I've been wearing fedoras since ancient times, like before the Mudd Club opened, before Ronald Reagan, even. I think I felt that hats had been out long enough and that their general disappearance from men's kit was a cultural loss. In a hat I felt dressed. I found that a hat really tops off a good look and makes it feel complete. You can also tip your hat to a lady, or take it off in a show of gallantry, or pull the brim down over your eyes to avoid your enemies.

I wore my gray Worth & Worth felt fedora with suits or with my black leather Schott motorcycle jacket. And I've been wearing hats ever since. I'm still wearing lids from Worth & Worth, as well as from Christy's of London and Bates of Jermyn Street, and I have a fantastic violet Borsalino with brown-ribbon trim on the brim.

A few days ago the nice fall weather gave me a yen for a new hat, so I met up with my friend Kate Simon, who was going up to Worth & Worth's new shop at 45 West 57th Street to pick up a new hat from her pal Orlando, who runs the place.

Worth & Worth has been around since 1922, and has a complete selection of traditional handmade felt and straw hats, even stocking bowlers, homburgs, and top hats. But they're also totally on the tip fashion-wise, with modern touches and trims and fantastic colors. I picked up two new fedoras, one a rich chocolate brown, the other in a beautiful pale loden green. It never occurred to me to get a green hat but Orlando insisted that it was the hat for me.

The chocolate brown:

The pale green:

(These photos were taken by Kate, who's a professional photographer.)

They also have a beautiful yellow fedora. I don't have the complexion for it, but I could see my old pal August Darnell tipping it to the ladies with total success.

When I got it home I realized that the hat was totally working, bringing out the color of my eyes and giving me a very subtle look for March 17th. My new hats are totally luxurious, but also increasingly necessary. A man's got to have a hat.