Advice from the experts please!

[qabbe]

Hi all! An advice all the way to Sweden is needed! I ended up on this site on day and thought I would give it a shot. I'm a big fan of fedora hats but I am sad to say that I don't own on myself...not yet that is. I wonder if you know a great website where I could purchase a fedora from and whitout any major complication. I saw this site .

http://www.hatsdirect.com/hat-info/federation.html

Does any of you know if it's a reliable site to purchase fedoras from? Seems to be great hats but I don't realy know. Any response is humbly apreciated. Thanks!

Qabbe!

 

[Nathan Flowers]

They are a very reliable company, and produce a good quality hat for the money.

 

[MK]

Welcome to The Fedora Lounge.

Hats Direct is a very reliable company. You can find a list of other great hat companies on the links page of our main site, The Golden Era:

http://www.thegoldenera.net/links.html

Enjoy!

 

[Renderking Fisk]

WARNING! ADICTIVE! USE AT OWN RISK!

I'm a huge fan of Ron's fedoras. You can say I'm his biggest fan. I one three of them and they're the best I've owned since I started wearing them in 1982.

I just wore my deluxe canoeing... had a great time.

 

[qabbe]

Question?

Thanks for the advice! I'm looking for the fedora federation hat or something like it. Are the felt hats water persistent, can it be totally dipped in water or will it ruin the shape? Or how about a rainy day like we are used to here in Sweden?

I realy like the idea of bringing fedora hats back into the everyday life. People should wear hats more often. I think it will be so in the near future.

And again. I'm looking for a place to purchase a fedora in an easy way without the expensive pricetag. The hatsdirect have reasonable price for theirs. It should be easy to order from sweden. Can't find any shops over here. THanks!

Qabbe!

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I agree with you, I wish people would wear hats. When you see old photos of people in the depression era here in the U.S., all the men wore hats -- fedoras or newsboy caps.

What I don't understand is why hats haven't yet made a big comeback what with the ozone layer problems, etc. I see the weirdest sights here in San Diego -- a young man with a shaved head driving in a convertible in 100 degree heat -- and he does not have a hat on his head. Talk about dangerous.

I am not familiar with the hatmaker recommended to you, but you certainly got some good recommendations. I had one recently made by the Gladhatter and am quite happy with it -- it was not that expensive, either.

Good luck, hope you send in a photo of your new hat. I am going to display some of mine as soon as I figure out how to get them on the site. karol

 

[Andykev]

Basal Cell that !

Originally posted by K.D. Lightner

What I don't understand is why hats haven't yet made a big comeback what with the ozone layer problems, etc. I see the weirdest sights here in San Diego -- a young man with a shaved head driving in a convertible in 100 degree heat -- and he does not have a hat on his head. Talk about dangerous.

I agree. This is America. Unfortunately, there are no laws against lack of taste and common sense. Stupidity is the only word for that. I see MANY people at the ball game or the big amusement parks, etc. walking around bare headed. Hang a sign around their neck "skin cancer testing in progress".

The Major Cause

Chronic exposure to sunlight is the cause of almost all basal cell carcinomas, which occur most frequently on exposed parts of the body -- the face, ears, neck, scalp, shoulders, and back. Rarely, however, tumors develop on non-exposed areas. In a few cases, contact with arsenic, exposure to radiation, and complications of burns, scars, vaccinations, or even tattoos are contributing factors.

Skin Cancer Foundation

 

[fedoralover]

If you aren't in that big of a hurry you may want to wait a month or so as we have a member here "fedora" who is in the process of getting the material together to make some very high felt quality hats. While they will appeal to the Indy Jones fans the most, you would still be able to shape it like a regular 40s style fedora. It would be worth the wait as a similar quality hat would cost you many times over what he is going to charge. I believe at present his 100% beaver felt would cost $225. That is a real bargain. If you wanted one out of rabbit, which is what the Akubra's are made of, would run you around 135.

regards fedoralover

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I also find it interesting that people who do wear hats, mostly wear ballcaps -- and believe that is enough protection from the sunlight. !??!

