The Pork Pie Hat

Last year I had started a blog regarding Hats and their history and last night, while we were watching the 1998 film "Frank Lloyd Wright", I was reminded of it by every photograph of Mr. Wright, looking extremely dapper in his Pork Pie Hat.

I think Pork Pie Hats are sexy. Sexy on a man, sexy on a woman. There is just something about the attitude that goes a long with the Pork Pie. (I also dislike saying "Pork Pie". Sounds kind of slippery, greasy, not quite edible, but I will deal with it).

Pork Pies have been around since the mid-19th century. It is a round hat with a turned-up brim and a flat crown. Both men and women have worn versions of the Pork Pie. Women wore tiny Pork Pies, tipped forward over the forehead because of elaborate hairdos. Men sometimes wore them with ribbons flowing down the back. It gets it's name from its resemblance to a 'pork pie'.

Songs have been written about the Pork Pie
(thank you Charlie Mingus)...here's a version of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Jeff Beck
(Listen to this while you read the rest... it is very very good)





Buster Keaton would not have been Buster Keaton without his Pork Pie Hat....(and he made his very own hats too)!




Two more reasons why it is so good that Pork Pie Hats are still around today :) (They are cute, aren't they?)