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fluteplayer07

One Too Many
Messages
1,844
Location
Michigan
Fitting an old pug on a new hat

One of my first 'real' hats was a Tilley fedora (in retrospect, not a very good use of $140, but what's done is done), and I was tired of the self-band that took place of a ribbon. So I ripped the band off the hat, and I bought a vintage 'pug to put on in its stead. But there was on problem that I did not anticipate; that the hat is so tapered the pug does not wrap smoothly around the crown. The top half is loose and not flush with the crown, and the bottom is stretched tightly around the hat. I don't know of any way to remedy the problem, except wasting money to have the crown reblocked to a boxier shape. Any ideas?
 

Wolfmanjack

Practically Family
Messages
547
fluteplayer07 said:
One of my first 'real' hats was a Tilley fedora (in retrospect, not a very good use of $140, but what's done is done), and I was tired of the self-band that took place of a ribbon. So I ripped the band off the hat, and I bought a vintage 'pug to put on in its stead. But there was on problem that I did not anticipate; that the hat is so tapered the pug does not wrap smoothly around the crown. The top half is loose and not flush with the crown, and the bottom is stretched tightly around the hat. I don't know of any way to remedy the problem, except wasting money to have the crown reblocked to a boxier shape. Any ideas?

Flute, you might consider blocking the hat yourself. You might be able to find a pot or bowl or bucket around the house that is close to the size and shape you want. It's usually OK if the block is just a little larger than your head. I've even used the end of a log from the woodpile.

Wet down the Tilley, pop it on the block, and wait until it is nearly dry. Then, take it off the block and put it on your head and wear it until it is bone dry. Presto, you've got a new hat.

Hint: Cover the block with cling wrap before you put the hat on it. This will prevent any dye transfer from the log to the hat and the hat will slip off the block more easily.

Have fun!
 

fluteplayer07

One Too Many
Messages
1,844
Location
Michigan
Wolfmanjack said:
Flute, you might consider blocking the hat yourself. You might be able to find a pot or bowl or bucket around the house that is close to the size and shape you want. It's usually OK if the block is just a little larger than your head. I've even used the end of a log from the woodpile.

Wet down the Tilley, pop it on the block, and wait until it is nearly dry. Then, take it off the block and put it on your head and wear it until it is bone dry. Presto, you've got a new hat.

Hint: Cover the block with cling wrap before you put the hat on it. This will prevent any dye transfer from the log to the hat and the hat will slip off the block more easily.

Have fun!


I'd do that, but there's one catch. The geniuses who designed it made it so the liner was sewn directly to the felt, with no visible seams for me to cut. No sweat, either. It's just a thicker wad of the same fabric (think microfiber) sewn over the bottom of the 'liner'. Would it still work?

And edit: the brim is some sort of weird 'reinforced' fur felt material. Hard to describe to anyone unless they've handled it. The best way to think of it is that it feels like furry cardboard, in terms of weight and flexibility. It would warp by trying to reblock it. It warps by putting it on my own fat noggin!
 

Neophyte

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,445
Location
Chattanooga, TN
I was interested in starting a thread about hat-wearing and its inconveniences. The general idea is that I'm interested in hearing if hat-wearing has ever proved an inconvenience (this is not to be a "Dumbest Comments" or "Insults I Received Today" thread). I love wearing my hats, but there are some things I've had to trade, like my expensive Bose headphones lol. It's more of a "Has Wearing Your Hat Ever Held Ya Back?" idea of mine.

Would a topic of this type be taboo? Is it even solid enough of a concept to start a thread about?
 

HTID Raver

New in Town
Messages
6
Location
earth
question...

hi! I'm trying to find a hat but i don't know exactly what its called...


it looks a bit like a newsboy cap but its bigger on top,

one of the members here has him wearing this hat as his avatar but i don't know whats its called!

if anyone could help i would appreciate it alot!



thank you!
 

Lefty

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,639
Location
O-HI-O
It's probably just the cut. Going by names of styles won't get you far, as they vary. You want a full or extra full cut. One maker's extra full is another's regular. Check out this thread and this threadfor lots of examples.
 

