AHC: Make Fezzes popular in the West

[deathscompanion1]

Tiredness, Doctor Who and boredom combine to make me post this challenge.

Make Fezzes popular in the west, any POD goes although preferably not just a random hipster trend.

 

[NKVD]

The Shriners gain prominence.

 

[ATL Czar]

Make Steven Moffat have the Eleventh Doctor wear the fez a lot more often on Doctor Who (or alternatively, never have River Song show a hatred for the Doctor's hats).

Bowtie sales doubled after the Eleventh Doctor's debut, so having the fez be an iconic image of Eleven would likely produce a similar result. Not sure about how popular fezes could get in this scenario, but it's a thought.

 

[deathscompanion1]

Make Steven Moffat have the Eleventh Doctor wear the fez a lot more often on Doctor Who (or alternatively, never have River Song show a hatred for the Doctor's hats).

Bowtie sales doubled after the Eleventh Doctor's debut, so having the fez be an iconic image of Eleven would likely produce a similar result. Not sure about how popular fezes could get in this scenario, but it's a thought.

That could work, but how would it not get stale?

 

[ATL Czar]

That could work, but how would it not get stale?

Maybe companies notice their popularity as a result and then mass-advertise them. May say in fashion for a while, being very distinctive and madly eccentric, buy I'm Not sure how plausible it is, with Doctor Who being a BBC programme.

 

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

In my book fezzes could be made popular articles of clothing even earlier than what people are speculating here.

They always had, and even today still sort of evoke images of "the Exotic Orient" (surprisingly this was probably the most positive image Westerners had of the Middle East in the late 19th-early 20th century) since it carries a fairly decent connotation of being a land of mystery and adventure and excitement) and the like.

Maybe some one-off period of increased cultural contact between the Ottoman Empire and a prominent European state (France comes to mind given its historical and modern influence on fashion trends) is saturated with enough experience with the Ottoman Empire for some famous celebrity of the day to begin affecting the fez as a sort of Westernized fashion from the East and it catches on to the point where the fez becomes a popular hat in Europe and the United States.

 

[deathscompanion1]

In my book fezzes could be made popular articles of clothing even earlier than what people are speculating here.

They always had, and even today still sort of evoke images of "the Exotic Orient" (surprisingly this was probably the most positive image Westerners had of the Middle East in the late 19th-early 20th century) since it carries a fairly decent connotation of being a land of mystery and adventure and excitement) and the like.

Maybe some one-off period of increased cultural contact between the Ottoman Empire and a prominent European state (France comes to mind given its historical and modern influence on fashion trends) is saturated with enough experience with the Ottoman Empire for some famous celebrity of the day to begin affecting the fez as a sort of Westernized fashion from the East and it catches on to the point where the fez becomes a popular hat in Europe and the United States.

That sounds plausible. A brief fad seems most likely but then again it could linger on in some places and become just another lightly eccentric hat that you occasionally see around major cities.

 

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

That sounds plausible. A brief fad seems most likely but then again it could linger on in some places and become just another lightly eccentric hat that you occasionally see around major cities.

I believe the fez, as a hat, has some utility in warmer weather as a means of keeping one's head cool in the same way a chef's hat does (heat rises, hence, why a chef's hat is tall and open), and its fairly compact size makes it practical.

I would think that if this were to come to pass, fezzes as an actual fashion commodity would probably come in-and-out over the course of decades (as many things do in fashion), while enjoying fairly frequent use in warmer parts of the United States or as summer wear. In other words, mostly in the same vein of how ushankas (AKA the archetypical "Russian" fur hat) caught on in the colder Northern states.

 

[deathscompanion1]

I believe the fez, as a hat, has some utility in warmer weather as a means of keeping one's head cool in the same way a chef's hat does (heat rises, hence, why a chef's hat is tall and open), and its fairly compact size makes it practical.

I would think that if this were to come to pass, fezzes as an actual fashion commodity would probably come in-and-out over the course of decades (as many things do in fashion), while enjoying fairly frequent use in warmer parts of the United States or as summer wear. In other words, mostly in the same vein of how ushankas (AKA the archetypical "Russian" fur hat) caught on in the colder Northern states.

Now I have images of tacky over priced Fezzes being sold at the gates of Disneyland. Also imagining the that some state might have a Texas style stereotype only with Fezzes.

Brilliant images, thank you.

 

[Ridwan Asher]

No Kemalism.

 

[HeavyWeaponsGuy]

Now I have images of tacky over priced Fezzes being sold at the gates of Disneyland. Also imagining the that some state might have a Texas style stereotype only with Fezzes.

Brilliant images, thank you.

That would be the very definition of a fez-wank. Though, trust me, I'm from Southern California, and don't live too far away from Disneyland. They wait until you are inside the park and have no alternatives before they start forcing the overpriced food/drinks/necessities of existence upon you. If they could charge people to use the bathroom without prompting riots they would.

There are some other hats that IMHO deserve more recognition for being both practical as well as good-looking, like the Karakul hat.

No Kemalism.

You know the fez is actually worn in the Muslim world (notably North Africa, including Morocco which has historically had quite strong ties to the USA) outside of Turkey .

 

[David S Poepoe]

The folks at

https://www.fez-o-rama.com/

Are certainly doing their best to make fezzes more popular. I own two of theirs and a few others.

A major drawback is the lack of any brim to really keep the sun out of your face.

 

[Stolengood]

...you know, I still think Smith is leaving too soon. Might take the wind out of that fez revival.

 

[ATL Czar]

...you know, I still think Smith is leaving too soon. Might take the wind out of that fez revival.

Yes, but the fez wasn't part of the Eleventh Doctor's iconic image, in the way that the bowtie was. If it was it could become more advertises as a result of various Doctor Who merchandise.

 

[Geordie]

For the fez to boom in Britain, you could have a PoD leading to a longer lasting, more successful Tommy Cooper. If he ends up as some sort of iconic elder statesman of comedy (such as Ronnie Barker did in OTL) - while keeping his head-wear, then the fez could be more widespread amongst the populace.

 

[JimTheB]

Dickie and fez - it's been done before, y'know.

Make it daily wear amongst NoI members, jus' like that.

 

[Mysterion]

Proponents of the Fez in the United States adopt Morroco Mole as thier mascot:

 

[Dom Pedro III]

Tiredness, Doctor Who and boredom combine to make me post this challenge.

Make Fezzes popular in the west, any POD goes although preferably not just a random hipster trend.

When I saw this, I thought you meant like the Old West...

Now I want to somehow make use of the term "Ten Gallon Fez"...

 

[tallthinkev]

If Tommy Cooper couldn't do it, well, no one can.