Men's Hat Etiquette - Rules for Wearing & Removing Hats

SHOP THE VIDEO:

A great many menswear sources, if they do offer advice on hat etiquette, will typically advise that the most basic rule to remember is to wear your hat when outdoors and to take it off indoors.

While this advice may end up working out for the wearer, let's say 75 to 80 percent of the time, we believe that there's a better central starting point for approaching hat etiquette which is as follows:

Wear your hat in public spaces and take it off in private spaces.

Stated simply, a private space is any place where people live, work, or pay a fee to enter. Anything else is generally going to be considered public.

Here then are some more specific examples of this philosophy in practice. A house is a private space but the foyer or entryway just inside the door can be considered a public space. This goes back to the era when a butler would typically greet guests at the door and take their hats and coats. Similarly, an apartment is a private space but their surrounding hallways, as well as the lobby, are public. This same general rule is typically true for hotels with the added caveat that spaces reserved specifically for hotel guests such as the pool or lounge are also considered private spaces. One unique distinction for apartment buildings, hotels, and other such multi florid spaces, an elevator is considered a private space. This goes back to the days when most elevators still had human operators. As such, you would consider the elevator the operator's office. Related to the concept of entry fees are membership dues. As such, any club with specific members is also considered to be a private space.

And there you have it! Using this public space private space motto, the hatted gentleman can be sure that he's always observing proper etiquette when wearing his hat or as the case may be, not wearing it.

The question remains, however, why remove the hat in private spaces, to begin with?

The answer is that the uncovering of the head is a sign of deference that goes back millennia. It's usually done to signal an acknowledgment of intrusion or to show basic gratitude. In other words, the hallmarks of a gentleman.

This brings us to one final piece of hat etiquette for today, the practice of tipping the hat to others while out and about. The tradition of tipping one's hat has its roots in bowing to show respect. A practice that was common across various cultures for centuries. When hats became the dominant fashion for men and bowing was still common practice, the hat would have to be removed when a man bent from the waist so that it didn't hit the floor. Bowing would gradually become less extreme over the course of the 19th century, culminating in the simple hat tip by the 20th century. These days in the 21st century, even that practice can seem a little outdated.

If you're a regular hat wearer and feel totally comfortable in headwear, you can give a hat tip to people regardless of gender these days too but if you feel that the behavior would seem affected coming from you, you can go ahead and skip the tip.

In conclusion then, even if you don't commit to memory every single example we outlined in today's video, you can still be sure that by following the basic model of the public space private space paradigm, you as a hat-wearing gentleman will be courteous with your stylish headwear.

So which of the etiquette rules we covered today came as the biggest surprise to you?
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Gentleman's Gazette
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[mclyker]

Great video man. Appreciate the very clear delivery. What about a hat on an airplane? You paid to get in there.... You may eat... Seems private. But you are in motion.

[TommyT]

This made me smile big and want to be a better gentleman. Thank you!

[miesterpropper]

Excellent, informative, concise and delivered with some understated self effacing humour.

[luisvalles]

Thank you for this much needed video on proper hat etiquette. I would appreciate a follow up on how exactly and when to tip your hat to someone. There seems to not be any information on this lost custom. Regards,

[jase]

So once you exit a private space, you can put on your hat and leave correct? since you are motion you put it on in the private area but since you leaving you walk with hat on?

I hope I didn’t confuse anyone..

Thanks!

[Conservative_East]

Amy Vanderbilt's complete book of etiquette:

Page 186
In the corridors and elevators of public buildings a man may keep his hat on his head. In crowded pubUc elevators he is more considerate to keep his hat on, as holding it in front of him will require more space. If he approaches an information desk where a woman is sitting, it is polite of him to touch his hat when asking directions, though he need not remove it until he has actually entered an office.

[speaks]

I’m going to a wedding where the ceremony is outdoors which I’m assuming it will be considered a public space but the reception is indoors, will that be considered public or private?

[kingdombuilder]

where do you put your hat while eating at a restaurant that does not check hats/ coats? thanks guys!

[MisterCaution]

This is hilariously arbitrary. Good stuff!

[CheBurvara]

One thing that has stuck with me was when Don Draper pulls the hats off a couple younger guys in an elevator. I had wondered if it was because there was a woman president. The private space explanation and reverence explanation answers that for me.

[tobyey]

Might be a sensitive question to ask and you don't need to answer it: Are you in some way injured on one leg or is it just the drape of the trousers which is a little unnatural? Anyway, if there's something wrong I wish you all the best in curing it.

[ServusDeiFilius]

I'm Jewish and I wear a kippah under all my hats, when I wear them. Do I remove the kippah also or not?

[pyzik]

My only slight argument would be in vehicles, specifically driving.
I usually remove the hat.

[hpm]

Not to be rude to this gentleman, but I really miss Raphael and started watching this channel because of him. I'm not sure I will get used to another host.

[danielleneal]

Catholic gentleman always tip their hats while passing a church. Also, being a hatter and a Montanan, it is acceptable to wear a hat while dining. That's because a cowboy hat is expensive and protects the weather from the elements. Also, if he does take his hat off, he lays it upside down. Besides keeping his luck from running out, it preserves the shape.

[Heath]

How does one keep from getting “hat head” when they take their hat off?

[admiralcraddock]

I feel I need to do a degree course in hat wearing to wear one without embarrassing myself.

[athosnogueira]

Excellent video with great informative content.
Question: Since the boater is the most formal straw hat, could it be worn with a tuxedo in the summer?
Thank you!

[johannesschaff]

Granny on my baseball caps growing up: 'First rule a gentleman never wears his hat inside.' Side note you do pay to sit at the bar. I would take it off at the bar unless its outside at the race track or marina.

[soulbasedliving]

Here out West both the Cowboys and the Indians pronounce it Lapis laZULi