Here at Bonnet, we are often asked about hat etiquette. As with most things, our advice is to be respectful of the situation you are in.

For the most part, it is appropriate for women to leave their hats on indoors. We usually recommend a soft hat like a beret rather than a structured one for long stints inside. Avoiding the tall crown of a cloche, or the brim over the eyes of cap is thoughtful, especially when greeting people or working at a computer.

Men are generally expected to take their hats off when going indoors. The exceptions to this are sporting events, picking something up quickly (dry cleaning, fast food, shopping), or while attending a club or fashion show. At a restaurant, a man’s hat (and let’s hope it’s a fedora or a panama) should be off unless he is seated outside. Men attending a wedding should remove their hats for the ceremony, unless they are groomsmen, and follow the cue of the groom whether to put it back on for the reception. At an outdoor event, hats are appropriate unless yours is blocking a spectator behind you. Ivys are great hats for concerts because they do not have height, and therefore respect others trying to capture the view while shielding your eyes from the elements.

The most important things to remember are that thinking of others makes one more attractive, and that good manners are always in style.

Below is an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal on hat etiquette. Enjoy!

The fashion trend has prompted some rethinking of indoor hat etiquette at the Emily Post Institute. Spokeswoman Lizzie Post, the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, says it is now OK if a man is wearing a hat at a bar or nightclub as part of his style. "In that kind of situation, I'd feel cool with it," she says.

But when being introduced to someone, "that's when I'd remove the hat or maybe tilt it back a little so the brim isn't in your eyes and the person can see your face," she says. "It really comes down to people like making eye contact during an introduction and a hat can sometimes block that."

To read the entire article, which includes a video report on hat etiquette, click here.

And in case you happened to miss the report on CBS News last night about the rising popularity of the fedora, here's the link!