A fedora is a soft felt hat with a creased crown and a medium-sized brim that can be angled down in front. Picture the classic hats worn by detectives in old movies or Indiana Jones in his adventures: that distinctive style with the dented top and brim you can tilt to look mysterious.

Fedoras became wildly popular for men in the early 1900s and remained fashionable through the 1950s. Businessmen wore them daily, movie stars wore them on screen, and jazz musicians wore them on stage.

By the 1960s, fedoras fell out of everyday fashion as casual styles took over. Today, people wear them occasionally for style or to create a vintage look. Some musicians and performers still favor fedoras as part of their signature appearance.

The word has also become internet slang: sometimes people say “fedora” to poke fun at someone trying too hard to seem sophisticated or old-fashioned. Still, the actual hat remains a classic piece of headwear with genuine history and style.