Akubra Overload

[James71]

I really like that. Looks like it would make a good musos hat.

Well that's a good thing!

 

[Adnamira]

And IMHO, there's more to matching a hat to a person than just face shape or color. I don't mean to come off as sounding like I have an overly inflated opinion of myself, but I'm pretty confident that I can wear a variety of different hats in different contexts and with different outfits and, as Tim Gunn would say, "make it work." I have some stingy brims with taper that I wear sometimes, I have some wide brims that I wear sometimes, I have taller crowns, shorter crowns, etc.

These guides are just general guidelines. What's most important is finding a hat (or, if you stick around here too long, hats) that you're comfortable wearing, and bully if it's not what a guide says is "right" for you.

Yeah, this is true.... but I am just trying to figure out why the smaller brimmed hats I've tried have never seemed to look much good on me to me. Is it because I am not used to the look, after wearing western hats, or is it my face and frame that is making it tricky. I am not that wide in the shoulders, and stingy brims hats seem to make my head look bigger, which as someone else said - 'makes me look like a pencil with a rubber on top'.

 

[1961MJS]

You ought to check out the ArtofManliness "The Perfect Hat For Your Ugly Mug" article. It's a lot more informative, and I believe most Loungers run across it sooner or later.

My problem is that I can't figure out which sized ugly mug I have. I don't have a hook nose, a square jaw, a receding jaw, a long face, or a square face. Somehow I don't think the Goldilocks answer of "just right" covers it either...

Later

 

[Adnamira]

Nungar

Goodness, Nungar trading has some Akubras I've never seen before. They have the CEO in burgundy. That could be interesting and the CEO might actually work for me. I've bought Ariat boots through this mob.

They also have this specimen. Looks like an Akubra Cowboy with a rather different bash. Akubra Border

They even have a hat model for Victorians - Akubra Mexican

 

[Florida_Marlin]

Well, I'm bald headed, and have a very asymmetrical dome. So,just about any hat looks better than the lop-sided head! But, in terms of matching at to face, I think it goes beyond that. I personally don't like stingys on me because I'm tall and lanky, and a stingy looks like the eraser that tops the pencil.

 

[Neophyte]

I thin the Mexican is a mislisting on Nungar's part, as it's been out of production for many years now. Nungar is also notorious for poor updating of its website and inventory. I've been trying to find the Mexican quite a while. I think it was waaaay back when they still offered the Campdraft in Black and Akubra had the color "Sky Grey".

That Burgundy CEO sounds interesting, though.

 

[Adnamira]

Well, I'm bald headed, and have a very asymmetrical dome. So,just about any hat looks better than the lop-sided head! But, in terms of matching at to face, I think it goes beyond that. I personally don't like stingys on me because I'm tall and lanky, and a stingy looks like the eraser that tops the pencil.

Ah, you are who I am quoting then... but I relate to that. Whenever I've been in a shop and tried on a stingy brim (mostly the cheapo variety), I've looked in the mirror and immediately taken it off in embarassment. You look to have a very similar build to my Grandfather. I'm tallish but light boned... come to think of it, smaller brimmed hats make me look a bit like Laurel out of Laurel and Hardy.

 

[Adnamira]

That's strange, Neophyte, considering how much business they do here in Australia, to not keep their site up to date.

I think the burgundy CEO could look really sheik... if it had the same kind of tone combination as per the steel grey. I've never seen a burgundy Akubra and can't find an example of one in any google searches.

 

[EggHead]

It makes sense that you can bash a crown to make it look lower, but you can't really make a low crown higher. A diamond crease might be a good idea for the Adventurer I ordered. I think it has the same crown height as the campdraft, but maybe a little more taper. I think a crown that is too low on someone with a long face would look odd, so I think 4 1/2 is probably the height that is alright for me. Anyway, I guess I will find out when the Adventurer arrives. I've never been real fond of hats like the Snowy River because of their low crown height. I'm not sure what other brand hats there are that might suit me. Akubra is just the easy option for me, I guess. I'm tired of the western look, so I hope I can find an alternative style that will work for me. You look good in a hat, by the way, EggHead.

You know, that guide is one thing, but I don't think I am going to have an issue with crowns being too high in any hat that has a bash, unless it is a sombrero, top hat or open crown. That idea of having a wider ribbon to balance the crown with the length of my face might be a factor.

