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Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

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21–30 of 129 posts

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#21

> dried up in just a few generations I think a decade from now they'll be analyzing the even more rapid demise of suits and briefcases. I remember when 'casual dress Fridays' started. A leading men's shop took out full page ads in the newspaper extolling the virtue of looking professional vs. casual . They've since gone bankrupt.

I hope we don’t lose the blazer and sport coat, at least. They’re great. Like a purse for men, but even better than that because you wear them. Unlike winter coats or hoodies they’re not shlubby-looking and you can wear (appropriate cloth & weight) ones in almost any weather.

I’m OK with the suit going but damn, without those there’s not much left for guys to wear that’s not athletic wear of some kind or another (and hell, sport coats kinda are anyway)

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#23

I've been wearing a hat outdoors for about 10 years now, since the doc carved pieces of flesh out of my forehead. It was annoying at first, but I grew to like it. It keeps the sunburn away. I was surprised how pleasant it made walking in the rain. It doesn't affect my hairstyle because my hair departed long ago. I do get ridiculed for it now and then, but one advantage of getting older is one stops caring about that,…

I find that putting on a big floppy hat is quicker and easier than applying sunscreen to my face. So I wear one during the summer when I'm outside. I keep an additional one at work for summertime lunch. The only obstacle is, when I'm outside, I'm often wearing a bike helmet.

> quicker and easier than applying sunscreen to my face.

Yup. It's not greasy, don't have to worry about missing a spot, don't have to wait the 20 minutes before it becomes effective, don't have to reapply it after a few hours, it doesn't expire, it doesn't smell like rotten coconuts, and it's very, very effective.

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#24
I spend a lot of time in unfamiliar environments as I travel, and now and then, this results in banging my head against something, followed by, "I can't believe I did that again, I've got to be more careful."

Recently, when it was cold, while I was wearing a couple of hats and a couple of hoods, I happened to bang my head into an object above me, something which happens to me infrequently, but regularly.

Because of all the padding, I felt the impact, but it did not hurt me nearly as much as it normally would have.

Since then, I've been wearing one or two thick hats most of the time, and this habit has already saved me from that very unpleasant experience of hitting my head on a sharp corner.

People ask me if I'm warm, but I barely notice it. I think that, as also with sleeping in a thick blanket, my body adjusts and just produces less heat.

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#25

I’ve often wondered about getting a more wide brimmed hat as I get older, but I find that baseball cap does the job just fine.

Someone really thought this comment deserved a downvote? How is this not a relevant comment? Baseball caps and winter hats are the default hats worn by most people these days. There is little reason to go back to something more traditional, as classy as that could potentially be.

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#26

I've been wearing a hat outdoors for about 10 years now, since the doc carved pieces of flesh out of my forehead. It was annoying at first, but I grew to like it. It keeps the sunburn away. I was surprised how pleasant it made walking in the rain. It doesn't affect my hairstyle because my hair departed long ago. I do get ridiculed for it now and then, but one advantage of getting older is one stops caring about that,…

Almost the same here. Picked up a Tilley had on impulse one day, and started using it for my scout evenings and trips. Before long, going outside without a had felt naked: a perfect piece of clothing for Scandinavian weather with showers, wind and sun.

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that putting on a big floppy hat is quicker and easier than applying sunscreen to my face. So I wear one during the summer when I'm outside. I keep an additional one at work for summertime lunch. The only obstacle is, when I'm outside, I'm often wearing a bike helmet.

> quicker and easier than applying sunscreen to my face. Yup. It's not greasy, don't have to worry about missing a spot, don't have to wait the 20 minutes before it becomes effective, don't have to reapply it after a few hours, it doesn't expire, it doesn't smell like rotten coconuts, and it's very, very effective.

Wait, Walter, what is this "wait 20 mins before it becomes effective"? Did I miss something? Aren't the standard ingredients simply opaque to UV frequencies right out of the bottle/tube?

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#28
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> quicker and easier than applying sunscreen to my face. Yup. It's not greasy, don't have to worry about missing a spot, don't have to wait the 20 minutes before it becomes effective, don't have to reapply it after a few hours, it doesn't expire, it doesn't smell like rotten coconuts, and it's very, very effective.

Wait, Walter, what is this "wait 20 mins before it becomes effective"? Did I miss something? Aren't the standard ingredients simply opaque to UV frequencies right out of the bottle/tube?

The standard Coppertone sunscreen says

Directions: Apply liberally 15 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply: after 80 minutes of swimming or sweating; immediately after towel drying; at least every 2 hours

I’ve always heard this as time to absorb to become waterproof, but I’m not sure if it’s actual skin absorption or the liquid used to convey the sun blocking compounds to dry or evaporate. Either way, apply and then wait.

Re: Cars and hygiene killed the middle-class hat

#30

> dried up in just a few generations I think a decade from now they'll be analyzing the even more rapid demise of suits and briefcases. I remember when 'casual dress Fridays' started. A leading men's shop took out full page ads in the newspaper extolling the virtue of looking professional vs. casual . They've since gone bankrupt.

I hope we don’t lose the blazer and sport coat, at least. They’re great. Like a purse for men, but even better than that because you wear them. Unlike winter coats or hoodies they’re not shlubby-looking and you can wear (appropriate cloth & weight) ones in almost any weather. I’m OK with the suit going but damn, without those there’s not much left for guys to wear that’s not athletic wear of some kind or another (and…

> there’s not much left for guys to wear that’s not athletic wear of some kind or another (and hell, sport coats kinda are anyway)

Sport coats are athletic wear? To me, a sport coat is the same thing as a suit jacket, with the only difference being that a sport coat isn't the same color as your pants. It will literally become a suit jacket if you put on matching pants.

For example, a sport coat, very much unlike athletic wear, will prevent you from raising your arms too high with its big squared shoulders.

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