A question for the professionals

[OdysseusX]

Hello there. i am a new member, and i have a very standard question for you all. I am looking for the perfect hat. While it is true, there is a perfect hat for every occasion, why dont i explain to you then what it is exactly i am looking for.

In order to best understand that, you may need to know a little bit about me. I am a mere 20 years old. Born in the 80s. Hats by this time have become vintage, and my father did not grow up in america so i have no one of maturity to turn to. What luck i found this forum! i've been reading the threads over the past two days, and i think ive hit heaven on teh internets. You all have a quite similar fashion of thinking.

For some reason, ever since i was young, i felt more comfortable in a suit rather than jeans. i love pocket watches more than a digital watch, and i prefered fedoras to baseball caps. My parents think im weird, my friends think im weird, heck, i know im weird, but you cant deny facts. I've had a low self esteem all my life, but not when im wearing a suit. Not with my pocket watch, and certainly not with a fedora. I feel great, and handsome. Issue is, im not all that handsome to begin with, and most of that has to do with my height. I am 5'4, which sometimes complicates things. While i'm comfortable with my hieght, it makes certian things difficult. I was curious if wearing a fedora is the right thing for me, since most people will be looking down on me to begin with.

Thus my other issue. Right now, i do own a fedora, and i am quite pleased with it. It can be seen at this site:
http://www.villagehatshop.com/jaxon_crushable_pinch-front_fedora.html

its a jaxon crushable pinch front fedora. At the time, it seemed too good to be true, a relatively cheap (what am i saying, its dirt cheap compared to what ive seen) sturdy, durable fedora. unfortunantly, the pictures on amazon lied just slightly. It seemed as though the band and the hat were of different colors, making it more of the charchoal grey look i was looking for, but indeed it was just black on black. This makes for an awesome night time hat. good for parties and dancing, but i want something i can wear daily.

So thats what im looking for, a hat that i can wear every day. and if thats the case, what do i wear as clothes. I cant wear a suit every day, i only own one, and for the most part id look even goofier walking around campus with that, but i do more often than not, wear a button up shirt, and khakis. occaisonally jeans. I think the main reason is from the original humphry bogart films i watched in 7th grade, while my psyche was impressionable. So thats the sort of look im going for, and while i am no bogart, i think i'll at least feel better. So question number 3, do you think a trenchcoat at 5'4" is a bit much?



also, about the best hat for me, im thinking, something with the pinch in the front, a bent brim, grey, but not a light grey, but also not blackish. no feather. my black fedora has a feather, and i think it makes it look too fancy.
amongst my searching, if found this:
http://www.thefedorastore.com/PhotoGallery.asp?ProductCode=785
can i remove the feather in that? what kind of a look would that hat be saying for me. It says bogart-gangster, and really thats the best of both worlds for me, but is the teardrop crown a better look for me. since most people will be looking down, rather than straight on. my price range can hit anywhere up to 150 dollars if its worth it. Its gotta be just right though, and of a good quality. That said, the cheaper the better.

I appreciate all your help, really. And to recap it all, can someone of this stature pull off a fedora and trenchcoat look. With a grey fedora, what everyday clothing is most appropriate. Can we find a hat that is just right?!

and i apologize for the length of the post... but im super excited!
=D

 

[Elaina]

When I learned to do swing dancing my partner was a whopping 5'3". I was 3 inches taller before heels. Neither was he considered classicly handsome on any respect, but he could cut a rug and was great fun to be with, so much so, that I continued to take dancing lessons with him into other styles I had no interest in. I've yet to meet a nicer man, or one that could make any woman feel utterly feminine.

I think it's an attitude. If you think you're cool, and it makes you feel good, chances are it comes across to other people. If you like it, then go for it. Height doesn't have anything to do with it, except making sure the top of your hat is clean. Same thing with the trench, except you may want to look at the length and get the hem adjusted to better suit your needs. Depending on your inseam, and torso measurements, an ankle may be too much, and you may need to adjust it to the knee or just below. (Just because you may not want to look shorter.)

As to clothing, if you need to be casual for school, you might want to look for old men's magazines and see what they wore casually.