Thanks for the nice comment.
I don't own an Adventurer, though some day I might get it, but I suspect it might have a fuller crown than Campdraft (you will soon have that answer ) - I would try with a diamond crease first, then if it doesn't work it's easy to convert to C.

I am curious as what you arrive to - please keep us posted!

 

[Adnamira]

Exchange Rate

If you're from the States thinking of ordering an Akubra from an Australian retailer, might want to watch the exchange rate for the next bit. The Reserve Bank has just cut interest rates and China is slowing down, so the AUD is probably in for a bit of a slide. The Greenback will have to strengthen for it to get back in the 60 cent zone of years ago, but you would expect it to get below parity at least. Akubra must have the 'Eye of the Tiger', because Geez there aren't too many other clothing manufacturers left in Oz.

I read a post the other day from an American criticising other Americans for buying Akubras instead of Stetsons. I think that is wrong, because there isn't any reason why Stetson shouldn't be able to compete with Akubra, because Australian manufacturing certainly doesn't have any costs advantages in manufacturing compared to the US. Australia isn't like China. We have a socialist Government and powerful Unions, so if anything wages and cost of manufacture are probably higher for Akubra compared to Stetson. I haven't owned a Stetson Hat, so I don't know what they are like, but if patriotism is involved with hats, then I think it is probably up to Stetson to produce the product that out competes Akubra. I can't see any reason that it can't. Afterall, I buy Pendleton wool shirts in prefernce to RM Williams cotton shirts, because I think they are better value.

 

[Wolfwood]

Yup, I agree with your reasoning, Adnamira. Market economy doesn't really work the way it should if we buy inferior quality merely because it happens to be the patriotic thing to do (patriotism is rather a silly thing to begin with, since we as humans should think of the whole world and not just our own little group when we make big decisions). Personally, I buy from everywhere in the world these days. Whatever I need, I read reviews all around the 'net and then order the item that I find to be the best for my needs from wherever it happens to be the most convenient to order from: Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, UK, Germany, US, sometimes even Finland...

 

[Adnamira]

Sounds like you are a fellow humanist, Wolfwood.

There are valid arguments in some circumstances. If the domestic product is at a disadvantage to products made in countries due to cheap labour and less regulation in those countries, then that is good grounds for paying extra for the domestic product. But if it's a level playing field, then the domestic product has no excuse than meet the challenge. I've been on a cap buying spree the last 18 months. I started with Kangols, but realised that they were an over priced product for the quality. Then you look at City Sport - they are a factory produced item, and you probably wouldn't buy them if you are fussy about vintage or really high end stuff, but they are a much higher quality product made out of better fabrics, are often cheaper than Kangol, but they are made in Belgium versus China... and you would think that Belgium would be a higher cost place to manufacture than China, so there's something wrong with that, and I wouldn't consider buying a Kangol now - Stetson Europe is also pretty good in that regard - not my favourite caps, but much better value than chinese made Kangols.

You'd have to have a Nokia though, wouldn't you, Wolfwood? If the domestic product is good, then people will enjoy feeling patriotic about supporting it, but making people feel that they have to buy something because it is the patriotic thing to do, just gives the manufacturer an excuse to produce a sub-standard product.

 

[new2hats]

And IMHO, there's more to matching a hat to a person than just face shape or color. I don't mean to come off as sounding like I have an overly inflated opinion of myself, but I'm pretty confident that I can wear a variety of different hats in different contexts and with different outfits and, as Tim Gunn would say, "make it work." I have some stingy brims with taper that I wear sometimes, I have some wide brims that I wear sometimes, I have taller crowns, shorter crowns, etc.

These guides are just general guidelines. What's most important is finding a hat (or, if you stick around here too long, hats) that you're comfortable wearing, and bully if it's not what a guide says is "right" for you.

+1

 

[Wolfwood]

Sounds like you are a fellow humanist, Wolfwood.

Not only humanist, but a teacher who tries to teach humanism to teacher students.

And, yes, sometimes there are reasons to buy local products - certainly it is often ecologically the smartest choice. But, Finns don't make hats (proper felt hats), so I don't have to worry about being ecological in that regard. And, yes, if I was patriotic, I'd own a Nokia phone, but I actually have always found them too expensive and user-unfriendly (made by engineers with no human touch), so I own a Samsung instead.

