Nautical looks really never go out of style--and my boater hat is most appropriate with stripes and an anchor print! The boater hat has an interesting history; it is believed to have been part of a uniform for sailors (some say British sailors, others say French) and was later adapted into the uniform of Victorian English school children. Apparently they were popular to use as frisbees by the students, but generally loathed and burning them at graduation was not uncommon. Eventually many schools dropped them, while a few maintained it as part of the uniform and they became a popular style for gentlemen during the summer months which added a sense of elitism to the hat style. Today boaters are most commonly associated with the punters at Cambridge, although fashion-wise it's still not the most popular hat style. My boater hat is however my summer favorite. I'm only scratching the surface of all the different ways the boater hat was worn, but it's funny how articles of clothing that were once status symbols or part of a uniform lose all their original meaning over time.
CONVERSATION