In the not too distant past on this blog I declared flat-caps to be the solution to modern gents' titfer problems . Yet, the eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted something which appeared rather hypocritical in an even more recent post  of mine - the top of this writer's cranium was adorned by an entirely different style of head-wear.

   Whilst I would like to make it clear at this point that I have in no way reneged on my initial statement, and at no point either do I intend to fully retire my trusty flat-cap to the back of the wardrobe, it has become apparent to me that my heart and mind have wandered somewhat.

   Since stumbling into a Goorin Bros store on my recent trip to America I have become a fully fledged convert to the brand and the incredible items they stock - in particular, I declare with enthusiasm so great not even an infinite string of emojis could express my ardour and zeal, the Mr. Paxton felt fedora which illustrates this post.


   Perhaps, even despite myself, this was a love at first sight.

   Yes, I believe in my heart of hearts (to use a Tony Blair-ism) that the human race never dressed better than it did in the 1920s through to the 1950s - go watch a single episode of Agent Carter if you disagree with me - but I have an almost innate aversion to clothes one may associate with "hipsters". I may speak Korean, love Jenny Lewis and play the melodica but no-one wants to be called a hipster regardless of the evidence suggesting otherwise. Have you ever met anyone who would identify as such?

   Staring at Goorin Bros' Mr. Paxton fedora, easily the most handsome hat I have ever touched, a thousand thoughts run through my mind in the first second or so I handled the item.

   If I wore a fedora, I wondered, would people assume me to be the wrong type of hipster?

   The type who feigns gluten allergies, loves Godard and only listens to Taylor Swift ironically rather than with the full sincerity her music deserves? The type who spends over £5 on take-out coffee but who riots about Cereal Killer cafe's extortionate prices? The type who rides fixed-gear bikes on public footpaths so as to catch any inevitable spats with pedestrians they run over with their HD video-recording helmet cameras (which can then be uploaded to YouTube)? The type who has moustache wax and paleo diets, a love of retro Zumba work-outs and only plays games on 8-bit cartridges? (In short: the worst type of human imaginable).

   I came to a jolting conclusion and realised that I didn't care what anybody else thought. If wearing this hat gave me an appearance to a Golden Age Hollywood star then I could be Clark Gable to everyone else's opinion - when it comes to questioning  whether or not I'm a hipster due to sporting a fedora then frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.


   The longer I stared at the hat, the more inevitable the purchase became and, retailing at just $60 (approximately £40) it was unlikely I was ever going to get a pound-for-pound better valued piece of clothing ever again.

   The moral of the story is - don't ever let anybody else's opinion decide what you should or shouldn't wear. Fashion, of course, has rules but break them if you want; wear whatever you think is great and be damned with received opinion and sartorial orthodoxy. I'm modelling the Mr Paxton fedora below (replete with feather) in an Oriental Tea Room and I think the hat and I look pretty gosh darn good. Furthermore, I'm completely apathetic as to whether or not you think I look like the type of hipster who went to an adult bouncy castle party last weekend, collects Pokemon stickers or listens to Bright Eyes on vinyl.

   Actually, that last sentence is untrue - I want to reiterate in print I am, and did, none of these things. Still, my Goorin Bros' Fedora is pretty cool don't you think?