In the end, my opinion is simple: wear what you want and the rest of them can go sod off.

Elaina

 

[besdor]

Welcome to the lounge OdysseusX . I think that it is a good idea to start with a wool fedora such as the Jaxon hat . But if you are willing to go up to the next step, a fur felt hat will last you much longer and will look a lot sharper on you . I would not get a high crown hat due to your height . There is a hat called the Ashland by Stetson . The brim is 2 1/4" and it's made of rabbit fur so it's a decent hat .

Steven

 

[DOUGLAS]

Well OdysseusX,You seem to be having the same problem as many in wanting to find the perfect hat. Some do come close but it is difficult. There is nothing weird about not wanting to wear Jeans I have'nt owned a pair since high school. You should follow your gut and dress the way you feel most comfortable. Fedoras are great in that they look great with just about anything and if your staple is khaki's and a button down then you are fine. Newer hats tend to look a bit more formal untill they are broken in a bit. Browns to me are more user friendly for daily use. Take a look around here and see some hats,there are hundreds of makers and styles and not everyone here wears a suit and tie daily but most if not all sport a lid. Have fun with yourself and look around your town or city for vintage shops or antique stores and see if you can find and older hat and see how it fits you. Your going to like the way you look.

 

[RBH]

Hello..

and welcome to the Lounge!
I'm sure you can find plenty of advice as to a fine hat to serve what you need.
Good Luck!!!

 

[Wolfmanjack]

Hello OdysseusX, welcome to the Lounge.

At 5'4", I think you ought to consider a 'smaller' style fedora to coordinate with your 'smaller' physique. Try a '60s era fedora with a ~2" brim and a low, tapered crown. These are widely available and relatively cheap on eBay and at thrift stores. A few months ago, I got three of these at a local thrift store for $1.50 each.

If you want to present more of a 'swinger' image, you might want to consider the very low-crown pork pie style, favored by jazz musicians for many years. These are worn either with the brim up or snapped down.

Brown is the most versatile color; you can dress it down with a brown leather Indy-style jacket, or dress it up with your tan trench coat. Traditionally, men have worn their brown fedoras with virtually every color in the rainbow.

What is your hat size? Post it here and we'll keep our eyes peeled for you.

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Welcome to the Lounge. You should be able to get all the help you need here, either in "Hats" or "General attire".

Again Welcome.

 

[OdysseusX]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I appreciate it, and cant wait to be considered a regular member.

In retrospect, my post sounded very depressing. fear not, fellow vintage lovers. i promise, i do have some self esteem. I am very comfortable with the way i look, and i only mentionthe height thing because certian styles just dont work.

Now this hat thing... you all make a very convincing argument about the brown. A majority of my wardrobe consists of blue shirts, varying from light blue, but tending more to be in the navy/dark blue. While this works well with the brown, another good portion of my attire is also black, or items containing black. Including my shoes. I dont have a good pair of brown shoes, most of the time, i just wear my black shoes. So... while i am willing to change my entire attire to suit the brown fedora... im just not in love with it the way i would be with the dark grey color.

So there is that. As for size... i'm definently a small, and im not sure how the other sizes work, but in centemeters, my head has a circumferance of 56.8325cm... i think.

like i said, im willing to spend alot, but i am thinking of that hat right there in the link above. I really cant see why i shouldnt buy it. Do you think that hat is too dark of a grey to go well with a navy blue? does it go ok with black? is there anything that grey doesnt go with? will it be alright if i pull out that feather?

 

[ledsled]

shades of gray

I noticed the Ashland that Besdor suggested comes in steel gray (not dark gray). I wonder if he can point you to a hat that shows an example of the Stetson steel gray color?

 

[Rick Blaine]

WITH A SIZE 56.5 BEAN....

I would go CRAZY with vintage on OFAS!
You have the opportunity to get vastly superior felt for about 20% of the price of new...
my .02
On the subject of stature, this; save for Bogart & possibly Mitchum, there was NO tougher, more hard-boiled private Dick than Mr. Alan Ladd...height?- 5' 4.5"... It is not the size of the dog in the fight, said my Grampa, but the size of the fight in the dog...