Guys who wear hats in restaurants, during the National Anthem, etc. (Madison: live in, law)

[Gunner0325]

Originally Posted by Drover

Reading this thread reminds me of photos and footage from, say, the 20s and 30s of men wearing suits at baseball games or out shopping at fruit markets and the like. I suspect they'd be appalled at the general attire of any one of the old buzzards in this thread shaking their fists at the indoor-hat-wearing generation. Apparel standards change, customs change, and if the change has no direct impact on anything but your sensibilities, either roll with it or be angry all the time.

Yes! ....perfectly said!

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

That's actually what I thought of. One of my best friends I've been hanging out with for over 9 years now started losing his hair when he was 20. He's worn a baseball capa EVERY SINGLE DAY since I met him out in public. It's like his "thing". No one but close friends has ever seen him w/o a hat.

This thread got me thinking, and while we've probably been out to dinner everywhere under the sun in Chicago and around the country, from Taco Burrito Palace to PF Changs to Sushi Resturants, nice places we go to for birthday, etc, I've never ONCE noticed anything about wearing a hat. No one has ever said anything that we're with, no waiter or staff looked like they noticed, and certainly no other customers have brought anything up. My friends are all professional people who work in the downtown area, it's just strange that in 9 years no one would even flicker that he shouldn't be wearing a hat at dinner. (and no, he doesn't wear a hat at work, but of course none of us see him there).

Do that many people know this exists outside something like a wedding reception or extremely nice dinner setting?

Why on earth would waiters,staff or anyone bring anything up to you ? Its not against the law, this is about opinions and manners taught in society, thats all. You dont notice, others certainly may. Free country. Wear your hat.
And I cant buy that your "Professional" friends would wear a hat in a nice restaurant,,course I dont know what profession they are in.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

That's actually what I thought of. One of my best friends I've been hanging out with for over 9 years now started losing his hair when he was 20. He's worn a baseball capa EVERY SINGLE DAY since I met him out in public. It's like his "thing". No one but close friends has ever seen him w/o a hat.

This thread got me thinking, and while we've probably been out to dinner everywhere under the sun in Chicago and around the country, from Taco Burrito Palace to PF Changs to Sushi Resturants, nice places we go to for birthday, etc, I've never ONCE noticed anything about wearing a hat. No one has ever said anything that we're with, no waiter or staff looked like they noticed, and certainly no other customers have brought anything up. My friends are all professional people who work in the downtown area, it's just strange that in 9 years no one would even flicker that he shouldn't be wearing a hat at dinner. (and no, he doesn't wear a hat at work, but of course none of us see him there).

Do that many people know this exists outside something like a wedding reception or extremely nice dinner setting?

I do think, though, at some point, he's going to have to accept his balding status, and now that's he's apparently around 30, I don't think that he needs to "hide" it anymore. Andre Agassi comes to mind..

I happened to be in a mid-level restaurant last night--no hats to be seen anywhere ( I usually don't look for theses things anyway)..

I've also thought about t-shirts for "older" men, and I realized that I don't wear t-shirts in public anymore, and really haven't for a while now. I usually just wear a casual short-sleeved shirt with a collar, although there's certainly no law against t-shirts for middle-aged men..

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Attrill

I saw a man wearing dirty spats today - I beat the cad mercilessly. Damn dirty riff raff.

Did you use your cane, or did you just slap him with your white gloves?

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Did you use your cane, or did you just slap him with your white gloves?

Sadly I did not have my walking stick with me. I made do with my riding crop.

[rickh1954]

It's good to see that despite two very different points of view, this thread has remained civil. In spite of the fact people disagree, there has been little to no name calling. It would be ironic to have a display of poor etiquette in a thread about manners.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by nanannie

Why on earth would waiters,staff or anyone bring anything up to you ? Its not against the law, this is about opinions and manners taught in society, thats all. You dont notice, others certainly may. Free country. Wear your hat.
And I cant buy that your "Professional" friends would wear a hat in a nice restaurant,,course I dont know what profession they are in.

My last sentence asked if this existed outside a nice dinner setting.

I'm certainly not talking about wearing a hat at the nicest place in town, or out with your CEO.

I'm talking about Hard Rock, Leona's, Sopranos, Bennigans, Giordanos, Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, Pizza and Oven Grinder.......


I wouldn't think twice about wearing a hat at something like Cesars, Tilli's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Penny's, 5 Guys or some other totally relaxed place.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Even as relatively recently as the 50s, men wore suits and women dresses to fly on an airplane or go to church. Shorts and jeans were for play and working around the yard but going out in public required slacks and a decent shirt.

There used to be a correlation about working environments that, unfortunately went the way of many civil and social niceties. A number of university and other studies found that when people dressed professionally in the workplace their behavior became also professional. Even today you won't find too many shorts wearing, backward baseball capped, visibly tattooed people at large businesses save, most unfortunately, some government offices and tech companies.

Funny, in the "olden" days we used to be able to work well, think freely and be creative in shirt and tie.

Oh, I thought this thread was about casual dress in casual environments, not in the workplace. Was I confused about that?

I wear a shirt and tie to work (or at least I did when I had work). When I come home, it comes off. And it sure isn't going back on for a trip to Olive Garden. Sorry, but Olive Garden isn't special enough for a shirt and tie, and neither is anyone who happens to be eating there.

[Jandur]

Originally Posted by j_cat

Given attitudes like the OP's, I fear it will be a long time before we stop having to wear the stupid monkey suit to job interviews and business meetings.

Yeah, god forbid you have to look professional and like you take a job seriously...

[cedew]

I'm pretty much one of those rude hat people and I'll offer my thought on the subject...

I've been wearing it so long it's like another article of clothing, it feels as appropriate as a shirt or a pair of pants. I had to go to court a couple years ago for a speeding ticket and they made me take off my hat, why on earth should a man wearing a robe with a little wooden hammer in his hand have any right to tell me to take off my clothes when his garb is so absurd? My hat may have seemed disrespectful to the judge, but I certainly don't intend it to be, why should I have to remove my clothing because of his misinterpreted perception? I took it off because he would have charged me with a crime if I didn't, that's not too far off from schoolyard bullying in my opinion.

I take it off at all national anthems because it feels wrong not to, for some reason logic is beaten by years of patriotic programming in that circumstance. To be honest, I do recognize it as a fault that I'll need to overcome at some point.