Ask a question, get an answer

[trapp]

Seeking suggestions on what footwear best compliments quality flight jackets (a-1 or a-2's).

I'm guessing this has been answered on the forum, but I haven't found anything yet.

Thanks.

 

[Neophyte]

Well, you're in the "Hats" section, Trapp. The answer your looking for might be in the "General Attire" section. That said, I suspect that a pair of boots (leather is good) might be what you're looking for. Good luck!

 

[T Rick]

Not the great fashion plate here, but I wear flight jackets almost exclusively (Peacoat when it's really cold). I wear Bates Desert side zip boots a lot with my Cockpit current ASAF issue A2, and sometimes just some brown Bass casual shoes. Really, anything from Cowboy Boots to Sneakers (a nice pair od Converse Chuck Taylor's?) will work just fine. It's a versatile jacket, and can handle all but really dressy footwear IMHO. Now, off to the other section Neo suggested for some (probably better) other advice...

 

[zetwal]

I'm guessing this has been answered on the forum, but I haven't found anything yet.

There is harding anything related to "fashion" that has not been discussed here. No worries ... I'm sure you will find it shortly. Welcome aboard!

 

[fdwrench]

Hi,
I received my first hat an Akubra Sydney size eight. I have an adult size head and it is a little tight. I do have a hat Jack. Can it be stretched without destroying it? It seems to me that the leather would not stretch much.
Can you point me to some threads on stretching hats?
Thank you
Ed

 

[scottyrocks]

It should be stretchable to your liking if it is only 'a little tight.' New(er) hats can go safely up a full size (an eighth of an inch). I stretched an older hat two sizes (7 1/8 to 7 3/8) with no ill effects to the leather sweat. The crown had an unsightly bulge at the bottom, but it was wearable.

This hat has been completely reworked since this picture was taken. It was reblocked into a fedora. Resized, brim cut, new ribbon.

 

[trapp]

Sorry all for posting A-2 questions in the hat thread (new to this particular forum and learning my way around). I appreciate the responses. Off I go to 'general attire' where I belong. Enjoy the hats!

 

[danofarlington]

This hat has been completely reworked since this picture was taken. It was reblocked into a fedora. Resized, brim cut, new ribbon.

Why, what was wrong with it the way it was?

 

[scottyrocks]

Why, what was wrong with it the way it was?

Ive had a couple of people ask me that. Not much, only that I wasnt wearing it. Im still not wearing it, so I probably shouldve left it alone.

 

[monbla256]

I was wondering what tool do you folks use to "bash" your hats.....

.... a Louisville Slugger bat or a 2x4 or what ? In the now 50 years of wearing hats ( both Western & Dress/Fedora's) and watching my father and grandfather get their hats worked on, I NEVER heard that term used to describe the process of shaping the crown of a hat until I came to this Forum
I was over at Peter Bros. this past week and asked Joe Peters about it and he said the first time he'd heard it was when a younger guy came in looking for an open crown Fedora last year.
I've been looking at as much written reference material on hat making as I can find and find the terms "blocking" & "creasing" used in reference to the shaping of the crown, but not "bash" .
If this has been answered before, please direct me to where I might find the reference

Onward thru the fog

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

I believe that the term "bash" is more popular in Australia and England than it is in America. In America "crease" or "dent" is used more often from what I can tell.

 

[Tomasso]

I thought it was a term invented here on the FLounge.

 

[zetwal]

I thought it was a term invented here on the FLounge.

I think it's been around and in use (in certain places) for a long time.

 

[eto]

So just starting with hats, I have a fedora which Im loving, purchased here in nyc at JJ Hats. I was so exciting when I was in the store, which by the way was so awesome. I didn't get a chance to ask how to store my hat. I plan on wearing it a lot especially now the weather is chilly.
So I have very limited space , I think I live in toy land. So to keep the hat safe I put up a nail in my closet wall and hung the hat on it. I tried reading sticky's and all but couldn't find if this was bad for the hat. Should I try and make room on my closet shelf and set the hat flat on the shelf with the front of the brim hanging off a little.
Also where can I get a decent hat brush, Im not sure if JJ hats had them , I was sort of spaced out by everything just trying to take as much as I could in the store.

Thanks for any advise given.

 

[zetwal]

Also where can I get a decent hat brush, Im not sure if JJ hats had them , I was sort of spaced out by everything just trying to take as much as I could in the store.

I think most any habberashery will have brushes. If you want something inexpensive, the soft horse hair Kiwi shoe brushes sold in many corner stores and pharmacies work quite well.

 

[eto]

Thanks zetwal , I will check out some stores. What about putting up the nail in my closet wall and hagging the hat on it. Is this a bad option?

 

[Tomasso]

What about putting up the nail in my closet wall and hagging the hat on it.

I've done that with no deleterious effects.

 

[scottyrocks]

I dont like the nail option only because it can leave indentations on whatever parts of the sweatband are resting on it.

If its a snap brim, snap up the front and put it almost anywhere.

If its not a snap brim, you can put it down the way you described with the front hanging off. But they start to take up a lot of shelf space that way.

I use one of these. Ive found it to be best as far as using only space that would be otherwise be unused. It also distributes the the weight of the hat evenly. Theres no brim-shape-changing pressure on the outer edge of the brim, and certainly nothing to distort the sweatband.

 

[Gumbo Book]

I dont like the nail option only because it can leave indentations on whatever parts of the sweatband are resting on it.

If its a snap brim, snap up the front and put it almost anywhere.

If its not a snap brim, you can put it down the way you described with the front hanging off. But they start to take up a lot of shelf space that way.

I use one of these. Ive found it to be best as far as using only space that would be otherwise be unused. It also distributes the the weight of the hat evenly. Theres no brim-shape-changing pressure on the outer edge of the brim, and certainly nothing to distort the sweatband.

I like this storage method scottyrocks, first time I have seen this. ( Also, I think the term Bash comes from our side of the water, as we don't have as many styles of creases as you do in the states ) In Lock % co in London it was explained to me that the centre dent was "bashed" with a chop of the side of the hand rather than working the centre crease as I've seen done at PetersBros. If you find a different crease style in the UK it's more than likely ( imo ) to be unfluenced by the crease styles from the states from the 40's onward. " And years before that cowboy hat creases at the turn of the last century" I have a freind in Sydney who informs me that many of the early-early Akubras were very very similiar to the early hats from America. Centre Dents ( as far as I know ) were not used in the UK untill the end of the 19th century an import from Europe to begin with. Possibly Germany or Austria ( which in turn was imported to the states during migration )

Of course, I could possibly be wrong. I've look at lots of literature in Stockport Uk on this, but as is in most cases, there is so little text on the stuff these days.

( the only tool that I know of to crease is a pre formed crease block used on open crowned hats ?)

Fascinating stuff.

Gumbobook.

 

[Mr Vim]

Does anyone own a green or sage fur felt fedora? I was perusing the magazine scans the other day and saw how often a green fedora popped up... so if anyone has one, how do they like it? Any thoughts would be appreciated.