Hats Off

Hats can be both functional and fashionable. They can shield our eyes and faces from the sun or the rain. They can be part of a required uniform to add a bit of class or to denote rank. They can protect teammates from athletic equipment or construction workers from falling debris. They can cover up for a bad hair day or simply be a snazzy accessory.

Sneaky Disguise

Every spy needs a good hat. Fedoras are a staple in film noir. Try picturing a detective of that time period and you will most likely picture a brooding man wearing a sturdy fedora. Fedoras are still made, sold and worn now, but you do not see them as frequently as you might have sixty years ago. They might be paired with sunglasses for those who do not want to be noticed. However, that may only make the person(s) stand out all the more.

There is a current children's book series about a crime-solving clothes-wearing critter that spoofs classic mystery books and films. Kids will crack up at the Chet Gecko mysteries by Bruce Hale, in which a fourth-grade reptile tackles funny mysteries in the classroom, the playground and his neighborhood. The cover art and the drawings within the book often show Chet wearing the trademark detective ensemble: a fedora and a trenchcoat. Yes, that's right. Adults love the books too, noting the Raymond Chandler-esque homages.

Readers who love the movies made in the 1980s will recall a certain mischevious high schooler wearing a hat and trenchcoat, albeit it briefly, in the beloved John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. When Ferris picks up his girlfriend Sloane at school and pretends to be her father, he wears this outfit to conceal his true identity from the principal. This prompts the famous line, "Do you have a kiss for daddy?" Of course, this disguise does not fool Sloane, and Ferris is seen back in his normal outfit - later detailed as "leather jacket, white T-shirt, sweater vest, devastatingly handsome" - as soon as they leave school grounds.

Shortly thereafter, the principal says something which refers to a hat, but it is not suitable for printing here.

Measuring the Rulers