VANITY OF MEN

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 293, 11 December 1929, Page 6

VANITY OF MEN

There is a film star whose proud boast is that he has a different hat for every day in the year. The Aucklander who could lay claim to a consider himself extremely lucky and well equipped, for, while fashion dictates the limits of the headdress worn by woman, with the male expense in this direction is singularly little, even though his hats may be selected with admirable taste.

The change of seasons, and quite frequently the change of a suit, do not demand fresh expenditure, for usually the one hat is capable of being matched with any number of serges, and hats in the case of men vary but slightly from one year into another. Types of men, however, may be easily distinguished by the little eccentricities they effect in dinting their felts. The male is not lacking in vanity, and each dint in the hats he wears reflects his fancy in headdress, and what he liimeelf regards as becoming of manly beauty. For instance, there is the Auckland type of youth who persists in admiring himself with the "pork pie" effect —probably a legacy from the visit of the American fleet—and there are others who favour the Menjoii slouch briniless a la mode; dints both fore and aft; no dints at all, which gives a racy appearance to the wearer; and so on. The "bun" in recent years has regained renewed popularity and usually denotes the successful business man, and. quite frequently, the Beau Brumniel of the sidewalks. The "bell topper'' is rarely worn, being reserved primarily for State occasions and similar functions that demand a little more than the usual dignified appearance. Once the height of fashion, the glossy "topper" is probably better known for the service it gives conjurers in the mystic manipulation of rabbits and duck eggo.

Men wear hats as protection against the elements, to hide shiny bald pates, or to add that little finished , touch •to their appearance, but they know little, if anything, about their origin, or the reason for certain accepted ideas about their modelling. Ask them why their hats have bows tied in the ribbon on the left side and they will look at you and want to know the catch in the question. The answer, however, is simple. It is a relic of the olden days when feathers, plumes and dangling pieces of ribbon formed part of a man's headgear. This ornamentation was always worn on the left side because, were it put on the right, it might easily interfere with his means of defence, and this would have been a serious matter.

Look inside any felt or "bun" and at the back a little silken bow will reveal itself on the lining. The explanation for it being affixed is that years ago only a few sizes in hats were made, and on exact fit was obtained by pulling a little thread inside the lining and tying the'ewls in a bow. To-day a man can be sure of yetting a hat to fit him properly, and therefore the thread has been discarded. The bow is retained, though it is neither use nor ornament. —K.H.S.T.