20s/30s recommendations?

[Ray George]

New Guy In Town Seeking A Hat

Hey Guys!

I'm new here... First post in fact!

To make a long story short, I want to wear a hat;
30's / 40's style...

I "usually" look "silly" in them...

So, where do I start?

Where is the best place to go, to try them on,
and get some advice about how they "really"
look on me?

It's been an issue I've dealt with for a long time,
and since I'm a music performer, I really need
to make that impression with the kind of hat
that goes with the music I do.

Any help or pointers in the right direction most
appreciated.

Thanks bunches...

I'm glad I found this place; exactly what I've been
searching for!

Glad to be a part of the neighborhood!

 

[MisterCairo]

A great question. I too wonder about how I'd look in a vintage or vintage-style hat.

My issue - I am "Mr. Clean" bald! I imagine this wasn't too common a look in the golden era. I have no interest in letting what's left of my "hair" grow back in, it'd be a sort of Bozo the Clown ring with a bridge across the top! No thanks!

Are there any similarly-not haired gents out there who wear lids, and if so, any suggestions?

Or am I being overly insecure about this?

 

[Cigarband]

First, Welcome Gentleman, glad you're here.

Second, try some on. If you live near any medium sized city, there will be a hat store near you that would love to show you the products. Take your time and try everything to get an idea of what suits you. The Adventure begins there.
Good luck and Happy Hunting.

PS. If you shave your head, you MUST wear a hat. Skin cancer is no joke.

And Ray,

need I say more.

 

[avedwards]

This is a commonly asked question, so I'll give the usual answer.

Firstly, go to a hat shop near where you are to try hats on, if not to buy. See what looks good on you and be sure of your size.

Secondly, either buy a hat from a hat shop or order one. One thing to remember is that wool felt hats are not durable, regardless of whether they claim to be. If you want durability get a fur felt hat. Akubra hats are recommended here as they're inexpensive but very durable hats.
www.hatsdirect.com
Their Fed IV model is probably one of the most popular hats on this site. It is made to look like a pre-war fedora.
Other modern hatmakers worth considering include Stetson, Christys, Bailey and Jaxon.

You may find it hard to wear wider brimmed and taller crowned hats at first unless you are very confident, but these are 30s/40s. Whether wide brims and tall crowns look good is a matter of opinion, but I personally like them. That said, the hat I always wear is a Stetson Chatham (in my avatar) which has a medium crown and a brim width which is just too wide to be stingy, but too narrow to be wide-brimmed.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Might I suggest that Sir, tries on an Akubra "Stylemaster" for size?

 

[RBH]

Welcome to the Lounge!
you are in Indiana, give PanamaBob a holler and he can set you up in a nice straw panama at a great price.
That will give you a good summer hat and also a hat that you can wear to really learn what style of felt fedora you may want.
Good luck!!!

 

[Colby Jack]

Welcome to the Lounge Ray and MisterCairo!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap ...Browse through the "what hat are you wearing?" thread and see if anything catches your eye...or perhaps something by Art Fawcett....You'll get some good ideas on where to begin.

 

[Ray George]

Thanks for the warm welcome's guys!

It feels like my old neighborhood already...

I'll take the suggestions given, especially
about the hat shops...

I am about 40 miles from downtown Chicago,
but I don't think I have to go that far...

I live about 8 miles from Gary, Indiana,
and I'm "sure" they have mens hat stores.

There is this great place, on Broadway,
that has some really spiffy duds...
I've been wanting to chek it out, but the
neighborhood there is not too good.
But, anything to let my hat "adventure"
begin...

Thanks for these and any other comments
left on this subject.

 

[barrowjh]

Optimo and TheFedoraStore

Optimo Hats in Chicago (South side, Western Ave, in the Beverly area) and thefedorastore.com on the web are two excellent sources. Graham Thompson's establishment (Optimo) is revered, but his clientele and Chicago rent/labor drives his prices to the the high end. TheFedoraStore dot com is an excellent site to look at a lot of different styles, and the prices are very reasonable; Beaver Brand (hats factory finished in Missouri) are likely the finest factory-made hats on the planet. Mike Moore (aka Major Moore, Buckaroo Hatters) and Art Fawcett (Vintagesilhouettes.com) are excellent sources of custom made hats from fur that is felted here in the US at Winchester Hats in Winchester, TN. Bencraft Hats in NYC is an excellent retailer. There are just too many to list here! Batsakes in Cincinatti, etc..

 

[Corky]

Also, I would suggest a flat cap or two...

Also, I would suggest a flat cap or two for your starter collection.

Find out your size and get one in a light color and one in a dark shade. Or maybe one cotton and one tweed.

The flat caps would also wear well on stage when you are performing your music.

Here's one place to begin your search:
http://www.bencrafthats.com/list.php?cattype=1&subcatid=13&subcname=Flat+Caps

Best of luck

 

[dostacos]

Hey Guys!

I'm new here... First post in fact!

To make a long story short, I want to wear a hat;
30's / 40's style...

I "usually" look "silly" in them...

snip
!

simple you DO look silly in them , why? because you are not used to looking at yourself IN a hat, simple solution, find a nice hat and WEAR it, soon you will be used to the hat and it will no longer look silly but now will look NORMAL:eusa_clap there may be some hats that look better than others,

as an example, my oldest son looks great in a stingy brim fedora, but does not look as good in a full brim fedora. Mainly do to the cloths he wears and hi age he really looks good in the stingy, {pictures to follow soon } I don't like myself in a porkpie which my son would also look good in { I am a big BIG guy and I personally think the porkpie looks better on a thinner face, but that is just me.

