Fedora

A fedora that has been pinched at the front and being worn pushed back on the head, with the front of the brim bent down over the eyes.

The fedora is a soft felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides. Similar hats with a C-crown (with an indentation for the head in the top of the crown) are occasionally called fedoras. The term fedora was in use as early as 1891.

Beginning in the 20th century, the fedora came into use as an upper-class clothing accessory. Hats that resemble the soft felt version are often called fedoras even if they are made of straw or twill.

Fedoras did not start to become widespread until the late 1910s. Its popularity soared and eventually it eclipsed the similar-looking Homburg by the 1930s.

Background

The word fedora comes from the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou. Princess Fédora, the heroine of the play, wore a hat similar to a fedora.

In the early part of the twentieth century, the fedora was popular in cities for its stylishness, ability to protect the wearer's head from the wind and weather, and the fact that it could be rolled up when not in use. The hat is sometimes associated with Prohibition-era gangsters and the detectives who sought to bring them to justice.

The popularity of the fedora has resulted in a large variety of styles being available. Fedoras can be found in nearly any color imaginable, but black, grey, and tan/brown are the most popular.

In Hollywood movies of the 1940s, characters often wore a fedora, particularly when playing private detectives, gangsters, or other "tough guy" roles. A trench coat was frequently part of the costume, a notable example being Humphrey Bogart's character in Casablanca. The fedora is widely recognized with the characters of The Blues Brothers, Indiana Jones, and Freddy Krueger. The fedora is closely associated with film noir characters. In the case of action/adventure films, such as old "B"-movies, and the Indiana Jones series they inspired, the fedora served the practical purpose of hiding the face sufficiently to allow doubles to perform the more dangerous stunts seamlessly.

Like the bowler hat, the fedora fell out of usage and popularity during the late 1950s-early 1960s; the hat began to lose favor even earlier on the West Coast, which is known for its more casual clothing. The early 1950s switch from large lapels and ties to thin ones, resulted in shorter-brimmed hats, and this likely played a role in the fedora eventually being deemed a non-essential item. Also playing a part was the shrinking automobiles of the mid-50s, which often made it difficult to wear a hat while driving. By the early 70s, the fedora was seen as a dead fashion, typically only worn by older and/or more traditional men.

The demise of hat use by American men was quite abrupt. One hypothesis explaining the sudden shift places the date for the change as 20 January 1961 when John F. Kennedy chose not to wear a hat to his inauguration. The speculation is that men decided if the President didn't have to wear a hat, then they didn't have to put up with the bother of doing so either. By reason of this myth, it is thought to be easy to date a picture that shows groups of American men as before or after 1961 by the proportion of hats worn. There is ample photographic and journalistic evidence of President Kennedy indeed wearing a top-hat to his inauguration ceremony, only removing it when he gave his speech.

Fedoras have staged something of a comeback as of the 2000s. This trend seems to be expanding particularly fast in the rock and indie communities, where artists such as Pete Doherty have been seen donning Trilby (a fedora variant) at concerts and live performances.

Since the early part of the 20th century, many Haredi and other Orthodox Jews have worn black fedoras and continue to this day.

Etiquette

A fedora made by Borsalino

Traditionally, when a man doffs this hat, he grasps a fedora by the crown (though it can and does do damage over time). If there is a strong wind it is acceptable to anchor a fedora using the "wind trolley" found on some fedoras. This elastic band can be taken off the crown and wound through the button hole of a suit lapel. Hats, including the fedora, are typically doffed indoors, except in public areas such as lobbies or elevators. If a man wearing a fedora enters into a conversation with a lady, custom dictates that he doff his hat.

Variations

• In the United Kingdom a fedora is also called a trilby. They typically have a shorter brim and the back of the brim is distinctively more sharply upturned as a result.
• The Porkpie is also a variant on the fedora.
• In the Archie Comics series, the character Jughead Jones wears a type of modified fedora, once popular among children and teenagers. The brim was completely removed, triangles were cut into the bottom edge of the crown which was then flipped up to form a shallow cap, and pinned in place with his favorite pins.

Logos/signage

• The fictional character, Indiana Jones is known specifically by his iconic brown fedora. Co-creators Steven Spielberg and George Lucas wanted the character to have a distinctive silhouette. The hat also served the practical purpose of hiding the face on longer shots, enabling easier substitution of stunt men.
• The Red Hat logo features a red fedora on its Shadow Man logo. In addition, the Red Hat community-oriented distribution of Linux is called Fedora.
• The newsreader Forté Agent uses a person wearing a fedora as logo and icon.
• Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis uses a pair of walking legs under a fedora as their production company's logo (Flyte Tyme).
• ZootFly prominently features a yellow fedora on its logo.
• Black fedoras were worn by Joliet Jake Blues (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Akyroyd) along with other characters in the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers"
• A black fedora is often worn by Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold, a metal band of the late 90's to present.
• The lead singer of Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier, often wears a fedora during their concerts.
• In L. Ron Hubbard's fiction, the Marcab Confederacy had a custom of wearing fedoras. It has become a trend among Anonymous to wear fedoras at anti-Scientology protests.
• The famous TV and video game character Carmen Sandiego's trademark costume includes a red fedora with a yellow band.
• Pop-star Michael Jackson is using a very varying set of fedoras during his live-shows. Most notable for the live performances of Billie Jean.
• In Germany, Roger Cicero is famous for wearing fedoras. His fans often wear them to his concerts.
• Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman has been known to sport fedoras both on stage and behind-the-scenes. It is becoming more popular among fans to wear fedoras to Switchfoot concerts.

External links

• Hat etiquette
• Article about the popularity of hats