[Skipperino]

Forgive my ignorance in these matters, but are grey homburgs acceptable with semi-formal day dress aka stroller, stresseman, etc? I think I read somewhere that the colour of any hat should harmonise with your overcoat; I have two navy-blue overcoats, both single breasted, one with a fly, one without. I would imagine grey would go well with navy?

Also, are there any rules as regards the colour of top hats in morning dress? Or can they be either black or grey?

 

[Oldsarge]

While not claiming to be an authority on semi-formal and formal dress, my feeling that day dress should definitely be lighter (grey) that evening wear (black). But such requirements are so far from my life style that no one should pay a whole lot of heed to my opinions.

 

[Color 8]

I'm fascinated by the idea that somebody, somewhere, is concerned about wearing the right top hat with morning dress, or if a grey homberg can be worn with a stroller.
Fascinated.

 

[vonSuess]

Well, it seems like a valid question to me. I wear a grey Homburg (I think Stetson calls it Caribou) with my Stroller on a reasonably regular basis. Homburgs are my everyday hat, anyway, so I have several. I think the black one would also work. With morning suits, in real life I'm yet to see anyone wearing anything but a black top hat, including me. There are plenty of images on-line of those wearing all kinds of hats with all kinds of formal attire so there are, apparently, places where almost anything goes. I'd say that since you know there's a difference between formalwear for the evening and that for the daytime, you're already ahead of the crowd...

 

[JLibourel]

^Aside from the rare wedding, how many men do you ever see in full-rig morning attire around Indianapolis? No knock against Indianapolis, my American grandmother was born there and lived right across the street from Benjamin Harrison as a little girl. She could remember torchlight parades for him in 1888!

 

[vonSuess]

Just often enough that I need one, myself - although it has a lot less to do with me than with my family foundation. I maybe wear morning attire once every year or two and not usually in Indianapolis. I wear a stroller maybe a couple of times a year and that's generally because I can't bring myself to wear evening clothes in the daytime. Last occasion was for a black-tie event in the evening that was rescheduled to mid-afternoon. Everyone else just wore their evening clothes anyway. I just couldn't do it...

You probably know that the Harrison Marching Society became the Columbia Club. A fine institution in it's day. I think it's still hanging on...

 

[richard warren]

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Don't know if you saw this site.

https://www.morningdressguide.com/hats-morning-coat-suits/the-grey-top-hat/

 

[Oldsarge]

It just wouldn't work in the PNW. My club has 2-3 black tie events each year but other than that, if I walked down the street in either a stroller or daywear it would probably hit the evening news.

 

[Flanderian]

Forgive my ignorance in these matters, but are grey homburgs acceptable with semi-formal day dress aka stroller, stresseman, etc? I think I read somewhere that the colour of any hat should harmonise with your overcoat; I have two navy-blue overcoats, both single breasted, one with a fly, one without. I would imagine grey would go well with navy?

Also, are there any rules as regards the colour of top hats in morning dress? Or can they be either black or grey?

Good Time Charlie prefers black, the gentleman past the Duchess of Cornwall's left shoulder favors grey -

 

[vonSuess]

I kind of like the grey. Perhaps I should get one after all since apparently nobody else around here has one...

 

[Oldsarge]

I certainly don't. Even if I relocated to the UK, I'd be unlikely to join the strata depicted.

 

[Skipperino]

I'm thinking of renewing my vows/having the marriage blessed (original ceremony was in a registry office) at some point in the future and want to wear morning dress (I wore uniform for the actual original ceremony), so the top hat would be a nice addition. As for the stroller, see previous posts about the 'stealth stroller'.

 

[Skipperino]

And I'm British, so the concept of morning dress is to some degree still alive over here, albeit mainly for weddings, as you're all no doubt aware.

 

[eagle2250]

It just wouldn't work in the PNW. My club has 2-3 black tie events each year but other than that, if I walked down the street in either a stroller or daywear it would probably hit the evening news.

I can say, I almost resemble that remark, but frankly I haven't had the opportunity to attend a formal event since we left Hoosierville and settled in central Florida. I'm sure they must have such events down here, but not in the circles that I frequent. In any event, while I wear fedoras on a regular basis, I just can't imagine wearing a Top hat...even back in Hoosierville! :icon_scratch:

 

[Flanderian]

Inspiration?

 

[vonSuess]

I'm thinking of renewing my vows/having the marriage blessed (original ceremony was in a registry office) at some point in the future and want to wear morning dress (I wore uniform for the actual original ceremony), so the top hat would be a nice addition. As for the stroller, see previous posts about the 'stealth stroller'.

Well, I think that would be very nice. I don't know what a stealth stroller is, but if you are going to wear a top hat with something less than full morning dress, grey is probably the best hat color choice as it seems to be considered a bit less formal. I hope it all goes well.

Hans