The Safety Dance
The Fly was out buzzing around recently, and was horrified to hear someone at a supposedly upmarket bar (for its type) politely ask a gentleman to remove his hat. Why might this be? he asked. Apparently it was a "security issue".
Are the watering holes of Wellington desparately afraid of tommy guns in trilbys? Semtex in sombreros? Flick-knives in fedoras? Apparently not, because the gentleman in question was later approached by the apologetic bar manager and provided with a glass of wine on the house, because the rule was devised to deter chavs rather than chaps: a rash of baseball caps at apeish rather than rakish angles had prompted a revision of the dress code.
Fair enough, one might say, but numerous punters were happily served while wearing the aforementioned ersatz sporting headgear, and one rum cove was even spotted wearing something more appropriate for a llama herder than a man-about-town. While one can sympathise with the management looking askance at our companion’s attire (and really, a Gatsby cap and club collar is so nouveau riche), surely if they mean to enforce sartorial standards it would be better not to hide behind "security" concerns and just be open about it.
Fedora or baseball cap?
When I was buying a hat in an Auckland shop recently, the proprietor showed me one and said "This looks like your size". After trying it on, I said "Hmm, not bad, but do you have the next size down?" and he said "Are you from Wellington, by any chance?" So, it seems that wearing hats slightly tighter, in an attempt to keep them on in the wind, is an iconic sign of a Wellingtonian.
It may or may not be a well-known fact, but police (in the UK at least) wear their hats with visors low to cover their eyebrows.
Eyeborws are a dead giveaway to which emotion you are expressing. By this action, police can cover if they are surprised, angry, amused, bored etc when they are listening to your answers to why you were speeding/fighting/stealing/vomiting etc.
Hence the reason bouncers may appear to want to remove hats.
They want to see your eyebrows. 😉
I agree with Chenzo. It would be more a Courtenay Place (CP) thing as CP does tend to be a magnet for drunk fuckwits, moreso than the Cuba Street equivalent. So instead of complaining about taking your expensive hat off, go invest that money in decent haircut.
I thought the ‘security issue’ was because the cctv cameras are mounted high and cant see your face if you have a hat on. Thats the line in Australia anyway.
??!!
Wearing hats indoors is just bad manners. Also, I don’t trust men who wear hats. It’s as if they have something to hide. As for cheesecutters, they make me cringe too. What, did you go to jazz school or something?
Yes: more hats, fewer asshats!
As long as you could see one or both eyebrows, yes.
😉
So presumably wearing a fedora at a jaunty rather than a rakish angle would be okay?
Toupee is right, but I dunno about the hipster part…
Isn’t there an old adage that you could tell if someone came from Wellington because they held onto their hat whenever they turned a corner…..so hats could be considered an iconic part of Wellington culture…
It would be more a Courtenay Place (CP) thing as CP does tend to be a magnet for drunk fuckwits, moreso than the Cuba Street equivalent. So instead of complaining about taking your expensive hat off, go invest that money in decent haircut.
Isuggest spending yourmoney on an establishment that judges you by the character of your content,rather your headings.
In this case it was Strangely Normal, who have a dedicated outlet again (there used to be one in Ponsonby, but recently they’ve just been stocked at Marvel). But I must check out Leo O’Melly next time I’m up there.
Leo O’Malley’s? I love that place (not that you could tell from my dishevelled appearance).
Trilby.
It depends on the hat, but I’m thinking of the aging hipster wearing a beanie.
Real rabbit hair felt or tweed/wool?
:high fives:
:additional high fives:
Constant hat-wearing is a toupee for hipsters.
Definitely felt, though I’m not sure whether it’s rabbit fur. Do they have rabbits in Ecuador? Maybe it’s guinea pig.
Beanies?! More bogan than hipster, surely?