What ’s worse than the fashion police ? A fashion mob . Throughout history , social norms have always aid dictate personal style . But as arbitrary as these taboos can be , they ’re sometimes enforced with vehemence — as Yankee chaff chapeau fanciers once learned the grueling way .
summertime ’s ending in the tardy 19th and early twentieth centuries mean that men had to retire these cap untilspring . By unwritten rule criterion , this one was quite specific — September 15th ( aka “ Felt Hat Day ” ) was the universally - accepted deadline . As theNew York Timesonly half - facetiously explain , any man who wear a straw chapeau after this date “ may even be a Bolshevik , a communal enemy , a likely revolutionist of the social order . ” Exactly eight calendar month by and by , on May 15 — but not a moment before — a fellow could again don his straw lid , safe from derision .
Few urban center took this mandatory more seriously than the appearance - conscious Big Apple . For year , street - smart New Yorkers knew better than to get caught wearing a straw hat out of season . Doing so , they found , all but insure that some mischievous nestling would snap the offending headdress and stomp it flat .
This obnoxious custom became downright serious in 1922 . On September 13 [ PDF ] , the seacoast was supposed to be cleared . But without admonition , several fry grow a head startle on their yearly chapeau - nabbing . And the rabidity was just begin . “ [ score ] of rowdies on the east side and in other office of the urban center get going smash hats , ” theTimesreported , “ police reserves were visit out , straw hat balefire were started , and seven men were convict of chaotic conduct in the Men ’s Night Court . ”
Such slaughter pour forth over into the next three days , which feature dozens of new collar . NYC police military officer were told to be on sentry go for “ hat - hound hoodlums ” and did so with utmost prejudice — upon capturing a few young culprit , oneLieutenanteven “ bid the boys ’ fathers to derive to the station and spank them . ”
These attackers frequently came armed . To make the Book of Job of ripping into lid easier , many carriedsticksstudded with nails , often leaving victims with serious injury .
The dust eventually settled later that calendar month , but the custom that take up this whole mess endure on for a while longer — in 1924 , one man actually died while avenging his straw chapeau . The next year , President Calvin Coolidge was spotted wearing one onSeptember 18 — a scandalous move which received front page reporting from theTimes .
