On Saturday, a new clothing item entered my life in the form of a fedora. I thought this snazzy hat should come with a name. Meet Dora the Fedora.
On Saturday, considering Vero and I had some time to kill before heading over to Aunt Dinah’s surprise birthday party, we kept driving towards the Yorkdale Mall.
Now, I’m not from around the big city of Toronto so I wasn’t really expecting a zoo which was the parking lot around 2PM on a Saturday. However, after a relaxing drive from Ottawa, I wasn’t too stressed in finding a parking spot and managed to acquire one in 20 minutes.
My goals of the trip to the mall were simple:
- Visit the Apple Store.
- Buy a laptop bag.
I wanted a laptop bag that would be small enough to fit inside my backpack. Why do I want a laptop bag if I have a laptop? Well, for one…I don’t want thing getting scratched up inside my backpack. Who knows what lurks inside there! I think I have something growing inside one of the pockets actually. Plus, simply purchasing a laptop bag would not be sufficient for my needs as I am a scholar with many books, as well as my lunch and swimming gear.
The Apple Store was quite a zoo also. Literally hundreds of people sat there playing with the laptops and accessories. It was a pretty neat setup I must admit. You should check it out. Everything is out in the open to try out – even headphones.
I scoped a laptop bag which seemed to fit my needs but I then thought I should buy a new backpack (as mine has seen better days and I’ve had it since college. I think 10 years is enough time to retire Ole Faithful.) We headed over to Bentley Bags where I picked out a snazzy pack and got to the cash to discover it was 50% off! BONUS! You know me, I am…frugal? Is that the word? Either way, paying $12 for a backpack is my kind of deal. They made my day.
I headed back to the Apple Store, picked up the laptop bag and we were on our way out when Vero wanted to stop into the Aldo Accessory store.
Lo and behold, the hat had a heavenly glow emitting from it and something in my mind said “It will be mine. Oh yes…it will be mine.” I tried the hat on, all the ladies in the room turned their heads, and then I decided to buy it.
I dig the hat. I’ve been looking for a fedora for awhile and couldn’t find one I really liked. I’ll have to get used to wearing it for awhile. The logistics of wearing a hat in the year 2007 is a difficult one when you are also semi-concerned about how your hair shouldn’t look like bedhead when you arrive to work.
Now I am wondering the proper etiquette for wearing a fedora. The fedora exudes more of a spirit than a regular ball cap would. Here are some questions for the masses (perhaps those that were around when fedoras were in style could help me out here):
Nowadays, hats seem to be a fairly significant accessory in the clothing you wear. One cannot wear the fedora within the sphere of a workplace (well, at least MY workplace), but what about social events? Is it proper to keep your fedora on when you are having tea over at your Grandmother’s house? What about a party? I could see that going over well…but overall, is the general rule of thumb that you shouldn’t be wearing a hat indoors, plain and simple? What are the old vs. the new rules when it comes to the fedora (or hats in general for that matter?)
I’m not only wearing it for the coolness of old factor, but I want to bring back the qualities of old also. This is part of my constant effort to be a gentleman.
4 replies on “Meet Dora”
The fedora reminds me of Jim Carrey in the Mask doing the Mamba. The three piece suit with the pocket watch and those funny looking shoes ( I am way to young to know the proper name for those ).
Well, general rule of etiquette thumb is that men wear their hats outdoors only. That’s why in highschool you were probably told to take your hat off, and your mom never let you wear your hat at the dinner table.
It’s a whole different ball game for ladies. We get to wear out hats pretty much everywhere, even church.
Of course, as you mentioned, the days of wearing a hat are long over. So my advice is, if you’re making a “cool” statement, keep the hat on. But since you’re not likely doing that while at Granny’s, take er off. And you’d still better remove it when you sit down at the dinner table :).
Excellent advice Katie! While I would like to resurrect the movement of the 30s…something tells me one man cannot do it alone.
I should introduce your Dora to my
Kool-Fed (whic is not to be confused with that oh-so-uncool rapper wannabe…).
I’ve had it for a couple of years and wear it out about 10-12 times a year during the Fall months (not too sure why only during the Fall). I typically wear it from home to work and back. Comes in handy when it rains…
It find it’s got that classy, distinguished look… Maybe I’ve seen too many film noirs!
Anyhoo, hats off to ya!
B.