Outfit Of The Week 7/6/25 – 7/12/25

As promised in my last “OOTW” article, this week’s edition features some seersucker and my boater hat!

Hooray for anachronism!

It has been a tradition for our family to visit my in-laws around Independence Day and attend the local parade. It’s a ton of fun, since there is ample seating, the parade only lasts about thirty minutes (which prevents the kids from getting too hot or squirrelly), and the parade participants toss candy to the children.

As you all know, I like clothing-related traditions. I also like to take advantage of the certain times of the year when it’s more socially acceptable to wear “fun” clothes.

Enter my boater hat!

I always wear my boater to the parade. It amuses my children and I get lots of compliments from random people.

Rounding out my outfit was my seersucker shirt from Brooks Brothers, some khaki chinos from Lands’ End, and my beloved navy Sperry boat shoes.

Not seen is my bathing suit, which I was wearing under my chinos. We always go from the parade straight to the beach. I actually really like wearing my seersucker shirt on the beach since it makes an excellent barrier to the sun.

When it comes to wearing something like a boater hat, context is important. And context helps with authenticity. If I wore my boater on a rainy day in autumn with a t-shirt and gym shorts, it would look bizarre. But when worn with a collared shirt and respectable pants at a mid-summer celebration, it looks much more at-home even though it’s certainly a dated look.

It’s impossible to wear a boater and not be noticed. If you’re interested in experimenting with a boater, you just need to accept the fact that people will make comments, smile, or honk their horns. If you’re not comfortable with that, that’s fine.

A hundred years ago, boaters were “regular” hats. Lots of people wore them. Now, though, they are “fun” and “silly” and evoke thoughts of ice cream vendors and barbershop quartets. If you try to wear a boater in a serious way nowadays, you’ll look strange. You need to relax, have some fun, and embrace the silliness.

Have a wonderful weekend!