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[Frunobulax]

What is the exact hat Matthew Rhys wears as Perry Mason? I have a friend who is ripe for fedora addiction but insists he will only wear the exact hat. Actually he might even mean the actual individual hat being used for filming but I am hoping the exact manufacturer and model might win him over

You've asked a question that may not havean adequate answer. Hollywood productions sometimes use old props from the past, sometimes commission new hats from well-known (or not so well-known) wardrobe professionals, or possibly just grab something off the shelf.

The Blacklist is a good example of the latter, where Spader settled on Borsalinos as his hat of choice.

I did find an interview with Matthew Rhys about the first season but it's not very helpful. The article is here: https://collider.com/perry-mason-matthew-rhys-interview/

He talks about his hat in this interview, but it's not about what the hat actually is.

 

[belfastboy]

You've asked a question that may not havean adequate answer. Hollywood productions sometimes use old props from the past, sometimes commission new hats from well-known (or not so well-known) wardrobe professionals, or possibly just grab something off the shelf.

The Blacklist is a good example of the latter, where Spader settled on Borsalinos as his hat of choice.

I did find an interview with Matthew Rhys about the first season but it's not very helpful. The article is here: https://collider.com/perry-mason-matthew-rhys-interview/

He talks about his hat in this interview, but it's not about what the hat actually is.

Art Fawcett before his hatting days ran a vintage clothing store with a large vintage hat inventory. He did a lot of business with Hollywood movie shoots renting clothing and hats. The hats would come back having been used and abused and he would have to repair them before the next rental. It made no sense to send them out to a hatter for repair so taught himself. So I agree, who knows where the P Mason hat came from.

 

[Prydonian]

I need to get a Panama resized, possibly reblocked. The only shop I know that has exactly the block I need is in the UK, and I’d really like to find one in the US so I don’t have to send it quite so far! Can anyone recommend a hatter?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I need to get a Panama resized, possibly reblocked. The only shop I know that has exactly the block I need is in the UK, and I’d really like to find one in the US so I don’t have to send it quite so far! Can anyone recommend a hatter?

The website doesn’t have much, but give the shop a call. The hatter can do a lot more than what you’ll see in the website.

https://www.northwesthats.com/


You can also reach out to Gomez:

http://gomezhatcompany.com/index.html

 

[Prydonian]

The website doesn’t have much, but give the shop a call. The hatter can do a lot more than what you’ll see in the website.

https://www.northwesthats.com/


You can also reach out to Gomez:

http://gomezhatcompany.com/index.html

Thanks very much, I appreciate it enormously. I’ll reach out to both of them tomorrow.

 

[mark_m]

In shopping for older hats, how much can size be adjusted? For instance I'm generally a 7 1/4, possibly a 7 5/16. If I find something that's a 7 1/8 or 7 3/8, can they be made to fit? Is it easier to stretch larger than somehow make smaller?

 

[belfastboy]

In shopping for older hats, how much can size be adjusted? For instance I'm generally a 7 1/4, possibly a 7 5/16. If I find something that's a 7 1/8 or 7 3/8, can they be made to fit? Is it easier to stretch larger than somehow make smaller?

My experience is attempting to stretch a hat anymore than just a nudge larger does not work satisfactorily. You are more likely to have success putting in shims/spacers behind the sweat band to reduce a 7 3/8" to fit. Going up a full size from 7 1/8 to 7 1/4" entails you stretching the hat 3/8". All sweat bands have plastic reeds in the sweat band so while you can stretch the felt, stretch the leather you will not get the reed to stretch much and if you do manage to stretch it that much you likely distort the crown and the brim ending up with a hat that doesn't fit and looks weird.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

In shopping for older hats, how much can size be adjusted? For instance I'm generally a 7 1/4, possibly a 7 5/16. If I find something that's a 7 1/8 or 7 3/8, can they be made to fit? Is it easier to stretch larger than somehow make smaller?