BlackBrim

Familiar Face
Messages
99
Location
AZ
HTID Raver said:
hi! I'm trying to find a hat but i don't know exactly what its called...


it looks a bit like a newsboy cap but its bigger on top,
It's sometimes referred to as an big apple cap
 

BlackBrim

Familiar Face
Messages
99
Location
AZ
Neophyte said:
I was interested in starting a thread about hat-wearing and its inconveniences. The general idea is that I'm interested in hearing if hat-wearing has ever proved an inconvenience (this is not to be a "Dumbest Comments" or "Insults I Received Today" thread). I love wearing my hats, but there are some things I've had to trade, like my expensive Bose headphones lol. It's more of a "Has Wearing Your Hat Ever Held Ya Back?" idea of mine.

Would a topic of this type be taboo? Is it even solid enough of a concept to start a thread about?
Starting a thread about hat wearing inconveniences sounds like an interesting idea.I don't think it would be taboo.I also love wearing my hats.But sometimes there are inconveniences.For example,I drive a convertible so I have concerns about my hat blowing away.I've also experienced inconvenience with headphone use.
 

Rat Pack

One of the Regulars
Messages
115
Location
Pacific NW, Seattle area.
Is there a thread covering hat erminology and styles/names?

Stingy, Stratoliner, Fedora, welt, bash, crease etc....

I haven't been able to find a thread covering terminology.

Answers to questions like what makes a fedora a fedora. I see tons of hats that don't look very similar all named a fedora.

Is there a "hat dictionary" thread and I just haven't found it?
 

Rat Pack

One of the Regulars
Messages
115
Location
Pacific NW, Seattle area.
Is there a thread covering hat terminology and styles/names?

Stingy, Stratoliner, Fedora, welt, bash, crease etc....

I haven't been able to find a thread covering terminology.

Answers to questions like what makes a fedora a fedora. I see tons of hats that don't look very similar all named a fedora.

Is there a "hat dictionary" thread and I just haven't found it?
 

danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
BlackBrim said:
Starting a thread about hat wearing inconveniences sounds like an interesting idea.I don't think it would be taboo.I also love wearing my hats.But sometimes there are inconveniences.For example,I drive a convertible so I have concerns about my hat blowing away.I've also experienced inconvenience with headphone use.
I hate how my hats wrinkle up in bed at night. Every morning I have to reblock the one I wore.
 

Lefty

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,639
Location
O-HI-O
Rat Pack said:
Stingy, Stratoliner, Fedora, welt, bash, crease etc....

Is there a "hat dictionary" thread and I just haven't found it?

No, and probably with good reason. The thread would stray, as they tend to do, and answer nothing - much like the Felt Hat Basics thread. Also, many terms, while not totally subjective, have quite a bit of wiggle room in them. If you need a particular term defined, just ask here.

As to the ones you've got:

Stingy refers to brim width and is generally accepted to mean a brim 2" or less.

Stratoliner is a particular model once (and maybe soon again?) made by Stetson. There's a thread called the Stratoliner Society with plenty of photos to give you an idea of the model.

Welt refers to one way that the end of a brim is finished - sometimes called the brim treatment. A brim's edge can be (a) raw - the felt just ends where it has been cut, (b) bound with a ribbon, (c) welted - the edge of the brim is either flipped upward (overwelt) or downward (underwelt) and sewn (sometimes, but rarely, glued), (d) self-felted - read the thread in the Start Here section about the Cavanagh (a particular brand's) edge - though this is no longer done due to the prohibitive cost in manufacturing.

Crease/bash are the same, though there's plenty of debate as to whether or not bash is ever appropriate, as bash is not a hatter's term, but something that arose from various Indiana-Jones-fan discussions and/or Australians. Both refer to the shape given to the crown (the part that extends upward) of the hat. Often, this will refer to a hand-shaped crown, whereas a hat that is blocked (the felt is pulled down over a wood block to form the shape of the crown) may or may not be said to have a particular crease/bash but, instead, a particular block. There are an endless number of shapes that can be given to a crown.

