Advice needed - feds/upturned brim

[David Ward]

Although I tend not to wear black fedoras, this look caught my eye.

What would everyone's advice be about selecting a fedora to wear with the brim up? I normally wear a fed IV style hat but I don't think this would look quite right. Advice welcome!

 

[DougC]

You could do a lot worse than following the fashions of Paul Simonon! Being British, that hat might be called a tribley (although the picture was taken in NYC--so, probably a fedora worn in a porkpie manner). Is that a picture you found or a captured picture of the Clash? Any way...I say try wearing it--but is brown, not black.

 

[Neophyte]

The FedIV might not look that good with an upturned brim mostly because of the dimensional brim. You can trim the FedIV or purchase some hat with a straight crown and uniform brim width.

 

[David Ward]

The FedIV might not look that good with an upturned brim mostly because of the dimensional brim. You can trim the FedIV or purchase some hat with a straight crown and uniform brim width.

That's what I was thinking. Can anyone recommend a vendor? For this hat, I'm looking for something mid-to-low end in price.

 

[Neophyte]

Well, you could trim the brim on the FedIV. Something with a bound brim will work better for you though, so...not sure. There's probably something out there, but for the price I can't in good conscience recommend anything but Akubra. Stetsons and Biltmores don't tend to have bound brims......

 

[Adcurium]

I love the Clash nearly more than life itself. That hat covers the bald spot which once sprouted the Mohawk which was featured in one of the most iconic rock n roll pictures ever (See London Calling).

 

[danofarlington]

Although I tend not to wear black fedoras, this look caught my eye.

What would everyone's advice be about selecting a fedora to wear with the brim up? I normally wear a fed IV style hat but I don't think this would look quite right. Advice welcome!

As far as I'm concerned, that's what hats are for. Only stiff hats can't be tweaked. Wear 'em front brim up, front brim down, all down safari style, tilt it, wear it straight--it should suit your mood. You're using the hat, the hat isn't using you.

 

[donnc]

What would everyone's advice be about selecting a fedora to wear with the brim up? I normally wear a fed IV style hat but I don't think this would look quite right. Advice welcome!

That looks like maybe a 2 1/2 inch brim, or a little less? Wider than usual, for that style - I think it's more commonplace, and arguably better looking, at 2 and under.

I don't think you can guarantee that a hat will do this for you. The usual brim flip complements a natural distortion of the brim to accommodate the oval shape inside it. If you "unflip" it, and it turns out to be significantly distorted in this way, the brim level won't be even all the way around. Usually, the front and back will go up and the sides will be more level ... or that's usual for me anyway, because my head is longer. It depends on how the hat was formed, and on the shape of your head.

 

[DougC]

Here's my akubra ignorance showing--is the adventure/indy hat bound and round on the brim or asymetrical? I just looked at another thread and it seems that hat might work well IF the brim is round.

And, I think tend to believe the Clash is the only band that mattered, too.

 

[jlee562]

Here are some bigger pics:

The Fed IV has a dimensional cut brim and is not bound.

Speaking of Paul Simonon, when I met him a few years back, he was wearing a straw:

(forgive me, I wasn't wearing fedoras at the time, that would have made the picture much more cool )

 

[Neophyte]

Here's my akubra ignorance showing--is the adventure/indy hat bound and round on the brim or asymetrical? I just looked at another thread and it seems that hat might work well IF the brim is round.

And, I think tend to believe the Clash is the only band that mattered, too.

It is a dimensional brim...big time. It is also unbound. To be honest, I'd do one of two things:

1.) Purchase a midfawn Squatter from DavidMorgan, trim the brim down, and send it to somebody to have it rebound, or

2.) Do the exact same thing with the FedIV.

There is also one other option if you don't mind a hat with a little taper. The Akubra Stylemaster and Fedora have 2.5" brims. They are both snap brims and should work for your purposes, though the Stylemaster is the only one of those two with a bound brim.