I love my fedoras and cowboy hats, straw hats, panamas, lots of protection and good looking. I also have two newboy caps -- Irish tweed and love the look, though they don't protect much. They sure look good, though.

Speaking of panama hats, what's a good price on a decent one? I have been fearful of getting a really good one for fear of damaging it. I see some advertised on ebay; they are cheap and allegedly from a dealer in Ecuador, but I am wary as to what I would be buying.

I have read a number of articles on the internet, but remain confused as to how you can tell if it is a good hat.

karol

 

[SHARPETOYS]

K.D. Lightner
Many of us here have Montecristi Panama hats that we got thru Panamabob and then had them blocked by Art Fawcett. Here is some links to help you.

http://fedoralounge.skyblueproductions.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=943&highlight=montecristi

http://www.panamas.biz/

http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/m_hats_fedoras.htm

You can also just send them a PM if you like.

 

[qabbe]

Well no I'm not in a hurry of buying a hat, I'm just intrested in where to get them and in what quality I should consider.

I think the hat is a great protector from the sun and rain. We do not have much sun here as you have in US. But we do have the perfect climate for hats.

One thing that bothers me though is the size of the hat. I do not know if to trust the mesurements they give out on the websites. It's always better to try the hat before buying it. But it would cost me a ticket to australia or the us. Of course I will travel there some day in my life. I feel the urge to initiate the feodora in sweden.

Thanks a lot guys!

Qabbe!

 

[SHARPETOYS]

qabbe

Its easy to get a hat that will fit you. Some hatters like Art above will send you a conformer kit to get your size and head shape. I have 6 hats from Ron At Hatsdirect and i just used a cloth tape and sent him my size and the hats fit fine in a size 59.
I have a custom made hat from Art and he sent me the conformer and i wear a 7 3/8 plus 1/16 in a perfect long oval. The nice thing about hats its not to hard to make minor sizing adjustments yourself.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Fedoralover wrote

If you aren't in that big of a hurry you may want to wait a month or so as we have a member here "fedora" who is in the process of getting the material together to make some very high felt quality hats. While they will appeal to the Indy Jones fans the most, you would still be able to shape it like a regular 40s style fedora. It would be worth the wait as a similar quality hat would cost you many times over what he is going to charge. I believe at present his 100% beaver felt would cost $225. That is a real bargain. If you wanted one out of rabbit, which is what the Akubra's are made of, would run you around 135.

regards fedoralover

Thats a great idea!
I have just recieved one of Fedora's Platinum Beaver Indy style fedora. This hat is great and i'll get some pictures up. The price and Quality of this hat is excellent!!

 

[fedoralover]

I'm anxious to see it. Please post them as soon as you can.

regards fedoralover

 

[Renderking Fisk]

Getting back to the Akubra Federation. I've abused the two that I have and they have a great shape to them. They stand up to New England weather better then
I ever thought a fedora would.

I sent my Deluxe to Art for a professional reblocking and it came back in Vintage condition.

 

[qabbe]

To Renderking Fisk

What kind of hat are you wearing in the picture? But what about the shape of the hat? If I buy a shapless crown hat..or what it is called.. will it not return to it's shaplesness in the rain or if I would take a swim with the hat on, accidents do happen.

And another quesiton. What is the difference between beaver and rabbit felt?

 

[Renderking Fisk]

The one I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m wearing in that pic is the Deluxe. The one my son is wearing is the Regular Federation.

If I had to do it all over again, I would do it all the same. Get an Akubra Federation and wear the heck out of it while looking at what everyone else is wearing?¢‚Ǩ¬¶ then send your ideas to someone like Art to reblock it.

You can do it yourself with some steam or a spray bottle full of water. Just get it done.

http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/