Boardwalk Empire Season 2

[Blackthorn]

I really like this show.

 

[Feraud]

The photographer's cap looks great.
Anyone know who makes the headwear for the show?

 

[scottyrocks]

An Margaret wears a great hat that belongs to her house maid to save Nucky.

Interesthing that this is similar to how she looked at the start of last season. It was a jolting reminder of where she came from.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

The photographer's cap looks great.
Anyone know who makes the headwear for the show?

Yes the caps are great on the show. We do know that Gary White made Nucky's hat. I wish we did know the cap maker I would be placing an order.

 

[Joshbru3]

No offense to Gary White, but Nucky's hat is COMPLETELY wrong for the time period that the show is set in. The crown is too short, too much taper, not the right block shape, and the brim has no front and back curl (its too flat). I understand that the show creators wanted to match the characters personalities with their hats, but they just did it all wrong. The clothing is so incredibly accurate, but the hats are really not. I have been watching closely and there are SOME period correct Derbies and homburgs, but most of the fedoras are wrong. The womens hats are very period correct however. The most popular style of crease for soft hats around the time period of the show (1920-1921) was the center crease with side dents. Obviously there is always exceptions to the rule, but look at any street scene picture from 1920 on shorpy and 9 out of 10 men who wear a soft hat, wear that style. Most hats were worn brim up and all those wonderful velours are totally absent in the show. Jimmy's hats look fairly accurate because they usually have pretty tall and straight crowns with what looks like 2 3/8 or 2 1/2 inch brims, but the crease is wrong. Most hats he wears look more like mid-late 30's, but still closer than the other characters. Agent Van Alden's hat is totally wrong. He wears a c-crown late 40's/50's wide brim. In one of the first seasons episodes, I looked very close at one of Nucky's black homburgs as he took it off. It has a 1950's Dobbs label. All of his hats are too short and too much taper. I'm not saying that every hat is bad, as some of them are very nice and accurate, but many of the main characters fall short in the hat department. Many of the hats in general look like mid-late 30's styles.

In this picture, there's a 1960's Stingy.

Its not the short brim that I have a problem with, its the crown shape and block. In the 20's, they did wear 2 inch brims, but mostly with full 5 5/8 or 5 3/4 inch crowns.

I LOVE THIS SHOW, don't get me wrong. Its by far the best series on T.V. right now and I never miss an episode, I just wish the costume people consulted the Fedora Lounge before making the hat choices.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I understand your point Josh. There is quite a mix of hats on the show. I wish it was more acurate but it is fun to see all the hats in the episodes.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The clothing is so incredibly accurate, ...

No, it's NOT incredibly accurate ... especially the clothes on the show's male protagonists:


http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?870-Bow-Ties&p=1272560&viewfull=1#post1272560

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?870-Bow-Ties&p=1272585&viewfull=1#post1272585

 

[jlee562]

The photographer's cap looks great.
Anyone know who makes the headwear for the show?

There was a COW member who was an extra on the show that said a lot of the lids are vintage. Perhaps not to the correct era (I defer to others judgment on the time period accuracy) but they were not new or custom made as is my understanding.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

There was a COW member who was an extra on the show that said a lot of the lids are vintage. Perhaps not to the correct era (I defer to others judgment on the time period accuracy) but they were not new or custom made as is my understanding.

Back in October 2009, at Vintage Fashion Expo in Santa Monica, California, a dealer (Kevin Looney of "Go Vintage Go") showed me his latest find. He'd gone to a garage sale in St. Paul, Minnesota, and asked the folks if they had any old menswear. "We sure do," they replied, "in the basement." Turns out their long-dead grandfather had had a clothing store, and when it closed many years ago, he put some of the old unsold merchandise in his home's basement...


The dealer was invited to take a look. He found, covered in sheets, about 70 men's suits from the early to mid 1920s...never worn, in a variety of sizes, in perfect condition, with their original paper price tags still attached. Every kind you could imagine: 3-piece, double-breasteds, herringbone tweeds, pinstripes, flannels, serges, etc.


Of course, the dealer offered to buy all of them. Within a week, he'd sold about 40 to HBO for its "Boardwalk Empire" series. At the Vintage Fashion Expo, he sold 17 more to one person, a movie costumer. For how much? I kid you not: nearly $700 each. I watched as the costumer wrote him a check for $11,800.


These authentic vintage 1920s suits are NOT worn by "Boardwalk Empire"s main characters, but by the show's extras -- which helps to explain why those extras look so much more authentically dressed than the leads do.

 

[Joshbru3]

I understand your point Josh. There is quite a mix of hats on the show. I wish it was more acurate but it is fun to see all the hats in the episodes.

Completely agreed. I love seeing all the hats!

 

[Joshbru3]

These authentic vintage 1920s suits are NOT worn by "Boardwalk Empire"s main characters, but by the show's extras -- which helps to explain why those extras look so much more authentically dressed than the leads do.

Point well taken, Marc. I was thinking of the show as a whole, but now that you mention it, it does seem that the extra's do look more authentically dressed than the main characters. Nucky's outfits are somewhat outrageous. I'm going to stick to what I know....hats....and leave the clothing to you.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

This week's epiosdes great hats.

Al Capone's Borso just fantasic. You can tell by the way the felt moves in his hat the it is a Borso.

Mickey Doyle's bowler fits his personality to a "T".

An Richard Harrow newboy cap is perfect.

An the acting is the best this is just the best show on TV right now. Love it.

 

[PADDY]

Richard is a gem (I think), and something of the tragic hero. I'm rooting for Richard, as he's a good guy all-in-all. Yep...this Series 2 is just getting better and better. There's even a 'wee fella' (who's just been bedding Margaret or vice versa) from Coleraine in Co.Antrim with the Northern Irish accent (I played rugby up there against Coleraine Academy, though not in the 20's, but certainly in 'my teens').

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Nucky's Hat is great as always in episode 8

Great low crown boater.

Nucky with a high crown boater.

Great Homburg.

Van Adlen's fedora is great as allways.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Episode 9: Battle of the Century

A trio of great caps.

Owen's newboys are fantastic as always. Wish we could find out who is making the newboys for Boardwalk would buy Owen's cap in this picture for sure.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

No argument there, because "great" doesn't have to be period-authentic in order to look sharp.


Incidentally Van Adlen's and Owen's suits above are the only ones that look authentic, especially in the shape of the shoulders. I'd wager that both suits are vintage early '20s ones (several years later than 1920) ... perhaps from the deadstock stash that "Boardwalk Empire"s costumers purchased from my dealer friend.

 

[Feraud]

Episode 9: Battle of the Century

Owen's newboys are fantastic as always. Wish we could find out who is making the newboys for Boardwalk would buy Owen's cap in this picture for sure.

Most modern caps have that same profile. Any cap should suffice for this look.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

You don't see much in 1920 profile newsboys. In new hats for sure. Modern caps have a higher crown on them and puff up too much to get that profile.

 

[Mulceber]

Van Adlen's fedora is great as allways.

I actually think the agent standing next to Van Alden is the one whose Fedora really shines in that picture. The felt quality looks great. -M

 

[Marc Chevalier]

You don't see much in 1920 profile newsboys.

Here are some good visual references. Images taken in NYC on October 6, 1920.


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