Out With the Old, In With the New (Era)

Wait - wait a second. Is this seriously a post about his freakin' hat? The one his friends and family have been watching decay over the past who knows how many years? The one he'll sweat through in boot camp and then leave on the windowsill to dry? The one he'll actually wear to formal events and refer to it as "vintage"?! Are we actually doing this?

Yes, we're actually doing this. Because for the last eleven weeks, I've been browsing the bridal blogs, searching for content for the Crossing the Aisle posts. And I've seen my fair share of posts about designer high heels and birdcage veils and wedding-appropriate undies and whatnot.

Well, this is the man version. This is groom fashion: the evolution of a baseball cap. I got no shame.

[click photos to enlarge]

[Some background info:]

I bought this cap the morning of my first Subway Series game because, at the time, I had no legit Yankees gear. I ran into the Fulton Mall Modell's in Brooklyn and picked this weathered hat off the shelf (I swear, it blew in off the street one afternoon and the Modell's staff stuck a price tag on it).

In spring of 2010, I wore the hat every night and twice on Saturday as Rick in The Irish Curse. Our assistant stage manager Graham would spray me from head to toe before I went onstage (the setting was a rainy Wednesday evening in Brooklyn Heights), making sure to soak the brim of the cap for an authentic look.

Clockwise from top left: discoloration; tattered fabric; unidentifiable blue dots; and severely frayed bill

The hat even made several appearances at our wedding:

chillin' on the couch 

wearing 2Es' engagement ring

In recent days, I've had to accept the fact that the hat is on its way out. Like a legendary jersey, retirement is imminent.

So I come home the other night ... and look what 2Es has waiting for me on the kitchen table.

My wonderful wife knows me all too well

It's blue, as it's meant to be, not a rusted, reddish-brown. 2Es did some research online, dropped by Lids, and tracked down a (brand new) identical cap. Out with the old and in with the new, as they say. Like the logo at the top of this page ... it's a new beginning.

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Wedding photos by Suthi Picotte Photography

Additional photography by Brian Leahy for Joanna Wilson Photography