Image via Complex Original
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There are few items of clothing as universally hated and ridiculed in 2015 as fedoras. They're like the Nickelback of menswear. But why do we hate them? Broadly broke down the history of the fedora and its evolution into today's most despised form of headwear.
In one of life's most surprising twists ever, the word "fedora" derives itself from a Greek term that literally means "gift from God" and began as part of a play in which a Russian actress played a princess named "Fédora." Though, if that's true, God is clearly dead. Anyhow, by definition a fedora is technically a "soft fur felt hat," but plenty of styles that aren't recognized as such are usually lumped into the genre, the result being that hats like the Trilby have unwittingly adopted the fedora moniker and, by extension, its hated connotation. Of course, there was the heyday of the OG fedora back in the golden age of Hollywood when the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant would wear them with aplomb. But those days of classic (man) flexing are clearly long gone. And, generally speaking, John F. Kennedy apparently ruined hats for everyone when he refused to wear one to his 1961 inauguration. Thanks, bro.
Through the '70s, '80s and '90s, proper hats were left behind for the most part, barring style icon reference points like Tom Waits or Michael Jackson. But to really dig into our hatred for fedoras, we can blame the '00s for its resurgence. No surprises there, I know. In 2007, The New York Times helped prime the casket with one of their iconic late to the party trend pieces and it was the The Game, an infamous book about dweebs picking up women, that really did it in, actively encouraging swagless dudes with little to no personality of their own to adapt a personality solely by wearing a "memorable" hat—what's known in the Pick Up Artist community as "peacocking." Seemingly just like that we entered a new age, one in which class was for men and swag was for boys.
Ever since, it's been an uphill battle for the once classic fedora to get back into the mainstream without catching a guaranteed roast. Jason Mraz, if you're reading this it's too late.