An Introduction, and how to achieve this style...

[bombayjack]

Hi everyone,

I'll introduce myself very briefly. I'm 24 years old and have always had a passion for dressing with a certain flourish and style that goes somewhat against the grain. I have been lurking for about a week now and decided to sign up and start posting, because first and foremost you guys have such a great community.

Now, onto the hat question -- I realize this isn't exactly from the "golden era" (perhaps a decade or two after it), but how can you go wrong with one of the coolest guys ever to grace this world with his presence? Of course, I mean the Chairman:

Now, I have the same body type as Sinatra... kind of tall and wiry with somewhat of a small face. I feel like a hat with a larger brim would overpower my head, so I really like this smaller brim style with the wide ribbon -- and I even like the color.

If you can't tell by now, I know very little about fedoras, but I'm willing to learn. I would love to have a hat very similar to the one pictured as my first hat, so I guess my question is this: Is there a particular name for this style (smaller brim, certain dent in the crown, etc)? I know of Borsalino, but I don't think I'd be willing to spend that much money. Are there other brands that I can achieve a similar look without breaking the bank?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to learning a lot more.

 

[Wil Tam]

Welcome!

I think that you'll enjoy hanging out here for your education .. you're looking for stingy brim [1 3/4" - 2 1/4"] .. you may want to check out some eBay auctions for a vintage lid, you'll definitely find a deal there .. what is your hat size?

 

[bombayjack]

I think that you'll enjoy hanging out here for your education .. you're looking for stingy brim [1 3/4" - 2 1/4"] .. you may want to check out some eBay auctions for a vintage lid, you'll definitely find a deal there .. what is your hat size?

Stingy! Gotcha.

My hat size... well, I'm probably going to embarrass myself here, but all I have to go by is baseball caps. I wear a 7 3/8. That usually fits nice and snug and comfortable.

Any certain brands I might want to look at?

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Welcome, 'jack.

Stetson, Dobbs, Knox, Adam, Lee and Champ are just a few of the brands that are usually dependable quality-wise in vintage hats.

To play it safe, use a flexible cloth measuring tape and wrap it around your head about 1/4" + above the ears and about 1" above the eyebrows. Or use a string and then lay that on a yardstick. Anyway, once you know your head size in inches, you can contact Ebay sellers and ask them to provide measurements of the inside circumference of a hat you're interested in. Occasionally old hats that are marked as 7-3/8, for instance, have tightened up with age to an actual smaller size.

I like vintage hat auctions. I have collected many nice old lids for around $30 to $40 each but in the quality category they are actually better than modern new hats costing $150 to $200.

Develop your own keyword searches and check every day. You'll find something - - or as in my case, several somethings.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Oh yeah, and sorry to say that your prices may be higher if you are the large-ish size you mentioned. I'm lucky to wear a size 7 and since they didn't grow people as big back in the day, there's an abundance of those but not as many larger sizes.

 

[Wil Tam]

**

oops sorry .. i just realized .. thanks for the heads up gene!! jack, just go to ebay & type in fedoras 7 3/8 for the search ... also take genes' advice and measure your head before you do anything else!

stetson, knox, adams, lee, dobbs & usually anything italian like umm... borsalino!


good luck!

 

[Andykev]

Welcom to HATS

Welcome to the Lounge.

You are lucky.

If you want the style of hat Frankie wore in in the pic you posted..there are a TON of them available on Ebay and other sources.

This type of hat is a FEDORA, and is commonly referred to as a "stingy brim", which means the brim is under two (2) inches. Typically this hat style has a brim of about 1 7/8 or so.

Stetson is the best example. There are a lot out there. Here on the LOUNGE, many folks prefer the much wider 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inch brims...more common to the 1930 - 1940's era.

Enjoy the Lounge..and buy that hat..check out Ebay, and a LOT of vendors.

I can recommend ART Fawcett here on the Lounge if you want a specific hat color, brim, crown height, ribbon trim..etc.

The sky is the limit!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Whoops! Will, you're not supposed to link to a live auction here. You might want to do the edit before the bartender does anyway.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Welcome to the Lounge!

If you want a hat like the one in the photo, keep your eyes open for an early-'60s Cavanagh, as that's exactly what you're looking at in the photo. Your hat size won't necessarily be inexpensive, but the '60s Cavanaghs don't go for quite as much as earlier ones, so you're in luck there.

Brad