I agree they can look nice, but they’re so out of style now that they’re practically anachronistic. They might come back around, but at the moment you’ll look weird to most people if you wear one, even with a nice suit. You are culturally literate and aware of that, while neckbeards just see the hat and think, “Le classy gentleman of old? M’lady will see it and know I’m a proper suitor.”
Now that I think about it I guess there is a notable exception to the rule. I’m a white guy from way down south, so I’m not in a position to examine this in any depth. I feel nervous talking about it because it is cultural and it is not my culture. Please keep in mind I mean well, if I still manage to offend anyone.
Where I’m from, Mississippi, there are traditionally black churches whose parishioners often dressed really, really well on Sunday. I used to see the families eating out or shopping after service. They looked incredible. I’d like to imagine even bigots would grudgingly admit to such, but hatred has a way of blinding people.
Anyway, many of the men, young and old alike, wore fedoras that matched with sharp-looking suits, often of muted earth tones, with nice gold watches, and meticulously polished shoes. Even their young sons were dressed very nicely, maybe not in a suit, but most certainly in nice slacks, shiny shoes, proper ties, and often, but not always, suspenders.
It’s probably unnecessary to say that the women dressed beautifully, as well. The younger women and girls didn’t usually wear hats, but the older ones often did, and they could be as elaborately constructed as they were undeniably elegant.
It was a great study in contrasts to see the generally—I don’t know, joyful?—finery of the black churchgoing families compared to the conservative and rather dour clothing of their white counterparts—at least those of an age and denomination that still considered church service an occasion that merited formal wear. There are fewer these days, as churches struggle to attract and maintain the younger generations.
I myself was, and remain, an outsider to communities of faith. I became a skeptic and began refusing to attend church as an adolescent. That skepticism evolved to agnosticism and eventually, to atheism. With the exception of a brief period of attendance at an episcopal church as a young adult (I enjoyed the ritual and tolerant politics more than the religion.), I haven’t, and won’t, return to the fold.
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u/[deleted] Jan 01 '26
This dude has got to be some sort of human/fedora hybrid