My Wardrobe: Vintage Black Bowler Hat

I recall a discussion on one of the menswear boards as to whether anyone had ever seen a contemporary gentleman wearing a bowler hat in a non-costumey way -- whether that would be too "over the top," even in England. Well, hat-watchers, you might have scored such a sighting on the streets of Appleton, Wisconsin, today.

I looked for a perfect vintage black bowler in my size for a long while, and finally snapped one up for a reasonable cost on Ebay. Today was the hat's "debut"; I wore it with a British tan suit, and had a most gratifying response. People loved the hat -- "Very dapper, my man!" was just one of the comments. Guys wanted to know where I had found it. The bowler was quite the hit, proving to me once again that with the right attitude, you can pull off sartorial gestures you wouldn't think possible of success.