lot of good work in the past, and Soulland seems cool, so we’re inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt on this…but we just have no idea what is going on here. And for some reason, we can’t stop staring at it.

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01/26/10
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Object

Hats Off

egboater_crop.jpg

Today saw a lot of Engineered Garments gear arriving in stores, but our favorite so far is this linen boater. The madras strap gives it some sartorial heft, but mostly the draw is light, summery fabric and a design that went out of style with the telegram. Happy boating.

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01/21/10
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Object

Do Your Research

heritageresearch_crop.jpg

With January taking a brief vacation, the east coast has been looking surprising English. Fortunately, we’re the adaptable type.

This Trapper Hat from Heritage Research takes after hats that have sheltering North English heads since the industrial revolution. It’s waxed cotton—with just enough waterproofing to withstand the winter rain—and a Stormy Kromer-style flap to fend off any gusts you might encounter. The design was taken from classic northwestern hunters caps, with fabric lifted from a factory north of Manchester and stitched together without leaving the country.

As for the Heritage Research itself—you guessed it—it’s Japanese.

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01/15/10
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Object

Deeply Felt

blackbirdfelthat_crop.jpg

Despite what Mr. Timberlake would have you believe, doffing a brimmed hat is still a pretty dandyish move. But as dandyish moves go, it’s one of the better ones.

This green felt trilby from BillyKirk isn’t that different from the one you might find in J.Crew, but the belted crown and forestry-ready coloring make it one of the more effortlessly Edwardian items we’ve come across in quite some time. And for 2010, the style makes quite a bit of sense.

We’re not sure if this means we’re headed towards duck hunting outfits and Gosford Park revivals…but it’s certainly not the worst that could happen.

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12/18/09
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Shalom Harlow is Bedazzling

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Hello, Goodbye: The D. A. Pennebaker style of fashion editorial, courtesy of Paolo Roversi. [Fashion Gone Rogue]

Headstrong: In praise of the watchcap. This one’s been a long time coming, but we’re not sure what it means for people with dishevelable hair. [Put This On]

Let’s Get Real: Eventually, someone was going to make a case for The Real CancĂşn as one of the great films of the decade. Salon has found that person. [Salon]

The Game Be the Game: A spoiler-packed, genuinely fascinating interview with The Wire’s David Simon. [Vice]

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12/07/09
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Object

Coming in from the Cold

apccasquette_crop.jpg

The latest crop of APC gear is landing in stores this week, which means the usual assortment of close-cropped flannel, some intensely speckled sweaters…and this hat.

We’re not quite ready to call it a trend just yet, but we’ve been waiting quite a while for a faux-fur earflap hat that didn’t make us look like a Cossack or a duck hunter—and we suspect we’re not alone. This one doesn’t ditch the woodsy vibe entirely, but adds enough rough plaid grunginess to give urban dwellers a little cover. And since it’s a good deal warmer than all the equally handsome alternatives, the cold should do the rest.

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