+1
I saw a neat documentary on why hats for men (once the standard) went out of fashion.
There were several factors, but probably the biggest was the evolution of the automobile (in many ways). They kept making them more streamlined and shorter (so that wearing a hat in them became difficult), but one interesting factor was that when men's hats were popular, people spent more time outdoors (in such situations as being in a big city and waiting for a cab, a trolley, a bus, a train, etc.).
People often didn't know how long they'd be exposed to the elements while waiting for transportation or while travelling, so in addition to hats, men often wore a suit, an overcoat and a raincoat as well - we've seen this in old movies where a guy will come in from outdoors, take off his hat, his raincoat, his overcoat and still have a three-piece suit on underneath. It was a matter of preparedness. They were well protected from the rain & insulated from cold.
When private car ownership was still a rarity, people dressed to endure whatever the weather threw at them. (I just don't know how they bore it in the summer - carrying all those coats around with their hats on!)
Last edited by Captain Steel; 08-23-22 at 12:20 AM.