 

[Adnamira]

The Akubra Adventurer I scored off ebay for $48 plus postage (unworn and apparently only used for a display). The brim needs a bit of attention as it was only packed inside a box with bubble wrap, but I am very pleased with it. This along with the Akubra Arena I bought a couple of years ago are probably the two best quality Akubras that I've bought. The Regency Fawn colour really suits me I think. I think this is the same hat as sold by EA, and is different from the Federation in that it comes already bashed into a centre dent. This hat has a definite taper in the crown, and personally, I am relieved that it doesn't look too Indiana Jones on me - someone told me it makes me look a bit like Geoffrey Rush in the Kings Speech.

Those guides said that because I have a long face, I should avoid crowns that are too high or square. Well, I don't think there is a problem with this Adventurer in that regard, as the centre dent touches the top of my head, even with the brim not touching my ears. I think the broader ribbon suits me though. I don't know how it compares to the Federation. Maybe it has a bit more taper to the crown? The brim measures 3" at the front, 2 11/16 on the sides, and actually a bit over 3" at the back, so it's actually bigger than the dimensions given on the Akubra sight and more like those given by EA. I noticed some people's Federations have the ribbon placed above the stitching where the crown meets the brim, but the ribbon on this hat is very well placed and the sweatband is really nicely placed and stitched on the inside of the hat. The only thing I can fault it on is the felt looks a bit striated in the centre dents, but I think that is fairly common. Being used to western hats, this hat feels very soft, light and comfortable for me to wear in comparison. Anyway, I like the hat. I might try a federation in a grey later, which will be interesting to compare with this one - the Feds come in more colours and Hats Direct seem to keep them in stock.

Oh, the angle of the photo makes the bash look a bit funny. I might soften the side dents up a bit, but I think I will keep it in the centre dent. I don't think there is enough crown to put a tear drop bash in it for the height of my cranium. I reckon I would be able to get away with a slightly higher crown, even with the length of my face. I think the length and dip in a the brim at the back helps me a lot. I don't think snapping it up at the back would work for me.

 

[Wolfwood]

Looking good on you!

I don't know how it compares to the Federation. Maybe it has a bit more taper to the crown?

Federations have basically no taper at all and can, in fact, be shaped so as to be almost bulbous from direct front view.

 

[Adnamira]

Well, the Adventurer is quite different from Federation then, it seems. The brim might also be a quarter of an inch longer in the front and back, if I've measured it correctly. The brim dimensions given on EA are different to the Adventurer than on the Akubra site too, and I don't know how old this hat is. So it seems there is the Federation, the DM Adventurer, and maybe two different version of the Australian sold Adventurer. As they say - Crikey!

 

[danofarlington]

Does anyone own a Tablelands hat from Akubra? I saw a guy, perhaps Australian, last night on the military channel in a segment about the JFK shooting. He had a wide-brimmed white-looking hat with a braided leather hatband, which looked pretty cool. I assumed he was Australian because although I couldn't be sure about the accent, the English generally don't seem to wear hats, and the Australians do. Anyway I am guessing he had "sand"color from Akubra, a flat brim as opposed to having a heavy roll, and I waded through the Akubra website to pick out the model that seemed closest to it. If you own a Tablelands hat and can post a photo, it would be great.

 

[The Good]

Is it true that the Federation IV hats are sized a little differently from the rest of the Akubras? For example, is a size 59 Fed IV going to be a little bit smaller than another size 59 Akubra, or are they the exact same?


Danofarlington, here is what a sand Tablelands looks like:

It looks like a nice hat. I think my next Akubra order may be an Overlander (sand).

 

[Wolfwood]

Is it true that the Federation IV hats are sized a little differently from the rest of the Akubras? For example, is a size 59 Fed IV going to be a little bit smaller than another size 59 Akubra, or are they the exact same?

According to Hatsdirect, the Federations that they sell over mail order are sized true:

http://hatsdirect.com/federation/questions.html

And, in fact, they refer to the same size chart for Federations as they do for the rest of their fedoras.

Now, I realise that I may have been spreading false information when I've said that Federations are smaller than other hats that Akubra sells. This is because back when I ordered my Federation IVs, Hatsdirect had a _separate_ size chart for their Federation IVs, which gave the sizes as 60.5 (instead of 61), 61.5 (instead of 62) etc. However, this chart is no longer there and it appears that the sizes are nowadays truer than they used to be.