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[Redfokker]

HCA never used it, as far as I know, and it's not until the 1970s or 1980s that Garland began putting it on former HCA brands.

Brad
~The Hatted Professor

I think your website is where I got the 1972 idea. But then, a 1972 hat has so many other issues to deal with, the little "r" is just the beginning!

 

[Zombie_61]

Hi there,

I'm Daniel from Hamburg, Germany and I'm new in this nice forum.

Last week i bought my first Borsalino. A nice blue Fedora. I instantly fell in love with this nice hat. But I guess I'm a bit pedantic with it so I always check if it has a perfect shape and so on. I steamed it three times already, haha. Regarding this i have a question: Is steaming bad if you do it quite often? I really try to stop it now and accept little unevennesses. I guess you all have some unevennesses in your hat since fur felt hats are a natural product?

Thanks in advance.

Hello Daniel, and welcome to The Lounge! Speaking from personal experience, you'll enjoy your hats more once you accept the fact that they are, and always will be, imperfect. Think of them as you do the people in your life that you care about--their imperfections give them character, make them unique, and make them who (or in this case, what) they are. There's nothing wrong with occasionally "improving" the shape of the crown or brim, but once you learn to embrace the imperfections you'll truly appreciate your hats for what they are.

How many makes an orphanage? I fear I'm at least at the wayward boys' home stage.

Pffft. I only have eight hats so far, and already it seems at times like I'm trying to herd cats.

 

[PJT]

Does anyone here know what make and model of fedora musician Roger McGuinn wears onstage? It's a black fedora with a wide black ribbon and a fairly wide brim.
On McGuinn's blog there's an entry noting that back in 2012, he headed out on the road and forgot his hat. He stopped in at Hats Plus in Chicago and picked up a replacement.
Looking at the Hats-Plus.com web site, it looks like McGuinn's hat might be the Bailey Dynafelt Bogart Fedora, but I'm not sure if the brim is wide enough.

As I understand, it's a Stetson....maybe the Temple.

 

[Redfokker]

As I understand, it's a Stetson....maybe the Temple.

I can't imagine it is anything less than a higher end Stetson. He kinda has the funds to afford a better hat than any Bailey.

 

[DVNO]

Thank you all for your warm replies. It helped me a lot. I'll try to add a picture of my new hat soon.

 

[Frunobulax]

As I understand, it's a Stetson....maybe the Temple.

Difficult to tell; could be a lot of things. I don't think it's a Temple, however. The brim doesn't look dimensional. You should call HatsPlus and ask them!

 

[emigran]

I have a choice between 50's era Borsalino and the same era in a St Regis Stetson. Both hats are priced about the same, both in excellent quality. Online purchase so I cannot touch the actual hats.
Opinions please; what hat offers the best felt? Is it a toss-up or is one superior to the other?

Easy...buy 'em both, of course...!!!

 

[belfastboy]

Easy...buy 'em both, of course...!!!

Trust me, that thought has crossed my mind a few times in these past days but am working real hard at weaning off my buying compulsion.....damn but it is hard.

 

[Bigger Don]

OK...I'm still in year 1 of being a hat wearer. One thing I didn't consider prior to my first hat was these things basically have 2 seasons: Felt & Straw.

At this point I'm still trying to add a couple of more felts to the mix before I need Straws, including at least a couple-few Panamas.

Third thing: I'm a cheap SOB and have learned to buy off-season to save a few dollars.

Are Panamas less expensive now and for the next month or so than they will be in April/May/June when the Panama & other straw season is on the rise?

 

[Frunobulax]

OK...I'm still in year 1 of being a hat wearer. One thing I didn't consider prior to my first hat was these things basically have 2 seasons: Felt & Straw.

At this point I'm still trying to add a couple of more felts to the mix before I need Straws, including at least a couple-few Panamas.

Third thing: I'm a cheap SOB and have learned to buy off-season to save a few dollars.

Are Panamas less expensive now and for the next month or so than they will be in April/May/June when the Panama & other straw season is on the rise?

Not new ones, unless there's a sale. You might get better deals on the Bay, because folks aren't thinking straw, tho.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[belfastboy]

OK...I'm still in year 1 of being a hat wearer. One thing I didn't consider prior to my first hat was these things basically have 2 seasons: Felt & Straw.

At this point I'm still trying to add a couple of more felts to the mix before I need Straws, including at least a couple-few Panamas.

Third thing: I'm a cheap SOB and have learned to buy off-season to save a few dollars.

Are Panamas less expensive now and for the next month or so than they will be in April/May/June when the Panama & other straw season is on the rise?

I am with you. I am off to Seattle after Christmas and on the lookout for a linen newsboy cap on sale.

 

[Bigger Don]

Not new ones, unless there's a sale. You might get better deals on the Bay, because folks aren't thinking straw, tho.

Hmmmm....after dinner and a couple of bourbons...

I think we're on the same wavelength, at least in part. I think Ebay is a venue where some retailers might dump stock to boost current cash flow.

As to "new" I think of three different categories:

• Left over production from last season, Selling this off now would take it out of competition for the new "models".
• New production for the coming season. There might have a "before the season" discount to retailers, building stocks, and thus making possible a pre-season sale that gins up interest.
• New custom. Hmmm....if I were a hatmaker I might find the skills for straw and felt are a bit different, so in March, when temps are moderating I might push straws when felt demand is falling.

Just thoughts.

 

[Bigger Don]

I am with you. I am off to Seattle after Christmas and on the lookout for a linen newsboy cap on sale.

Thanks...and enjoy the trip.

I think I'm going to head down to Batsake's next week, between Christmas and the New Year.

