How do you put on a balmoral?

[Jordan]

To make it simple, put on the bonnet and position the band where it is comfortable and such that the cockade is over the left temple just in front of the ear. Using your left hand to stabilize the position of the left side of the bonnet at the cockade, take your right hand and put it on the crown and drag it over your right ear, maybe a little in front or behind by personal preference for the look. Go outside and get on with life (try not to wear it indoors unless in a large hall-like public place----think train station or airport---a gentleman {virtually} always removes his hat when indoors). Enjoy.

+2 I even tend to take mine off when in a public (Enclosed) place. It fits in my jacket pocket so I don't have to worry about carrying it.

[Elf]

Go outside and get on with life (try not to wear it indoors unless in a large hall-like public place----think train station or airport---a gentleman {virtually} always removes his hat when indoors). Enjoy.

+3. I have been told the lack of hat etiquette of recent has been due to folks not wearing hats so often since the automobile took over and not even caps after the airplane. Thank you for the post and the whole discussion. I will try to do better in the future.

[EagleJCS]

How do I put on my Balmoral? Err, one head at a time??

Seriously, Jeff (ForresterModern) has it about right. I put mine on so the band is straight and level, about one finger's width above my eyebrows, and make sure the tails are directly in back, then I pull the crown down over my right ear.

[Father Bill]

+3. I have been told the lack of hat etiquette of recent has been due to folks not wearing hats so often since the automobile took over and not even caps after the airplane. Thank you for the post and the whole discussion. I will try to do better in the future.

I've noticed that too. I'm in my 60s and I date it to John Kennedy taking the presidential oath bare-headed. My Dad had always taught me when to remove a hat (as noted above) but suddenly we had an entire generation of young men who were bare-headed. When their sons started wearing hats a generation later, those fathers didn't know hat-etiquette, so they didn't teach their sons. We now have a generation that refuses to take of their hats in restaurants or anywhere else.

A parallel feminine issue made this clearer in my mind. As a classroom teacher with nine and ten year olds, I had to ask the girls to remain behind for a moment at recess so that I could give them "lady-lessons." (Knees together, ankles to one side, skirts smoothed down.) They asked me "why" because they honestly didn't know. When I explained that I didn't want to see all the way to China, they understood immediately and appreciatively. The young Moms were also appreciative. They had never worn skirts, just slacks, and didn't know enough to teach their daughters because it had never occurred to them.

Interesting how temporary absences of a fashion accessory cause a one-generation loss of normal etiquette.

My son takes off his hat when he goes into any building. I taught him by example, never words. It's all in what they see growing up.

[flairball]

I'm going to approach the wearing of my first Balmoral with the same advice I was given when I started to venture into bowties.

I was told "work the bowtie, don't let the bow tie work you". I took this to mean wear it confidently, whatever flaws may be present in your knotting technique.

I will do the same wit the Balmoral. I will position it on my head, rake the crown to the side, and carry on. It's imperfections are perfect.

Work the Balmoral, don't let the Balmoral work you. You heard it here first.

[Llama]

Since hats are often worn more for fashion rather than utilitarian reasons these days, it's not as immediately impolite to not remove one's hat. Even the Emily Post family have agreed on this - saying that in a place like a nightclub or a bar, a hat may be worn indoors.

I would still doff my hat in most indoor situations, but I won't feel bad about it if I forget. Traditional etiquette is important, but I still allow for modern interpretation. I certainly don't always take off my hat when talking to a woman, either. Or worry about whether an elevator is a public space (I swear, I have seen more writing about hat etiquette in elevators than any other place. People of the past must have been really confounded by them.)

[Tobus]

How do I put on my Balmoral? Err, one head at a time??

Seriously, Jeff (ForresterModern) has it about right. I put mine on so the band is straight and level, about one finger's width above my eyebrows, and make sure the tails are directly in back, then I pull the crown down over my right ear.

That's pretty much how I do it too. A Balmoral does require a bit more fuss to put on than other types of hats, but it's not really a big deal. Especially once it has developed a natural fit/flop to the wearer's head.

I use two hands to put mine on. One at the front and one at the rear. Once it's on my head and sitting where I want it, I just make sure the tails are centered in the back (the cockade ends up in the right place automatically), then hold the left rear of the band while I briefly tug and smooth down the top to the right.

I wear mine about a finger width over my eyebrows as well, although I don't measure it. That's just where it ends up, and is the proper place for a hat to go on my head.

I think there is a certain amount of variation for style in this one ... PLease accept my comments fofr what they are worth - which if you combine them with a buck 50 will get you a cup of coffee at a coffee shop. MY two beefs, looking at a lot of photos around here is that many folks wear their headgear too far bak revealing great expanses of forehead. I would also say that many purchase headgear that is too large. I would say that if should probably sit fairly similar to your flight cap... just above the brow line perhaps a bit lower since there is no visor to contend with, and then the band should sit parallel to the ground along the side of your head to the back, or even rise up a little toward the back - never down.

I would agree with most of this except for the last part. The band will not sit parallel to the ground on everyone's head. It greatly depends on the shape of the person's skull. Mine, for instance, is larger at the top rear, with a pronounced bulge (to store my superior brainpower, or at least that's what I tell my wife). And there is no way a hat can sit with the band parallel to the ground on my head, because the rear of my head slopes inward at that point. Every hat I wear slopes down at the rear. The only way to make it slope up at the rear would be to perch it on top of my head with the rear above the bulge, not actually wearing it like a hat but more like a topping ornament. Which is just plain silly.

There is a great amount of variation in the human skull, so there's no one way to wear a hat that works for everyone. The most important thing is to make sure it actually fits your head and stays on, with the other details being a function of your head shape.

[BCAC]

The wearing of a hat (any hat) indoors is just plain bad manners.

[ronin6290]

This seems like a good hat for Maine snow showers. I'm considering a moss green one.

[Father Bill]

Or worry about whether an elevator is a public space (I swear, I have seen more writing about hat etiquette in elevators than any other place. People of the past must have been really confounded by them.)

Don't totally agree about the matter of interpretation, but you put me in mind of a delightful story:

Old order religious community farmer goes with his wife and son to the city and sees, for the first time, a lot of things that are absolutely amazing. His young son is particularly fascinated by a spot on the wall with a large silver square and lights above it that flash on and off. "What's that, Dad?" he asks.

"Don't rightly know, son," answers the older man. The two of them watch in interest and perplexity. Then an old lady comes along, pushes a button, and a moment later the silver square slides to one side. The old lady steps in, the silver square slides back into place, and the lights flash again. A moment later, the silver square slides aside once more, and a young woman in a short skirt with high heels and beautiful hair steps out and goes her way. The old man's eyes dilate and he turns to his son, and says, "Go get your mother, boy."