What you put on your head is hugely symbolic, especially if it’s a lampshade*. A hipster’s slouchy wool cap, for example, shouts, “I’m a hipster and I got a man bun under here!” I sometimes wear a Homburg, a gift from my children. That hat was popularized by the future King Edward VII and was worn by Winston Churchill, Eisenhower, Anthony Eden, Michael Corleone, Santa Claus in “Miracle on 34th Street” and, yes, Roger Stone. I collect hats, including my garrison cap from l’Ecole Militaire which has a brass “device” designating the institution. My collection includes a hard hat GE made me wear at a coal factory we owned and a steel helmut from the East German Army circa 1960, which weighs as much as a Buick Roadmaster. All this millinery talk brings to mind Alfred Z Solomon, whose portrait I’m gazing at from my perch at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
© 2024 John Oliver
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