Hat Etiquette: Classic Rules Every Gentleman Should Know | Laird Hatters
When a gentleman “dons” his hat to leave or “doffs” his hat to a lady, his actions are being described by two English colloquialisms that come from contractions of the phrases “do on” meaning “to do”, and the Middle English “doffen”, which became “don off” meaning “to do off”!
Hats are tipped, (or doffed) slightly lifting the hat off your forehead, when meeting a lady (remove your hat if you stop to talk), or to "say" to anyone, male or female – “thank you”, “excuse me”, “hello”, “goodbye”, “you’re welcome” or “how do you do”.
Tipping of the hat is a conventional gesture of politeness. This hat tipping custom has the same origin as military saluting, which came from the raising of a medieval Knight’s face visor to show friendliness.
Hats are making a resurgence, but at the turn of the 20th century, all adults wore hats whenever they left the house.
Hats are removed when inside, except for places that are akin to public streets, like lobbies, corridors, or a crowded lift (non-residential). In a public building (where there are no residential flats) the lift is considered a public area.
You may choose to remove your hat in a public area, but in the presence of a lady your hat must be removed. A gentleman takes off his hat and holds it in his hand when a lady stops to talk in any building that can be classified as a dwelling such as a mansion block, house or hotel. He puts it on again in the corridor.
Hats are removed for the National Anthem, passing of the Flag and funeral processions, outdoor weddings, dedications, and photographs.
Removed hats are held in hand in such a way that only the outside and never the lining is visible.
In places of worship head coverings are required for both men and women in Muslim mosques, and Sikh temples.
Men are required to cover their heads in Jewish synagogues, but only married women wear hats or scarves representing a display of her increased modesty towards those other than the woman's husband.
It is acceptable for women to wear hats in Christian churches, (it was once required, but the custom has all but disappeared) but disrespectful for men to wear them.
A woman may leave her hat on indoors or during the playing of The National Anthem, unless it is considered unisex like a baseball cap. When wearing such a unisex cap, a woman should follow the same guidelines as for men, though I would rarely consider the wearing of a baseball cap as appropriate headwear at anything but a Baseball game!
Why are there different rules for men and women? It may have to do with the difference in the styles of men and women's hats. Men's hats are easily removed, but women's hats with ribbons, bows, flowers and other decorations can be quite a production to remove, especially if they're anchored with hatpins. Women might also risk messing up their hair if they had to remove their hat. A lady, however, never wore brimmed hats after 5 PM, a fashion rule that developed because she didn't need a brim after sunset.
