Hats are a rather fun topic, though not a complicated one at all. The rules for hats are rather simple. Men may wear hats outside, but should generally take them off when crossing the threshold indoors. If a man continues to wear a hat inside, then it is not a tragedy, but he should always take his hat off in a church or at a table for eating. Women on the other hand are never required to take hats off. In fact, while men traditionally take their hats off in church, women traditionally wear hats to church. I have been unable to corroborate this, but am convinced it dates back to Paul writing “4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head.” (Corinthians 11:4-5) Interestingly enough, Paul does not mention women distracting men as in other religions. That’s it. Those are the hard and fast rules for hats.

Style

          With that being said: I do want to mention a few things about hats and vogue. Hats have fallen out of style since Kennedy stopped wearing them (This isn’t a joke. Kennedy was so cool when he quit wearing hats they went totally out of style). The general trend since has been that baseball caps are okay, but other hats are for old men and neckbeards. My response to that is that hats do in fact serve a functional purpose, and I will never put fashion over function. Hats keep sun off your face in the summer and keep you warm in the winter. If those things don’t bother you, then don’t worry about a hat. I wear a hat in the winter because my head gets cold, but not the summer because I wear sunglasses. Remember, a gentleman is always comfortable in his own skin and his own clothes. However, there are things you can do to not be associated with neckbeard.

          First and foremost, people make fun of cheap things. If you buy a $20 hat off Amazon, you run a high risk of being confused for neckbeard. If you buy your hat from Loch and Co (royal Warrant holder), Stetson (maker of Cowboy hats back when cowboys were a thing), or Christies (Maker of Winston Churchill’s homburg hat), then you will look like you are a gentleman, not someone trying to be. If you are wondering what the difference is between a $20 hat and a $200 hat, look at the two side by side and you’ll see it.

          Finally a note on neckbeards: while they are written as what not to be here, I want to make a point that I am not judging, but recognizing their goal is different from mine.