The Fashion Fedora
A fedora with a wide (long) head is made to cover the head and shield the eye area from sunshine (or recognition). Felt fedoras for men were used to keep heads warm and would be seen popularly in Eastern cities where trains and sidewalk pedestrianism required weather and sun protection. Fedora hats generally flattered wearers as they brought a line of accent to a man’s profile and added some small height.
The new school of fashion in the post-crash American gave birth to Mob gangsters who wore them to sidle around town and mince matters while marking their authority with a hat. Many former periods in American and European fashion note the ritual wearing of a hat to denote social standing power or authority. But the modern Twenty-First Century fedora can be worn with suit, trench coat, by a break dancer or dancer, with a t-shirt and by any gender.
A common way to wear a man’s fedora is the accompaniment to an informal outing or inside with a jacket in a corresponding color. Earring jewelry for men and restrained use of neck chains or bracelets can detract from the sporty traditional look of the plaid or single shade felt or woven fabric fedora. Women’s fedoras remain dramatic yet elegant additions to any costume. Fedoras in extreme shades or with bright ribbon trim or feathers remain symbols of style and fashion.
