What’s Our Official Hat?

While a group of people can be identified by their interests, their shared ideas, or their passion for the same idea, it’s not the only thing that sets people apart.

Groups of people can also be identified by their hats.

Hats keep the sun out of your eyes. Hats can look great. Hats are fun. Hats can add to the feeling of belonging to something. (Yes, hats can also be horrible, but that’s a topic for a different column.)

If there’s one thing I know about vintage bridge photos, it’s that everyone was wearing a hat at the time. Looking at newer tournament photos, it seems like the love for the hat has faded.

Let’s bring back hats at bridge games.

And while we’re on the subject, have you ever wondered what would work as the official hat of the bridge game?

Here are suggestions for the official hat of bridge (and why some others are a terrible choice).

The Beret

The beret has links to the military, but bridge is a wargame, and we might as well. Since we don’t intend to include actual weapons at bridge clubs, a beret would make a nicer choice than a soldier’s hat anyway.

The Beanie

For something to be official, I think we’d need a majority vote in the bridge crowd. I don’t think, “I’d love the beanie” is something most bridge players out there are ready to exclaim.

The Balaclava

If we have another cheating scandal, we might have to resort to the balaclava as the official hat of bridge. No facial expressions from your opponent or partner, just their eyes surrounded by a mask. (See? That’s what bridge cheaters get.)

The Baseball Cap

A lot of people wear baseball caps to bridge games with a clean conscience, but I just can’t. I mean, there’s another sport in its name. That’s just not right.

The Capello Romano

A great hat, but unfortunately reserved as the official hat of Roman Catholic clergy.

The Cricket Cap

While I know a lot of bridge players who love playing and watching cricket, we can’t steal their hat.

The Deerstalker

Apparently called a Deerstalker, this is the iconic hat of Sherlock Holmes. He’s also the only person I can practically see wearing one.

The Fedora

There are two types of people in the bridge world: those who like Fedora hats, and those who don’t. (Now let’s vote on it.)

The Gatsby

In South Africa, gatsby’s are known are a food type, even though you’ll see the hat around. It’s a great food, and a great hat.

The Stetson

A Stetson is, basically, what most people know as a cowboy hat. It’s a great hat to wear to a card game – and not just for playing poker in Texas.

The Top Hat Top hats have their place, but should they have their place in bridge? As an official hat, I think we might just have a bunch of bridge players with their hats caught in the ceiling fans of their local club.