A straw boater hat lays on the grass on the first day of the Henley
Royal Regatta at Henley-on-Thames on June 28, 2006 in Oxfordshire,
England.
Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Though I’ve covered a lot in my time at the helm of Slate’s
crime blog, I haven’t yet delved into crimes against fashion. I’m not
talking about wearing white tube socks with a business suit, although
people who do that certainly merit the harshest punishments imaginable.
No, I’m here to discuss those times when violent gangs of hoodlums take
to the streets in great numbers, viciously attacking all those whose
apparel is out of season. I’m talking about the Straw Hat Riot of 1922.
There’s nothing particularly old-fashioned about violent youth gangs
tearing through city streets, assaulting hapless passerby—it happened
just last weekend in Chicago.
But it has been a very long time since those gangs were motivated by an
intense dislike of the straw boater hats favored by garden party
attendees and members of barbershop quartets. Back in the day before
hooded sweatshirts were deemed acceptable boardroom attire and men’s
brimmed hats were worn exclusively by swing-dance revivalists and nerds
with neckbeards, hat fashion was serious business—and it hewed to a
rigorous seasonal etiquette. The most important rule: absolutely no
straw hats after September 15. If you ignored that deadline, then your
hat was fair game for any urchin who wanted to snatch it off your head
and stomp it to pieces.
Read on...
Read on...
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