Allow myself to introduce. . .myself

[Bob Loblaw]

I am Bob Loblaw and I recently purchased an ancient yet perfectly preserved Dior Hastings rain coat (tan) and a Belvast cashmere coat. I am thinking that perhaps I would like to try wearing a hat that might go with the coat - maybe a shade of brown, perhaps? Does anyone know of a good "starter hat" that I could buy to get used to the look and feel of a hat? Also, what colors would work best with tan/camel colored topcoats? I have absolutely no clue where to begin and I cannot even name a local place where I could shop for hats to see what works and what does not.

I can upload pictures of the coats I want to cordinate if it would help. Otherwise I will try to keep clutter to a minimum!

 

[astaire]

Welcome aboard

Many of us at the lounge have preference on classic vintage hats because of the qualities that do not exist anymore on modern new hats. If you do, then there are many avenues you can explore such as ebay.

BTW, we have a very good friend living not far from you: Havershaw. Try sending him a PM. He's a very nice guy to know (he may be busy with the studio nowadays though).

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I measured my head and I am a 7 5/8. I guess that would be on the far right of the head size continuum. So a vintage hat is better than a modern Borsalino, for example? What metrics are used to assess a hat's quality?

 

[Solid Citizen]

Welcome to FL

Hello Bob Loblaw,

Welcome to the FL the good news is you appear to like hats, the
bad news is your hat size can be hard to find "vintage" wise. I
suggest EBAY!

SC

 

[RBH]

Welcome to the Lounge Bob !

You will get some great advice here. Now here is mine.
I would suggest going to a store such as Dillards. You can try on a Country Gentleman hat, while not a cheap priced hat [I would say around 30-40 dollars] they are Ok for a first hat.I would think that till you see what you like and want to look for that one such as that would do. You can find your size on OFAS but 9 out of 10 they will not go cheap.
Good Luck and come back often!!!

 

[thefedorastore]

Welcome to TheFedoraLounge good Sir!

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Welcome Aboard!

Bob,
If you have access to a store that sells hats, it's best to go look and try things on to see what you like. The Country Gentleman stuff (wool felt, mainly) can probably be found in major department stores like Macy's this time of year. If you can't find stuff to try in person, think about your head and face shape. To be safe, if you have a narrow face, avoid brims over 2 1/2", If you have a wide face or wide shoulders, a 2 1/2 to 2 3/4" brim might be good. If your face is short and squat, try not to get a really tall crown.

Those are just guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Also, if you see pictures of the guys here with something you like, I'm sure they could tell what they are wearing and the measurements.

As for quality, current wool felt is ok, but low end. Don't abuse the hat if you want it to last, and don't wear it in the rain. Fur Felt is what most good hats are made of. The debate over what fur is best could go on forever. Vintage fur felt was simply made better, was less likely to shrink if it got wet,and the old hats were put together better. But you have a rare size for vintage. So, if you want to go with fur felt, your price tag goes up. Best buy for the money is an Akubra brand hat. They are tough and, if ordered online from Australian websights (like Hats Direct and Everything Australian), the price will generally stay in the $100 USD range with shipping. Akubra makes many kinds of hats. Stateside, I recommend Miller Hats. Their stock is made by Biltmore, and they have more dress hat styles than Akubra. However, they aren't as durable and they cost more.

Hope that was helpful (if long-winded). Happy Hunting.
NB

 

[Dinerman]

hey! welcome to the lounge!

I'd go ebay-ing if I were you.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I went a-ebaying searching for just "7 5/8" and came up with a lot of ball caps and junk novelty hats. Did people just have smaller craniums two generations ago?

edit: thanks for the advice. I was thinking of getting one of these in acorn http://www.hatsdirect.com/cgi/products.cgi?view=63&returncat=Fedora+Hats&returnpage=0 would the acorn color approximate brown? Also would this be a more traditional style?

 

[Samsa]

As one "Arrested Development" fan to another, welcome to the Lounge!

 

[Dinerman]

I kind of like the big apple from arnold hatters in NY. It's at the bottom of the page at this site.

http://www.ahat.com/fedoras.htm

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Welcome to The Lounge, Mr. Loblaw. I am not a man, and I don't have a vast knowledge of hats, so I'm sorry I can't help you with picking the proper hat to match your new/old coats. However, I did want to just say hello, and welcome you to the lounge.
Pull up a stool, sit back and enjoy all that can be learned here. I look forward to more posts from you as well. It's always wonderful to have a new member in the community.
Welcome and Enjoy,
Daisy

 

[RBH]

I went a-ebaying searching for just "7 5/8" and came up with a lot of ball caps and junk novelty hats. Did people just have smaller craniums two generations ago?

Bob,
Instead of '7 5\8' try 'fedora 5\8' or 'stetson 5\8' or any of the other hat brands you may like.
Good luck !

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Welcome to the Lounge

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Thanks again, all.
I liked the Big Apple, and I also liked the Teardrop. I could not tell - but are the hats sold by Arnold Hatters G-8 made? I have trouble buying stuff from Asia that I do not associate with Asia.

Also - are there color cordination considerations that I should mind? Should your hat match belt, shoes etc?