It’s a trend that I’ve been noticing more and more of lately…fedoras. You know, like the one Brad Pitt seems to wear 24/7 as he lives it up with his ever-growing brood in the South of France.

Apparently Brad Pitt has been credited with jumpstarting this trend himself and since he began donning a fedora, other celebrities have followed suit (i.e., Justin Timberlake). But when I see a picture of Brad Pitt in baggy jeans, an unkept shirt, and a fedora teetering on his head, it makes me think that he either:

a)   forgot the rest of the suit (the Art of Manliness states that fedoras are only an appropriate accent for dressier outfits - wearing one with your favorite pair of jeans is a no-no),

b)   is covering a receding hairline (which, interestingly enough, is why Frank Sinatra, an iconic fedora-wearer, started wearing one in the first place), or

c)   thinks of himself as the NEW Frank Sinatra (his “rat pack” consisting of George Clooney and other A-listers).

And now, I’m witnessing the trickle-down effect as regular folks are falling prey to this trend. In fact, on vacation last week I saw two young fathers on the beach in fedoras (because we all know how saltwater friendly a wool hat is).

It’s not that I’m faulting Brad Pitt for the fashion choices he’s making, it’s just that when I see people jumping on a not-well-thought-out trend (for instance, wearing a hat designed to keep your head warm when its 90 degrees and you’re digging in the sand with your 2-year-old) just because it’s trendy, it makes me want to tap the offender on the shoulder and say, “Cool Broads just say no to half-baked trends.” (At least I’m not hurting myself.)

And just because something looks a certain way (i.e., Pitt wears a hat like Sinatra, so he must be the “new” Sinatra) doesn’t make it so.

Here’s an example: After my son’s last soccer game this spring, the team went to a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint complete with sticky red and white checkered tablecloths and a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall. After ordering our pizza, my 5-year-old pointed to the picture of Jesus and asked why there was a picture of Qui-Gon Jinn just above the gumball machine. (We should probably start going to church, no?)

Now if you’re not a Star Wars fan (or don’t have young boys), you may not be aware that Qui-Gon Jinn was arguably the wisest and most powerful Jedi in the galaxy and the mentor to young Obi-Wan Kenobi. In Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace, he was played by Liam Neeson.

And as you can see from the pictures, Qui-Gon Jinn DOES look like Jesus and Brad Pitt DOES resemble Frank Sinatra. But before you run off and start emulating some poppycock fashion trend, make sure you know who you’re following, because it might not be ol’ blue eyes (and it might not be Jesus).

~tcb

Want more? Click here to subscribe to “that cool broad”.