Well, thanks for that, Reis. Next time we'll just let you post first and save ourselves the trouble of having opinions.

Ronda,
You've certainly missed the point. If your husband (like me) NEEDS to wear a hat in the sun, he doesn't have to choose the most juvenile option possible. Presumably he needs to wear clothing to shield the rest of his body from the sun, but he doesn't (and I'm only guessing here) wear Oshkosh overalls and Keds everywhere.
The crux of the issue is not fashion v health, but rather healthy and mature looking or healthy and immature looking. I might add that baseball hats that look as though they may have been given away with fragrance purchases do not exude a special air of maturity, though natch, they are better than the local ball team.

Should one care if they look like a tourist or not? I surely don't care, but apparently the original poster does and, like it or not, a baseball cap doesn't go far towards blending in.

Maybe the time has come to tell those who don't know that the police in France wear baseball caps.

The current uniform was chosen by the former minister of the interior, a certain Nicolas Sarkozy.

http://tinyurl.com/5gmyyb

goddess - no problem. Just ask and I will say what I think!

kerouac, well, that's um, a look, isn't it.

Reis, just so long as you don't say what I think.

We always spot the American tourists here in Buenos Aires because of the baseball caps too...but now there are new hats coming along
They sort of look like those floppy things Woody Allen wore/wears but they are floppier..sillier looking..

Tell him that everyone knows he is bald so take off the damned silly looking hat and act like a grown up..
and that you are always right and therefore, this time you are right again, they don't wear baseball hats in Paris.

Oh oh and another thing...don't wear sunglasses that have pink or purple glass in them, that tie around his neck..I don't remember seeing them that much off the beach but they are wearing them here too.. scary

global guy, my husband's "baseball type hats" are just shaped like baseball caps but in nice colors and fabrics, and no baseball team logos or olympic rings. They are lightweight and therefore comfortable. I have tried to get him other styles of hats but since he has a small head, they either don't fit or make him look totally stupid. If the only hat he will wear is a Nautica, Polo, or Tommy Bahama baseball type hat, I'll just be happy he has something on his head to protect him from cancer. I am just so tired of the fashionistas telling people what they should wear without regard to health concerns.

Pretty much any hat makes a man look like a nooge, so I'm not sure what all these suggestions are about berets or Stetsons or whatever.

If he wants to wear the hat, then just let him wear the hat. Because, frankly, who cares if you are a tourist?

Was just there in April, and the hottest looking Parisien men had shaved heads. So ditch the baseball cap and bring on the razor.

I wear a baseball cap almost always, and I give a fiddler's fart about what someone else thinks about it. And in return, I don't nanny other people with my irrelevant opinion on their outfit. With all due respect, the last time I had "fashion arguments" was either with my mother from age 6 to 12, or was in high school, where peer pressure for or against certain brand names or outfits ruled. I hope that for most of us these years are long gone, and most have turned into self-reliant adults in the meantime.

But, Ronda, this thread started with an OP asking the "cap question" from a fashion point of view. Only because you entered the conversation stating your husband's health condition requiring him to wear something on his head, cannot mean that everybody answering the OP has to keep your special circumstances in mind.

Ronda:

I am clearly a "nooge" and am similarly follicly (sp?) challenged. I find it disgusting that folks are suggesting that we "fashion up" and take it like a man. I have every intention of avoiding cancer as best I can and I wear a hat outside most times as this area is the most prone to sunburn on me. I am a musician and I play outdoor wedding and I inform the client that I will be wearing a hat ... ever since a terrible burn at 9000 ft.

I've worn an irish flat cap a lot if for no other reason, it packs really easily. The only place it looks really silly is in Ireland. Some old fart at a pub will inevitably ask where I got fleeced purchasing the cap. I actually got mine at J C Penny in Colorado. It's plain black and not over the top.

I agree that ball caps are probably the least fashionable for the over 30 set in europe, but that doesn't mean he can't wear them. That said, in the States, they are clearly acceptable and I wear them fairly frequently here. I prefer not to grease my skull.

I have some experience here and I wear a form of a fedora (as a generic term) pretty regularly. I look like a nooge in most large or medium brim versions, but the small brims work pretty well for me. Porkpies with the brim curled up look ridiculous on me, but with the front edge down, not so bad. I think the issue is my shoulders which are not broad. I'm not sure where you are from, but there are some good retailers around. Hat size is always tough online, but I went in person to this place in Chicago: http://www.hats-plus.com/default.aspx

I got myself a fabulous Biltmore Diamond Jim. I should warn you now though ... chicks in the States tend to dig the hats and even someone as vile looking as me gets flirted with from time to time. I was told it was because I have the personality for the hat (whatever that means). Clearly it wasn't my looks.

Whatever people do, by all means, protect yourself from cancer and be comfortable. But ladies, watch 'em now....

There is nothing special about Ronda's circumstances. Prolonged exposure to UV light is a significant risk factor and experts generally suggest that about 90% of skin cancers are associated with exposure to UV radiation.

Bill

Hi suze1 and all,
I've been reading this thread and finally, someone makes sense to me, at least. That would be Cowboy 1968's response, at least the first "paragraph".

In my own words, I'd say let him bring the cap (or caps), wear it or not, that would be up to him. If HE feels "out of place" or uncomfortable wearing it, let him make that choice.

As far as looking like a tourist... isn't he?
My own experiences, although in Germany and Austria, are that even though I speak German fairly well, upon entering a restaurant and speaking in German, we are more times that not asked if we'd like the English menu. I think they just know who's a tourist. I can't imagine it's the NE Patriots cap, the white sneakers and two camera's hanging around my neck that's giving me away!

Paul

Hi...I am guessing that you knew the answer before you asked. There is no baseball in Paris, and even if you were in NYC, you would know that an adult wearing a baseball cap, anywhere other than the most informal places, would look extremely casual.

It is true that he must protect his skin and there is a sunscreen spray available for bald scalp, that is non-greasy---google it for the details. However, if he chooses to wear a hat and does not want to unduly stand out, I suggest going to a travel gear store or an upscale department store to get a more suitable head covering.

My DH who actually isn't bald always wears a ballcap at home. In Europe hot weather he wears an Irish linen thing with a little bill like a tam or an 'immigrant' cap--can't remember what they're called.

kerouc, you made me laugh.

suze1, show biz people in LA wear the cotton baseball hats all the time. Not the nylon mesh trucker's hats. I think they look good on the right person.

So what if Parisians don't wear caps?

Last time I was in Paris in warm, sunny weather, I saw Americans, Canadians, Brits, and Germans in baseball caps.
Let him wear his baseball cap outside if he's comfortable with it, he will have plenty of company.
That he takes it off in restaurants is a good sign.

I have a relative, also bald and prone to skin cancers, who wears an Indiana Jones type hat everywhere, as if he has to hack through the Luxembourg Gardens to reach the Temple of Doom. It looks even sillier than a baseball cap, IMO.

This question led me to pondering another one-

Do they wear berets in New York City?

If the answer is no, does that mean that tourists from France shouldn't wear them there either?

boots 08
You have seen too many French (old) films.

Okay okay, I admit I was picturing an Yves Montand-like monsieur walking the streets of Manhattan in a beret...

but you get my point.

(I hope.)