Fedora - good luck with that one. Aside from having a crown and a brim, there's no agreement here on that.
 

Rat Pack

One of the Regulars
Messages
115
Location
Pacific NW, Seattle area.
Thanks Lefty.

So most of the names I see are Models, not necessarily styles. That makes a little more sense now why so many of them look the same but are called something different. Glad the whole fedora thing is like you said, I was starting feel a little (more) stupid. :eusa_doh:

I am only up to page 7 or so in the hat threads, so I am sure I'll pick up a few more in due time.

Thanks again.
 

fluteplayer07

One Too Many
Messages
1,844
Location
Michigan
If I am not mistaken, isn't wearing brown and black in the same ensemble rather faux pas? In that case, can one pair a blue pinstripe suit, black shoes, grey topcoat, and a medium to dark brown fedora? I'll check all the ref. pics in the suits thread later, but I'm pressed for time so I'll just ask here for now.

Thanks,
 

Borsalino Fan

Familiar Face
Messages
66
Location
USA
Hat protocol..Borsalino

Hi...

Here's my question. I'm American but live in Italy. I brought several beautiful, vintage Borsalino's with me , as I love wearing them. A couple of Italian friends here have told me " Nobody wears those anymore ..hats are from the 50's."!!! I am shocked!! First of all, , Borsalino is an Italian company ..with a Borsalino shop in every town. My friends further told me that it's only old men, Cuban drug dealers and "Italian criminal types" ..(I won't mention the word here)..who still wear a Borsalino ..or any hat for that matter. WHAT?? Can anyone please tell me if I should feel out of place with my hats ..especially in a country that is SUPPOSED to know good fashion?? I can understand this attitude in the USA where they think a baseball cap is high style...but HERE in ITALY?? THANK YOU


Lefty said:
This seems to work on other sites, so I figure that it deserves a shot here.

If you've got a quick hat question and don't see a thread for it, just post it here. Whether the question is about cleaning, anatomy of a hat, brands, etc., this is the place.

Here's one to break the ice.
1919-1940ArentsCigaretteCards.jpg
1919-1940ArentsCigaretteCardsback.jpg
 

Borsalino Fan

Familiar Face
Messages
66
Location
USA
With that ensemble I'd suggest grey or black for the hat . NOT any shade of brown!


fluteplayer07 said:
If I am not mistaken, isn't wearing brown and black in the same ensemble rather faux pas? In that case, can one pair a blue pinstripe suit, black shoes, grey topcoat, and a medium to dark brown fedora? I'll check all the ref. pics in the suits thread later, but I'm pressed for time so I'll just ask here for now.

Thanks,
 

danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
Borsalino Fan said:
Hi...

Here's my question. I'm American but live in Italy. I brought several beautiful, vintage Borsalino's with me , as I love wearing them. A couple of Italian friends here have told me " Nobody wears those anymore ..hats are from the 50's."!!! I am shocked!! First of all, , Borsalino is an Italian company ..with a Borsalino shop in every town. My friends further told me that it's only old men, Cuban drug dealers and "Italian criminal types" ..(I won't mention the word here)..who still wear a Borsalino ..or any hat for that matter. WHAT?? Can anyone please tell me if I should feel out of place with my hats ..especially in a country that is SUPPOSED to know good fashion?? I can understand this attitude in the USA where they think a baseball cap is high style...but HERE in ITALY?? THANK YOU
I'm a big Borsalino fan also, albeit here in the U.S. I think we have a case where contrary to past decades, fashion moves from West to East. So American fashions including vintage clothing, after catching on here, are being picked up in Europe. Perhaps in Italy hats carry the baggage of being associated with decades past or with criminal elements, but here they are increasingly cool. It is ironic that Americans are the ones demanding Italian hats in Italy. I think the ultimate defense is if one looks good in his hats--that answers everything. Maybe the Italians think you should be wearing baggy pants or kooky fashions and are surprised when you don't. But maybe you'll change their minds. I see a number of European lounge members, and no doubt they know better than me on this question. I would like to hear from them.
 

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