Cold ears

[kenji]

What is an era-appropriate way to keep the ears warm while wearing a fedora? I'm not particularly fond of earmuffs. Anyone know if the headband that goes around the ears is too modern?

 

[J.T.Marcus]

What is an era-appropriate way to keep the ears warm while wearing a fedora? I'm not particularly fond of earmuffs. Anyone know if the headband that goes around the ears is too modern?

It was marketed when I was a kid. (I'll be 60 next month.). It just never caught on.

 

[KObalto]

Nothing is stylish in this regard,

but how about 180s, the ear muffs that wrap behind your head?

 

[pgoat]

When it dips below 40 degrees, the fedoras come off and I put on one of those arctic trooper hats with the fur lined ear flaps. Might not be so stylin' but they're warm!

 

[NonEntity]

If you want a dressy hat dedicated to frigid weather, consider a Diplomat, also referred to as an Ambassador or Envoy. It's sometimes called a Russian, as they probably wear this style hat more than anyone else. It has ear flaps that can be folded down or up inside the hat, depending on just how cold it is.

If you don't know what I'm talking about yet, I'll try to describe it. Basically, a Diplomat is a winter-only brimless hat usually made of a very thick wool or fur, often quilt lined, with the afore-mentioned ear flaps, and a center-creased crown, the base of which is surrounded by a 4- to 5-inch-wide band. The hat is made so that it folds nearly flat lengthwise. There's a famous picture of Stalin wearing one in a WW II-era photograph of the Big Three. Leonid Brezhnev could be seen in one sometimes, as well. And we all want to be just like those guys, right?

Anyway, when I was a kid, I had one with a wool crown and fur band, and Dad had a really nice all-mouton one that my mom gave him, which, being extremely warm-natured, he wore exactly twice. I now have it.

Miller offers the elegant Ambassador, made of dyed Persian lambswool, in gray or black; Hartford York sells it for a bone-chilling $495. Somebody get me a bottle of Stoli! Crown Cap of Canada makes the Shearling Diplomat, in black or gold, which menshats.com sells for $79.50. This particular hat is a bit different, as, instead of fold-away flaps, the shearling band itself pulls down over the ears and looks like it would be exceptionally warm.

Of course, you could avoid cold ears altogether by pulling a "double van Gogh."

 

[Spellflower]

There was some discussion of this topic back in December, and I believe the vintage solutions included vintage earmuffs and a scarf wrapped over the head and tied under the chin with the fedora on top.

 

[ideaguy]

we're getting close now, I can tell...

Listen: all year, all ya hear is traffic noise, kids wailiing, bad music of every description, hollering and cussin' in every language, sirens, mysterious creaks,
people calling your name when you're going the other way...take a load off,
mac! put yer size 12's up on the desk and listen up- just before Thanksgiving, when it's bound to be both cold and louder than the law allows, rent yr. ears out to someone who LIKES that kind of stuff. Let 'em have both-that's right, matched set, and here's the great part...they get to use'm until May 1 !! Nice and warm, right off their head and back on yours, filled with the trill of birds, twittering with delight, the soft whisper of a Spring breeze...the muted sounds of lovers at night, a phrase of soft saxaphone Blues on a warm Saturday night...and you get the peaceful, tranquil, God-Thank-You quiet for all the bitter cold nights of Winter,no useless head-flaps to frizzle!! chill-blains next to your brains?? Kissem' good-night, nurse!

and charge your new friend the going rate for bliss-or bombast; quiet or QUIET!!; whatever the price-it's cheap for the both of you. ah, I give up.
Puttin' my lid on and goin' out cruisin' for new ideas...

 

[Donato]

When I was in DelMonico's Hatter in New Haven, the owner had me try on a Cavanaugh fedora that came with ear coverings that flipped down from inside the hat. I didn't like the look but it certainly worked if you don't mind having them there. In cold weather, you could still wear a fedora and keep your ears warm too.

 

[pgoat]

If you want a dressy hat dedicated to frigid weather, consider a Diplomat, also referred to as an Ambassador or Envoy. It's sometimes called a Russian, as they probably wear this style hat more than anyone else. It has ear flaps that can be folded down or up inside the hat, depending on just how cold it is.

If you don't know what I'm talking about yet, I'll try to describe it. Basically, a Diplomat is a winter-only brimless hat usually made of a very thick wool or fur, often quilt lined, with the afore-mentioned ear flaps, and a center-creased crown, the base of which is surrounded by a 4- to 5-inch-wide band. The hat is made so that it folds nearly flat lengthwise. There's a famous picture of Stalin wearing one in a WW II-era photograph of the Big Three. Leonid Brezhnev could be seen in one sometimes, as well. And we all want to be just like those guys, right?

Anyway, when I was a kid, I had one with a wool crown and fur band, and Dad had a really nice all-mouton one that my mom gave him, which, being extremely warm-natured, he wore exactly twice. I now have it.

Miller offers the elegant Ambassador, made of dyed Persian lambswool, in gray or black; Hartford York sells it for a bone-chilling $495. Somebody get me a bottle of Stoli! Crown Cap of Canada makes the Shearling Diplomat, in black or gold, which menshats.com sells for $79.50. This particular hat is a bit different, as, instead of fold-away flaps, the shearling band itself pulls down over the ears and looks like it would be exceptionally warm.

Of course, you could avoid cold ears altogether by pulling a "double van Gogh."

I think I know what this looks like - but can you post a pic or two?

 

[RockBottom]

I think I know what this looks like - but can you post a pic or two?

You might want to consider this.

 

[Alon]

The best solution is the earbag!

http://www.sprigsville.com/earbags/index.html

 

[Snrbfshn]

Ditto on the 180s...

I've got black and brown, and they fit quite well with any of my lids.

 

[David Conwill]

I vividly remember going to church in the wintertime back in the '80s and '90s and all the old men had Diplomats in glossy black fur. I've often thought of getting one, but I love my fedora too much. If it's cold, I just walk faster. If I'm going to be outside for an extended period of time (usually fixing my jalopy or someone else's), I usually wear a knit cap.

-Dave

 

[ryantkb]

cotton

Try putting cotton in your ears, as if you had an ear ache. It should help take a little of the chill off.

 

[NonEntity]

Thanks, RockBottom, for your pic; you beat me to it. That Ambassador is made of the dyed Persian lambs wool I referred to above, a very nice material making a handsome winter hat.

Kenji, just yesterday I bumped into a friend with a pair of the "180" earmuffs--the kind with the spring band that goes around the back of the head instead of over the top--mentioned above. They were made of a Polar-Tech type of synthetic fleece, and she said she got them at a Super-D drug store for less than five bucks.

 

[pgoat]

You might want to consider this.

ahh! Thanks - not what I was thinking of but I've seen these and they are pretty cool (I mean warm) looking.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Mad Bomber brand sells those ear flap hats...i recently got one in deerskin just like this:

talk about warm!

 

[pgoat]

That's what I have - my wife got me one in wool.

 

[DanielJones]

I'll have to agree on the 180's. I have a black pair that work wonderfully in the chilly weather with a fedora on.

Cheers!

Dan