I’ve ruined a couple nice vintage sweatbands by trying to stretch hats. If a hat fits, but is just a slight bit tight, I can usually successfully nudge the size. Others report success stretching hats full sizes, but that has not been my experience. As for padding/shimming a larger hat to fit: that’s a personal decision. I don’t like it, but then it’s extremely rare that I come across a hat that is too big for me.

 

[mark_m]

Thanks for the answers. All makes sense. Looking at vintage hats online it's helpful to know what the parameters are. Most new hats I try on work in a 7 1/4, but occasionally a 7 3/8 is the better fit. I think I'm probably a 7 5/16... Some hats are tagged as 7 1/4 but seller will say it's kind of a tight 7 1/4 and maybe more 7 1/8 - 7 1/4. I guess those are the ones I'm wondering about stretching a bit, and I suppose there's one way to find out

 

[wsmontana]

Thanks for the answers. All makes sense. Looking at vintage hats online it's helpful to know what the parameters are. Most new hats I try on work in a 7 1/4, but occasionally a 7 3/8 is the better fit. I think I'm probably a 7 5/16... Some hats are tagged as 7 1/4 but seller will say it's kind of a tight 7 1/4 and maybe more 7 1/8 - 7 1/4. I guess those are the ones I'm wondering about stretching a bit, and I suppose there's one way to find out

I don’t have as much experience as others but I’m finding that older (1960s or earlier) felt hats with leather sweatbands almost always have shrunken due to age. The more the hat is dirty and exposed to the elements the more shrinking will have occurred. As others have said, the risk for permanent damage increases the more you try to stretch. If you are a true 7 1/4, I suggest you focus on 7 1/4 and 7 3/8 hats. The 7 1/4 hats could be tight but the risk is lower to stretch it back to its original size (say up to 1/8” in circumference).

Take your time on the stretching process and get a feel for what the hat is able to give back to you. Good luck!

Bill

 

[Rmccamey]

I don’t have as much experience as others but I’m finding that older (1960s or earlier) felt hats with leather sweatbands almost always have shrunken due to age.

That is consistent with my experience with '20s to 40's bowlers. I don't know if environmental factors played a role, or whether sizing and measuring where slightly different during that period, but old bowlers tend to run small. Again, just my experience.

 

[mark_m]

I don’t have as much experience as others but I’m finding that older (1960s or earlier) felt hats with leather sweatbands almost always have shrunken due to age. The more the hat is dirty and exposed to the elements the more shrinking will have occurred. As others have said, the risk for permanent damage increases the more you try to stretch. If you are a true 7 1/4, I suggest you focus on 7 1/4 and 7 3/8 hats. The 7 1/4 hats could be tight but the risk is lower to stretch it back to its original size (say up to 1/8” in circumference).

Take your time on the stretching process and get a feel for what the hat is able to give back to you. Good luck!

Bill

Thanks, will see what comes in the mail and go from there Leather might stretch more when wet although I know if you heat it too much when wet you can pretty well destroy it...

 

[Frunobulax]

Thanks, will see what comes in the mail and go from there Leather might stretch more when wet although I know if you heat it too much when wet you can pretty well destroy it...

I think wetting is a bad idea, period. You're really riding the line if you do that.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thanks, will see what comes in the mail and go from there Leather might stretch more when wet although I know if you heat it too much when wet you can pretty well destroy it...

I wouldn’t try wetting it.

 

[belfastboy]

I wouldn’t try wetting it.

I loved cowboy & indian movies as a kid. I remember seeing wetted rawhide wrapped around the throat of a bad guy and then leaving him in the sun for the leather to shrink and slowly choke him.

 

[Blare]

I think wetting is a bad idea, period. You're really riding the line if you do that.

I wouldn’t try wetting it.

I loved cowboy & indian movies as a kid. I remember seeing wetted rawhide wrapped around the throat of a bad guy and then leaving him in the sun for the leather to shrink and slowly choke him.

