Fedora Facts
A felt fedora hat can be crushed flat and stored in a pocket for inside or informal wear, but donned for entrance and outside wear. A fedora hat can be an easy wearing accessory for menswear as varied as a suit, trenchcoat, (but conventionally never with a service uniform). The snap-brim style of a fedora allowed for social wear but the snap allowed maximum coverage in rain or sun. Fedora hats also complimented shorter men’s hairstyles.
Of the hats a man might have chosen for necessary wear, a fedora was the most comfortable and accommodating. In an era when sunglasses were not yet universal, a man wore a hat with almost every costume except formal occasions and sports play. A fedora worn with business clothing conveys maturity and sophistication, but is more accessible with lighter weight clothing.
The fedora is seen in so many informal instances of wear that almost any menswear outfit or tailored women’s ensemble looks right with it. Formal wear or sports wear is almost the only theater in which the fedora is not shown to best advantage. But a re-emergence of plaid fedoras made a cult following or punk street fashion. This is a far cry from original helmet that hats today have evolved from.
