The History of Fedoras

Fedoras are a popular style of hat with a wide brim and an indented, pitched crown. Most are made out of fur felt, wool, or straw and finished with a ribbon hatband. The name of the hat comes from the heroine of a late 1800s play, Princess Fédora, who was costumed in a similar hat. The fedora first became popular among fashionable women, and the women’s rights movement then adopted it as a symbol. Fedoras became popular among men as well after Prince Edward started wearing the style around 1924. The 1920s marked the height of the fedora’s popularity, which is why it is often associated with Prohibition and gangsters. However, the hat style was also very popular in the 1940s and 1950s thanks to Hollywood stars like Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant, who were often seen wearing fedoras. The singer Frank Sinatra also played a large role in making the fedora cool. The fedora became less popular when clothing became less formal, but had notable moments in the mid-1970s and 1980s, largely thanks to Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones and Michael Jackson. The hats resurfaced again in the 2000s when celebrities took a liking to them. More recently, shows like Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men have featured fedoras, which has helped to keep the appeal of the hats alive well into the 21^st century.