When were Fedora hats popular?

Posted by Aaron Sarfati on Jul 19, 2023

Fedora hats were popular prior to the early 1960s. They would be seen on the heads of countless men whenever they happened to be out and about. It is said that JFK killed the style of men in hats and thus killed the industry of dress hats. It was uncommon not to see men wearing Fedora hats on their heads out in public. Whether they were dressed up in a suit or sports jacket or even a dock worker in his blue-collar coveralls and cap on his head. All men wore hats. Plus wearing a hat covered up a man's balding dome. Many people in the hat industry who are still alive say that the person who single-handed destroyed ubiquitous headwear on men was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. JFK was the first American President to not be seen wearing a hat on his head. In the beginning, he would carry one in his hand if was to be seen with one at all. He hated them. There is only rare footage of him wearing one. If anything JFK might be seen carrying one but after a while, he even stopped doing that.


When hats were on top of nearly every man's head. The hat that was usually on top of the well-dressed man's head was the fedora. The fedora hat was invented in the 1920s. Fedora Hats are also called the Trilby as well. A fedora hat is usually made out of felt that may be made of wool or if they are expensive made of rabbit fur, that has two and a half inch brim with a crown that rises majestically about four inches and has a crease on top of the crown and has indentations on the front of the crown as well. Back in the old days, Fedora Hats only came in grey, brown, and black. These days they are made in many colors. Some of them come in bright colors to match your suit. What makes Fedora Hats special is that you can bend the brim ever so slightly to conform to your style. Most popular is bending the front of the brim down. Some people like to bend the brim down and give the hat a slight tilt on the head. However you wear your fedora, the choice is up to you.


Fedora Hats made a major comeback for frequent suit wearers in the 1985 movie "The Untouchables". In the movie "The Untouchables" all the men wore fedora hats since it took place in the 1920s during the bootlegging days with Al Capone in Chicago. Men back then who were of the means really knew how to dress and wearing a fedora just finished the look. Even in the Indiana Jones Franchise, Harrison Ford is wearing what is essentially a beat-up Fedora hat in his hunts for various priceless antiques.