I've gotten comfortable with wearing hats. Caps are "different" in my mind, but I'm sure I can make the leap. I'm a sucker for tweed.

 

[pedestrian]

Salutations folks,
I am in the market for a new hat. I have decided to invest in a sturdy rain/sun hat. I am getting confused over the different options. My web-research kept crossing over the fedora lounge, so I decided to sign up for a membership and get some help.

I am legally blind and walk as many places as I can (hence the user-name). While walking, when I reach an intersection, I listen to the movement of the traffic to identify the best (least worse) time to cross. I find that hoods impede the sounds to either side and slightly behind. Because it is ideal to cross when the parallel traffic starts moving, and they will be starting from my side and slightly behind my position at the edge of the cross-walk, this muffling is undesirable. I could use an umbrella, but I already have a white cane in one hand, and would have no hands left for socially inappropriate hand gestures when motorists stop right over my cross-walk. (but that is a rant for a different venue) Also, in heavy rain, the steady noise of the raindrops splattering against a hood or an umbrella can begin to drown out the sounds of approaching traffic.

A hat leaves the space around my ears open: and would have significantly less area than a hood or umbrella, which would reduce the splatter noise.

Currently, I just wear a baseball cap; which, of course, just soaks right through in the rain. I wear a baseball cap whenever it's warm enough that I don't need my ears covered. I keep the cap pulled low over my eyes to keep the glare and direct sun out of my face. I usually have the base of the brim resting at the top of my eyebrows. The open crown of a baseball cap can fit low on my head and run in the crook of my ears.

A few years ago, I did pick up a leather fedora (from barma I think) to wear when I had to put on a tie (like at outside job fairs when I was in college). It gets by, but I don't want to wear it in the rain, and I want to keep it clean for those emergency tie-wearing occasions.

I can get the front of the fedora to rest low on my forehead--about the same place as my baseball cap--but the top of my head is pressing against the top of the crown. When I'm required to wear a tie, the fedora is okay at keeping the sun out of my eyes, but I like the coverage the larger baseball bill provides.

I measured my baseball caps and fedora. The fedora brim is 2 1/2 inches (measured on the under-side from the inner edge of the crown to the outer lip of the brim in the front). Measuring the same way on a few of my baseball caps averages 3 inches (ranging from 2 7/8 to 3 1/4 inches).

The crown on my fedora is essentially flat. The sides don't appear to taper that I can tell from the brim to the peak. The peak is a flat surface, probably an oval if viewed from the top down. I measured the height of the crown by holding a tape-measure at the joint where the brim and crown meet, up to the edge of the peak. The hat band made it a little difficult, but it looks like 4 inches to me. As I said, when I wear it, the top bulges slightly where my head presses against the upper surface.

I would like to replace my baseball caps with a utilitarian hat for sun and rain. I would like it to fit low and feel secure. I don't know how pinch-fronts, cattlemen-creases or other crown-shapes (bashings?) would hinder/permit the way I intend to wear my hat. I suspect pinch-front hats would rub against my forehead if worn all the way down, but I've never tried one on so I don't know for sure.

I don't have much of a fashion preference (cowboy, hard-boiled P.I., 1930's gangster etc) as long as it keeps the sun and rain out of my face. I would like to avoid looking like a Dick Tracey villain if possible (no feathers, sequins, neon-zebra patterns etc.).

I do consider this as an investment. I want a hat that will last day-in and day-out from mid April to the end of October year after year. But my budget is short. I can only manage around $100 before the spring rains hit again.

My initial research indicates options in my price-range are going to be dominated by oilskin. As long as the oils/waxes don't run off onto other peoples jackets while it rests on the shelf while I am at work or the gym, I can live with that.

Does any one have advice on hat-styles that would fit comfortably while worn low?

Or recommendations for a specific model of hat that meets all of my needs: enough brim to keep the sun out of my face, enough crown-space to fit low on my head, highly water-proof, all for under $100?

Thank you
--Gus

 

[safetyfast]

For rain, fishing and mowing, my standby is a Tilley hat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DVNO]

This question might be asked a million times... But hey - I'll ask it again, because it's on my "things to do before i turn 40-list".

How do you guys store your hats? I have a nice box where i can store my expensive one upside down. It has some kind of form that was build for that way of storage. I also read some time ago that it's better to store hats upside down to keep the brim in shape. Or isn't it that important?

 

[alanfgag]

This question might be asked a million times... But hey - I'll ask it again, because it's on my "things to do before i turn 40-list".

How do you guys store your hats? I have a nice box where i can store my expensive one upside down. It has some kind of form that was build for that way of storage. I also read some time ago that it's better to store hats upside down to keep the brim in shape. Or isn't it that important?

It does come up from time to time. I store some special hats in boxes, sometimes in their original boxes, but I prefer not to. I put an identifier on a post-it note but even so, once the hat is out of view, I can forget that I have it. I prefer to nest them on a shelving unit, using a foam ring over the crown as a spacer to protect the ribbon. I can stack 3-5 hats this way and fit quite a few in a small amount of space.

 

[DVNO]

It does come up from time to time. I store some special hats in boxes, sometimes in their original boxes, but I prefer not to. I put an identifier on a post-it note but even so, once the hat is out of view, I can forget that I have it. I prefer to nest them on a shelving unit, using a foam ring over the crown as a spacer to protect the ribbon. I can stack 3-5 hats this way and fit quite a few in a small amount of space.

Thanks. But you don't store them upside down?

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks. But you don't store them upside down?

Only the hats in the boxes are stored upside down.

 

[RJR]

For rain, fishing and mowing, my standby is a Tilley hat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

+1.