Where would Indy be without his fedora?

Picture the opening scene change in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

It’s when young Indy discovers his fear of snakes on the train and loses his fedora. Suddenly, leap forward to the next scene, when this symbolic prop shows up again on Indy’s head in the middle of a new adventure at sea. He tugs on the brim, adjusting his hat in a subtle show of grit and determination that so defines actor Harrison Ford’s portrayal of this iconic character.

Then our hero takes a crunching blow from his adversary, as the ocean waves crash over them and threaten to sink the ship and all aboard.

Gosh…I love that scene. Vintage Indiana Jones, flirting with doom. But without the hat…? Can’t imagine it. Suffice to say, Indy and his fedora (and whip) are inseparable.

As are Charlie Chaplin and his bowler hat and cane, Fred Astaire and his top hat and tails, and John Wayne and his Stetson cowboy hat. These hats became synonymous with the characters.

Try to picture frontiersman Davy Crockett without his Coonskin cap, or Napoleon Bonaparte without his bicorne, the two-pointed hat popular in the late 18th-early 19th centuries.

Hats signified status, occupation, and even personality, and were a standard accessory in men’s fashion…until a fascinating cultural shift unfolded in the 1950s and 60s.

Hats ceased to be a ubiquitous accessory for men in many Western countries, marking a significant departure from the days when hats were considered essential attire in formal and casual settings alike. I wonder if we’ve lost a quintessential part of Americana.

So what happened?

Changing fashion trends, for one. Following World War II, we started wearing more casual attire, and the more formal dress codes that called for hats began to fade away. The rise of the automobile rendered hats less practical, as they would often blow off or become uncomfortable while driving. The countercultural movements of the 1960s and the rejection of traditional norms, like formal dress, helped to seal the demise of hats for men. And the increased cost of high-quality hats, and the corresponding rise of mass produced, lower quality hats, contributed to the decline.

Many embraced the positive aspects of this shift.

The relaxed dress standards normalized the wearing of more comfortable clothes. People were freer to choose clothing styles that better reflected their personalities and identities, promoting diversity and creativity in fashion.

I confess, as business attire shifted in the 1980s and 90s from suits to casual Fridays to slacks (even jeans), open collar shirts, and sports coats, I was a happy camper. Soon we took that a step further and showed up at church in something less than our “Sunday best.”

But these cultural shifts away from formal attire have come with a price, at least in the eyes of some. There’s thought that it has led to a decline in tradition and heritage, and professionalism in certain settings. Perhaps a loss of authority and respect in business environments.

And here’s a question…have we given up some degree of social cohesion, a sense of unity and belonging within a group or organization? Unlike me, John Isaacs, a close buddy with a long career in business, often bemoaned the discarding of the coat and tie, as it lifted his demeanor and made him feel like a million bucks. The two Isaacs brothers always wore formal attire at the dinner table growing up, a requirement in his household.

Classy.

Unlike the free-for-all at my parents’ table.

There’s some good news in all this. We’re seeing a resurgence in men’s hats of late. They are being featured in collections by fashion brands and designers. Celebrities and influencers like Pharrell Williams (singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer) and Harry Styles (British actor, singer, and songwriter) are leading the charge with hats in the contemporary pop culture of today.

Then there’s yours truly. Ever stylish, known to challenge traditional norms in fashion. I can be seen traipsing around the Pacific Northwest in the latest men’s headwear.

Hey…who stuck this photo in there?