I have a ton of vintage fedoras, of varying qualities, as well as a modern Borsalino and a couple of Akubras. Obviously, we don't get a whole lot of rain here in AZ, but we do have a monsoon season that can get a little crazy in terms of rain, and I've been caught in two or three of them. The vintage felts are great in the rain. Hats were meant to be worn, and they can always be reblocked and cleaned.
That having been said...there are certainly a few hats I baby, but mostly because they're very light in color and if they get dirty, it's quite obvious. And I'm kind of too busy to really worry about sending my hats off for a reblock and cleaning...for example, my favorite daily hat, a 30s Borsalino, is so filthy right now that I kind of stopped wearing it because it looks kind of grubby...but I came to that conclusion about two months ago, and I still haven't gotten around to sending it off to have it cleaned! I do still wear it from time to time, but never when I'm wearing a suit, because it's just way too dirty to look good with a suit. And when I bought the hat, it was New Old Stock! I've worn it more than any other hat for the last year and a half, and it's finally starting to show it. I've worn it in two or three rainstorms, and it's been all over the US with me on my travels. It will be fine after a cleaning...but getting around to shipping it off is another matter!
That having been said...there are certainly a few hats I baby, but mostly because they're very light in color and if they get dirty, it's quite obvious. And I'm kind of too busy to really worry about sending my hats off for a reblock and cleaning...for example, my favorite daily hat, a 30s Borsalino, is so filthy right now that I kind of stopped wearing it because it looks kind of grubby...but I came to that conclusion about two months ago, and I still haven't gotten around to sending it off to have it cleaned! I do still wear it from time to time, but never when I'm wearing a suit, because it's just way too dirty to look good with a suit. And when I bought the hat, it was New Old Stock! I've worn it more than any other hat for the last year and a half, and it's finally starting to show it. I've worn it in two or three rainstorms, and it's been all over the US with me on my travels. It will be fine after a cleaning...but getting around to shipping it off is another matter!