 

[frussell]

Raging Bull

DeNiro wears a hat similar to Paul's in Raging Bull, which might have been where he got the look from. I tend to wear a lot of my hats with brims up, don't know why. I saw the Clash twice in Austin, right around when they filmed the video for Rock the Casbah. By the way, it's a trilby, not a tribley, that might be something from Star Trek. Frank

 

[DougC]

By the way, it's a trilby, not a tribley, that might be something from Star Trek. Frank

Sorry--still working on my coffee when I typed that...

 

[danofarlington]

By the way, it's a trilby, not a tribley, that might be something from Star Trek. Frank

Actually that was a tribble ("The Trouble with Tribbles" episode).

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I tend to think that you don't want too much brim for the up-turned look. 2 1/2" range, I;m thinking.

Akubra actually makes several other fedora style hats that might work well. One is even call the Fedora, I think. Also, you could try Hornet hats. They will alter brim dimensions on their hats if you request it by email, no extra cost.

 

[frussell]

Tribbles

Doug - sorry, couldn't pass up an opportunity to be snarky AND bait the Trekkies all at the same time. I just had a wide ribbon put on an Akubra Campdraft, and I think it would be the perfect hat to pull off that look. The bound brim does help to keep it "dished up" evenly all the way around. The Squatters I've had didn't have enough crown to take the shape of Paul's hat in the photo. Also, harder to find, but my Stetson Nostalgia could pull that shape off easily, and doesn't have as wide a brim, and it's not dimensional, like the Fed IV. Good luck with your search. I was just happy to see my favorite band on my favorite board. JLee, your photo is awesome. I've met lots of famous folks, but I'd trade them all to meet that one. Frank

 

[scottyrocks]

Just based on my own hats, I recommend a snap-brim, which means a bound brim, hat if youre gonna wear the front up. They keep that shape way better than an unbound brim because the binding compresses the circumference just a bit, forcing the brim to snap past flat into either an up or down position.

 

[danofarlington]

I tend to think that you don't want too much brim for the up-turned look. 2 1/2" range, I;m thinking.

Akubra actually makes several other fedora style hats that might work well. One is even call the Fedora, I think. Also, you could try Hornet hats. They will alter brim dimensions on their hats if you request it by email, no extra cost.

I was looking at them too. Really good-looking hats on the website for a very low price. How do you like Hornet Hats?

 

[Not-Bogart13]

How do you like Hornet Hats?

Service-wise, they are very friendly and easy to deal with. I ordered a hat with so many modifications, it was pretty much custom. They just pointed out that it would not be returnable if I made that many changes, and gave me the chance to change my mind. I did not.

Their hats are Christy's of London. I would not choose a Christy's for rugged use, or weather protection. But as a dress hat, they are very nice. Their ribbon stitching needs some work, but I've seen much worse. I love the feel of the felt, and I ordered mine open crown. I can get a nice shape in a few seconds, hands only.

I turned their "adventurer" (basically their Indy hat) into this;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27810273@N04/sets/72157623642757714/

 

[AlterEgo]

David,

I love The Clash, too, and was fortunate to have a good buddy who always seemed to be among the first to discover great music, so I got into them very early on before they hit the big time.

I you're seeking a hat like the one Paul Simonon is wearing in the old Caddy, an Akubra Stylemaster, as Neophyte mentioned above, would be an excellent choice.

Though I wear mine with the front brim snapped down, I just got it out and snapped it up for a look-see. With a 2 1/2-inch bound brim and all the rest, it's nearly identical to the one in your photos, though mine's a lighter color, acorn fawn.

The problem for you could be price. Even with the exchange ratio currently being favorable to the U.S. dollar and getting a Stylemaster directly from an Aussie vendor, you're still looking at about a C-note, including shipping and handling. Money well spent, in my judgement.

Alternatively, you could always try contacting Paul to ask him what hat that actually was. If he responded, you might be able to find that exact fedora. Depending on what it is, it might be exhorbitantly expensive or dirt cheap.