I havn‘t tried any stretching other than via my own head. But I will say this as far as my experience with vintage sweatbands. The only otherwise seemingly healthy ones I have seen deteriorate right in front of me have been where I managed to sweat profusely through the front only to watch it shrivel up into A raisin almost immediately afterwards.

 

[mark_m]

I loved cowboy & indian movies as a kid. I remember seeing wetted rawhide wrapped around the throat of a bad guy and then leaving him in the sun for the leather to shrink and slowly choke him.

So fun! Rawhide does expand and shrink tremendously with water. I made some big drums using rawhide that way when I was young. We used to soak cowboy boots and wear them wet for a couple days to break them in. Leather can be stretched when wet. Still might not be a great idea with a hat, understood. But if you wet it, hold it in a stretch as it dries, it will stay at the stretched length. At least that's been my experience (with things other than hats). If you heat wet leather enough you can turn it into a somewhat brittle and useless hard plastic-like substance. When I did leather crafting as a kid you could use this fact as a technique to make stamps, by embossing a small piece of leather with a pattern, while wet, then put it in the oven and it hardens such that you can impress that pattern into other soft leather. I can't believe I even remember that, from when I was maybe 10, 60 years ago, but I'm lucky now if I can remember 60 minutes ago

 

[mark_m]

I havn‘t tried any stretching other than via my own head. But I will say this as far as my experience with vintage sweatbands. The only otherwise seemingly healthy ones I have seen deteriorate right in front of me have been where I managed to sweat profusely through the front only to watch it shrivel up into A raisin almost immediately afterwards.

Another factor there is salt. Salt really wreaks havoc with leather. I remember when my friend bought a beautiful old Mercedes with soft leather seats. He visited while we were at a cottage on the Outer Banks and left the windows open overnight. Salty mist soaked the front seats and they dried stiff and cracked terribly when he sat on them. Tragic...

 

[Frunobulax]

So fun! Rawhide does expand and shrink tremendously with water. I made some big drums using rawhide that way when I was young. We used to soak cowboy boots and wear them wet for a couple days to break them in. Leather can be stretched when wet. Still might not be a great idea with a hat, understood. But if you wet it, hold it in a stretch as it dries, it will stay at the stretched length. At least that's been my experience (with things other than hats). If you heat wet leather enough you can turn it into a somewhat brittle and useless hard plastic-like substance. When I did leather crafting as a kid you could use this fact as a technique to make stamps, by embossing a small piece of leather with a pattern, while wet, then put it in the oven and it hardens such that you can impress that pattern into other soft leather. I can't believe I even remember that, from when I was maybe 10, 60 years ago, but I'm lucky now if I can remember 60 minutes ago

Most of our experience is with leather sweatbands in vintage hats that may be 50, 60, 70+ years old. The properties of such leather are assumed to be different than the "fresh" leather you have likely worked with. Vintage leather sweats are especially mercurial. Some will survive Noah's flood; others will shrivel if it gets foggy outside.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

So fun! Rawhide does expand and shrink tremendously with water. I made some big drums using rawhide that way when I was young. We used to soak cowboy boots and wear them wet for a couple days to break them in. Leather can be stretched when wet. Still might not be a great idea with a hat, understood. But if you wet it, hold it in a stretch as it dries, it will stay at the stretched length. At least that's been my experience (with things other than hats). If you heat wet leather enough you can turn it into a somewhat brittle and useless hard plastic-like substance. When I did leather crafting as a kid you could use this fact as a technique to make stamps, by embossing a small piece of leather with a pattern, while wet, then put it in the oven and it hardens such that you can impress that pattern into other soft leather. I can't believe I even remember that, from when I was maybe 10, 60 years ago, but I'm lucky now if I can remember 60 minutes ago

Vintage sweatbands can look great, feel comfortable, and give you years of careful use. However, they have often deteriorated and moisture reveals the damage that is there. The water doesn’t “cause” the damage, but the water can take a serviceable and good looking leather sweatband and turn it into an unwearable shriveled mess.