Bowler Hat vs Baseball Cap

Bring Back the Bowler

What with 50s/60s Mad Men-style everywhere, and Pete Doherty's penchant for a trilby, men's hats have made something of a comeback. But could the bowler (or coke) hat ever return in numbers?

Bowler climbs the social ladder

Like many things in British culture, the bowler hat was originally popular amongst the working classes. It climbed the social ladder to became an iconic part of an establishment wardrobe, worn by bankers and bureaucrats right through to the 80s. You will no longer see bankers wearing them in the City, but you'll still see them worn at horse events by stewards, by Orangemen and by veterans on remembrance marches. But can the hat be revived as everyday wear again?

Stanley Baker (or is it Morrissey?) is looking good (top) in a bowler in the film Perfect Friday. Better than a baseball cap, surely? And of course, the head droog Alex showed how they could be reinvented for the 'near-future' of the 70s.



Then in the 80s, the bass player Mick Anker out of The Blow Monkeys gave it a jazz groove. Who's going to be brave and step forward to show how it should be worn now?



Amazingly, you can still buy a bowler hat from the hatters that sold the originals Lock and Co. Locke and Co were founded in 1676 and still sell a great selection of hats. Let's see a little bit of Stanley Baker's hat in action to tempt you.