Cleaning out the attic the other day, I came across a man's felt hat.

Before the casual look of the modern day, every adult male wore a felt hat, usually made by Biltmore.

Over a period of time, a man's hat took on the personality of the owner. Telltale signs were the angle of the brim, the crease in the crown, and the way it was worn: some at a rakish angle, some dead centre on the head, some pulled down almost over the eyes and some wore their hats perched on the back of the head.

This tailored look spilled over into ladies' fashion--the Lady Biltmore hat with its smart brim was usually worn with a tailored tweed coat.

In former years, a man wore a flat straw hat to finish off his summer wardrobe. Again, the hat took on the personality of the owner. The younger men wore their hats at a jaunty angle, while the more sober mature male wore his squarely on his head.

My grandfather had a panama hat that he wore during the summer months.

Each Saturday afternoon he would sponge the hat to make sure it was in a spotless condition before wearing it to church on Sunday. One day he placed the damp hat on a fence post to keep its shape, when a gust of wind blew the hat off the post and across the field.

After chasing the hat on horseback, he brought the blackened item into the house. Alas , as hard as he scrubbed, the hat was never the same.

For a cowboy, a hat not only protect its owner from the sun, but it is part of him. At home, when he does take off his hat, there is a special place that is sacred to his hat and no one--but no one--takes that spot.

I happen to know about a family feud that lasts to this day because of an incident involving a cowboy's hat. A visiting relative's child found the hat in a corner and playfully tramped on it. Never, ever, mess around with an owners hat!

In the winter, fur hats were worn. The tall hat could be worn at an angle above the ears, but could be pulled down snugly to protect the ears against the cold winds.

Others wore fur-trimmed hats with ear lugs that could be pulled down when needed.

Styles come and go, but it looks to me like the styles I remember from past years, from the straw hats to the very dapper felt hats, have all but disappeared. It's been a while since I've seen men wearing the traditional felt hat.

It seems each generation makes its own statement through its choice of headgear. For today's youth, it seems to be ball caps worn backwards or sideways.