If there is a hat store you can get to, do so. once you start, just like potato chips, you cannot have just one:eusa_doh:

 

[John in Covina]

If you can, do seek out a hat store and try on as many as you can to get a feel for the look you want and the sizes that fit you.

When looking at NEW hats, also note that most hats in an ordinary hat store will come pre-creased (bashed) the design of the crown and front pinch is already there.

There are a number of hat stores that support the lounge and their links cycle thru the top of the screen on the right, you can peruse their online shops and see what they have as well as the hats that can be custom selected with bashes and such to suit you.

We also have custom hat makers such as Art Fawcett's Vintage Silhouettes that will start with a plain body and by using exact measurements of your head create a fantastic hat just for you. This option is a great balance of expense and getting exactly what you want.

If you are a little short on cash then I will suggest you peruse the Akubra offerings as listed above. They have some really well made hats for the money and some such as the Campdraft and Squatter come "Open Crown" which allows you to put in the bash and pinch you want.

Up at the top of the hat section are several STICKY threads which are tutorials for the usual FAQ's. Read there too before you buy.

Used is an option too, but best if you are well informed, thrift stores, antique and vintage shops may have hats on hand and that changes over time.

Sometimes Burlington Coat Factory may have hats in stock.

Furfelt is considered better than wool felt.

Read and arm yourself with information first, it will help you select a lifelong friend.

 

[tortswon]

Welcome Ray George and Mr. Cairo

Glad to have you with us. All of the suggestions so far have been excellent. I would add that you might want to go through the countless photos of men in their hats here at the lounge. Find a few men with a face shape similar to yours and see what hats you like on them. Contact those individuals and ask about the hat you like. Don't be shy. We are all here because we like talking about our hats. I have written to many members and they have uniformly responded courteously and provided more information than I knew I wanted. The more you ask, the easier it will be when making your selection.

Welcome aboard! Best, Sam

 

[MisterCairo]

Gentlemen,

thank you one and all for your helpful suggestions and warm welcome.

I have checked out a couple of the websites referred to for some ideas, and will move next to some local shops. I'm in Ottawa, Canada's capital city, at the moment, which should provide me with several options.

Any advice with respect to interior bands, sweat bands, I should say. Whatever I wear will be direct to skin contact. I'm currently in the air force, so my daily wear includes headress which requires regular dry cleaning, particularly in the summer months.

Cheers!

Mr. C.

 

[scottyrocks]

If you are new to hats, I cannot stress enough trying on as many different models as possible.

I have found that hats that look great in pictures, and even on the shelf/wall display, often make me go wtf when I put it on my head and look in the mirror.

You could, theorteically, go into a hat store, try on who knows how many hats, and never see one on you that makes your eyes light up.

But thats my vote for a necessary step before ordering anything online or over the phone. Try on a bunch to see what generally looks good on you. Subtle differences between hats can be huge when they're on your head.

 

[Dewhurst]

I'm in Ottawa, Canada's capital city, at the moment, which should provide me with several options.

Biltmore hats is right up your alley. There are at least three places in Ottawa that sell Biltmore hats:

Herb Cowan Men's Wear: 1303 Carling Ave. ((613) 725-1021)
Rene Giroux: 1020 St. Laurent Blvd. ((613) 842-9874)
Vernini Uomo: 1200 St. Laurent Blvd. ((613) 746-3452)

There may be others, as well. Biltmore hats are worth every penny you pay for them (made in Canada).

I can't offer much advice on sweatbands. Many people prefer leather, many prefer cloth (particularly grosgrain). Personally, I prefer leather in fedoras, and my favorite sweatband, considering all of my hats, is the genuine leather sweatband in the Biltmore Rosellini felt hats for its comfort and durability. It is very substantial in contrast to your standard roan leather sweatbands used by many other manufacturers these days. They also have Cellotec linings behind the sweatbands to prevent your sweat from bleeding through to the felt.

For more information on Biltmore and store locations go to: Biltmore Hats

 

[MisterCairo]

Ottawa Haberdashers

Dewhurst,

thanks for the references. I have a project for this weekend!

 

[Rule17]

Phone a friend

Can I add to the list something that hasn't already been said: take a friend with you to the hat shop. I haven't shopped for hats in the States but in Australia the retail experience isn't great: they want to get you in a hat so they're not going to tell you that nothing they have suits you. An honest friend is the best accessory you can take with you on the shopping trip.

If you wear your hat with doubt -- as I did for a long time -- it shows!

 

[awest84532]

If you have a significant other, take him/her along. Nothing shoots down the old hat confidence like your wife telling you, "you look stupid in that hat," following an excited purchase. After a while your spouse will become accustomed to seeing you in a hat and you aren't as likely for that to happen.

My wife was supportive in my hat search as I am short one ear (well, I have a silicone replacement for the one which is gone) due to malignant melanoma. The fact you have no hair is a good reason, but my ear(s) have no hair either, so ball caps are no answer.

I think I look a lot better with a hat than without an ear!:eusa_doh:

 

[avedwards]

If you have no nearby hat stores, an option would always be to post a picture of yourself here, so that people can offer advice. Or what I did was phone Art (I did want one of his hats at the time but dosh ran out) and ask him what brim widths and crown heights looked best on me, and he was able to tell me using just a description of me. He was able to guess correctly what my face looked like when I told him that I'm tall and thin.
fftopic: Art, if you're reading this and you ever get bored of hatmaking, consider becoming a detective.