Hats for Men in France

Flat cap or baseball hat. And they will already know you are a tourist, regardless. So wear what's comfy and easy to pack!

I agree that you will be pegged as a tourist regardless of the hat you wear. A ball cap that doesnt announce a particular affiliation, or any other type of hat that gives you the degree of sun protection you want. Up to you.

You are a tourist. And truly, who is looking or paying attention? Wear what suits you best. And enjoy France! It’s impossible not to!

Yes, like others have pointed out, you are not going to go native by just wearing a certain type of hat. A flat cap is part of my 'uniform' at home and abroad. Wear what works for you but probably best to avoid advertising certain affiliations these days.

If I may overgeneralize, the French do appreciate good sartorial accessories.

the last time I was in Paris in cold weather, I wore a gray Melton wool fedora with a generous brim and it got complimented several times. A Panama seems like a good bet for warm weather, but consider ahead if it's something that a lot of people will be wearing; I wouldn't, probably, unless I was doing so ironically.

Geesh enough with the you're a tourist stuff. I live in France and have for quite a while and can't tell by looking at most people if they are French or American...until they open their mouths. Then I find out they're German.

So more young men wear baseball style hats. My husband, a gentleman of a certain age, wears what is called a casquette plate, wool winter ones and cotton or linen summer ones. No, not a dinner plate, but plat.e is flat in French. Here's a link: https://www.chapeauxetcasquettes.fr/

By the way, berets are worn by Basque shepherds, but I'm sure you knew this.

Real Panamas that Avi mentioned are very expensive, but some young people wear imitations as a fashion statement.

You will see a million Yankees ballcaps here in all colors (not on me, I wear a Res Sox cap !!).

Tilley definitely doesn't shout "tourist". In the UK it quiety states "person of taste"! My husband has two, which he wears all the time outside.
You will often find Tilley wearers in Europe greeting each other with a knowing look.

As Kim noted, ball caps with the Yankees’ “NY” logo are ubiquitous, and 99% of them are in any color other than the official super-dark blue. Lots of them are worn by “local” young women and girls - pink and red are quite popular. Gents seem to favor reds, maroons, dark greens, and even camouflage. My guess is that they don’t follow baseball, and wouldn’t know a Louisville Slugger from a baguette, but they’re not tourists. If any of them noticed, a Reds or Indians/Guardians cap might make you stand out.

You could always go with a stereotypical French beret.

A round bill hat will certainly look very foreign, but in a charming way. If you're comfortable wearing it, it's not a bad choice. Otherwise, baseball caps are the standard these days. Flat caps & berets are rarely seen in the wild, unless you're counting the Emily-in-Paris red berets worn by some tourist women in Paris.

I have to think that many of the people wearing non-official color Yankee caps think the NY symbol is some fashion brand.

I wear my Tilley. It’s the best hat in the world so why would you settle for anything less?

A beret, striped sailor shirt, baguette under the arm, Gauloises cigarette dangling from lip. Grow a thin mustache and goatee beard before departure. Or a set of blue workmen’s clothes. I don’t recommend a yellow reflective vest as they’ll think you’re there either to protest something or steal some jewels. 🙂

Tilley sells baseball style caps!

My husband wears Stetsons. He gets stopped all the time by men who comment on their fathers' and their own collections including those not from the US. It has become a nice conversation piece.