Custom-made Homburg work for a 1930s reproduction?

[Tommy Gun Jack]

Greetings,

I found this dealer on etsy who custom makes hats,including Homburgs. (See link below).


https://www.etsy.com/listing/249407936/mens-hat-fedora-homburg-felt-hat?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=homburg&ref=sr_gallery_17

Is the Homburg in the link identical to a 1930s example? If not, he does custom-make them so perhaps he could make any necessary changes to it to make it a proper reproduction of a 1930s hat. What might those changes be?

Thank you.

 

[alanfgag]

This hat is c.1930. Maybe it will help you refine your reproduction:

 

[jlee562]

JMHO from someone who is NOT an expert in 1930's Homburgs, the curl in the brim in the linked hat is "good," not "great."

Upon closer inspection, it also looks like Petersham ribbon has been used where grosgrain would have been the standard on men's hats.

Considering the price on a handmade, custom order hat, it seems like not a bad deal.

If your budget could be expanded, I'd call Bob at Black Sheep Hatworks....

 

[jlee562]

I like this longhair one!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/249406198/mens-hat-fedora-homburg-felt-hat?ref=shop_home_active_17

 

[Tommy Gun Jack]

Anlanfgag: I was hoping to go with a homburg that doesn't have any indentation in the crown.

Jlee562: I'm afraid Black Sheep's prices are out of my range, for the time-being. The other advantage to buying from Humperdinck is that it is based out of Bellingham, which is just north of where I live, so going in and getting it perfectly fitted might be an option.

As to the hat band, I would venture that that is something that could be replaced without great difficulty? He might even be able to that himself.

If he could improve the curl, what would you say needs to be changed about it?

Thanks for the help, gentlemen.

 

[jlee562]

Well, part of it is personal preference. I happen to like a deeper, swoopier flange on my Homburgs. But I think that a relatively flatter flange was more common back in the 30's. Here's another example from the Pre-1940's Stetson Dress hats thread that belongs to RLK.

Also, just FYI, Bob takes half down as a deposit to secure a spot on the list, and half due when it's ready. Just sayin'

Yeah the ribbon should be just a matter of requesting grosgrain ribbon. I'm sure she's got some around if she's making hats. It looks like grosgrain on the longhair fedora and the Bowler/Derby model on the etsy page.

 

[alanfgag]

Is your goal to recreate a 1930s period costume? To my eye, the custom hats you've referenced nod towards c.1900 soft felt hats rather than depression era. That said, the crown and brim can be shaped with steam to be flat or scooped, pinched or not.

Here are some Stetson offerings from fall 1914. Finding a picture of what you like would likely assist the hatter in meeting your requirements.

 

[ingineer]

Tommy Gun;
You do know you have someone in your town?
http://www.tumwaterhat.com/pages/about.html

 

[Tommy Gun Jack]

Ingineer: As a matter of fact, I did not know that. I'll have to give them a ring some time. And it returns to the issue of money. Their hats are about a hundred bucks more, and I'm really stretching my budget with Humperdinck's price, being a student and all. Also, with Humperdinck I see one I already like and know they can make. I didn't see any Humburgs that really caught my eye on Tumwater Hat's site. I do appreciate you alerting me to them.

alanfgag: I'm not hep to a lot of clothing terminology, but were I to hazard a guess, soft felt means that it can be depressed and isn't stiff like a bowler. If that's so, how would I be able to tell form the picture? And in regards to depression-era, would it be outrageous to say that a lot of people (especially in an era of such wide spread financial burden) would have had older hats, or would the typical lifespan of one of these types of hats not permit for that?

jlee562: I have seen a lot of flatter-brimmed homburgs in 1930s movies and photographs, but I've also seen a few curved ones. In these ads, from the late 1920s and early 1930s, for example there are depictions of both flat and curved-brim homburgs.

There doesn't seem to be much of a price difference between curved and flat. Except for the one from 1929 which is considerably more expensive than the others.

 

[Tommy Gun Jack]

Whoops.

Forgot to include the link:

http://www.plainolas.com/men_headgear.html

 

[mayserwegener]

If you want a 30s Homburg style hat (you are not going to see a great difference into the early 1950s) I would highly suggest going vintage. The modern custom efforts I have seen fall short of the mark. I have a couple Homburgs.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/192-homburg-collection/#entry1114