Flaunting Fedoras: Mens Hats Back In Fashion

August 20, 2004

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The NY Times Fashion & Style section has a column on the hat renaissance taking place in Manhattan. Formerly the exclusive domain of older men, formal hats (like fedoras, trilbys, and Panamas) are popping up everywhere lately and they're no longer just for the "mature" crowd:

"'Fifteen years ago, you'd see the mature man coming here -- you know, 50 and up,' [custom hat designer] Orlando noted. 'Now I'm seeing the $150,000-a-year-plus, 32-year-old professional.' Orlando's felt hats cost about $125; his cashmere ones, $350. Each year, though, he turns out two or three finely woven Montecristi straw hats that each take a year and 10 pairs of hands to weave."

Nobody has quite pinpointed the cultural forces that have brought formal hats back into the spotlight. Is it the Queer Eye guys? Is it Hollywood? Is it hip-hop? One hat store owner, though, believes the trend is influenced by a more practical (and depressing) concern: fighting skin cancer. Curse you, Mr. Sun!

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