Mad as a Hatter

This week, I'm back on a men's fashion kick. I'm planning on attending an event which requires Victorian dress, so I've been investing in pieces of clothing for this occasion. This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a hidden gem here in Lancaster County - an old school haberdasher.

For the DeMolays out there, let me take a moment and explain that a haberdasher is a person or store who sells men's clothing and accessories. Originally, this term was used to describe a shop that sold sewing and clothes making supplies, but in modern parlance, it has come to be associated with menswear.

The shop that I stopped in at specialized in one of my favorite menswear accessories - hats. From porkpies, to fedoras, to trilbys, bowlers, top hats, and more - they had it all! I spent quite some time trying on different styles of hats before settling on a bowler for everyday wear and a top hat for special occasion (and for future Masonic functions.)

As I was trying to come up with an article for today, I thought back to this experience and realized that many young men today don't know about hats. They certainly know a baseball hat and perhaps a fedora, but outside of those styles, most other hats are unknown. So, in that spirit, I'm going to share with you some information on men's hats!

First, check out this link which describes several styles of hats that you might be familiar with: http://www.fashionising.com/clothing/b--mens-hats-hat-guide-53572.html

... and of course I'd be remiss if I didn't offer the advice of the Art of Manliness on picking a hat:
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/05/28/the-perfect-hat-for-your-ugly-mug/

Lastly, for the curious folks, here's a list of hat styles provided by Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_headgear

Hats aren't for some, but in my book, a true gentleman knows how a hat should be worn.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony