Different hats for different Occasions

[fedoralover]

I thought I'd make a post about this as I've seen past threads where people have said they will wear any hat they have in any weather. "A hat is a hat and they are meant to be worn regardless of the weather" kinda attitude.

Well if that is what you do, then you are braver than I am and more power to you. Sure felt is strong stuff and can really take a beating, but I look at it like this.
I have shoes I wear for casual use, boots I wear for work and shoes I wear for dress. Now they are all made out of leather and leather is strong stuff, but if I wear my $300 dress shoes to work then in short order they will look like "work shoes". So it's the same with my fedora's, I have some for yard work, some for casual and some for dress. To keep my dress fedora's looking good for dress I'm not going to overly expose them to bad weather if I can avoid it. Sure, sometimes you can't avoid it, but if the weather isn't looking good I won't take any chances and I'll wear one that I don't care if it gets drenched.
This is especially the case if it's a new fedora, regardless of it's felt content. The fact is, new felt shrinks, sometimes a little sometimes a lot, why take a chance on making a nice dress hat look like a work hat.

I've seen this talked about at great length at the Indy forums. People pay 100s of dollars for a nice looking Indy fedora and then try to wear it like Indiana Jones did in the movies and then get dissapointed because it looses its Indy shape. Sure some hold up better than others, and maybe yours weathered hurricane Katrina and still looks new. But I wouldn't bet on all of them doing that. I would suggest investing in a few hats for different occasions, that way the nice ones will stay nice.

Does anyone else do this too or am I the only one who babies their hats?

fedoralover

 

[tonyb]

My attitude is essentially the same as yours, Fedoralover. I wear some hats in nasty weather and others I do my best to keep in like-new condition, especially those truly irreplaceable vintage treasures that have remained in nice shape to this day. They're in good shape today because their previous owners (who may well have gone to the Great Lounge in the Sky quite some time ago) took good care of them. They didn't wear a "dress" hat while mowing the lawn, for instance, or under other circumstances where they were likely to get dirty and sweaty.

 

[shorel]

Seems to me to a large extent, at least for many people, fedora wearing is a vicarious experience to begin with, so if wearing your "good" hat in the rain makes you feel a little like Indiana Jones, I say go ahead.

If I had a yard I wouldn't wear my business suits when I worked in it. I'd wear my Jeff Gordon rainbow warrior cap or some such thing out of my absurdly large collection of baseball caps. Now there's a sickness.

If I feel like wearing a fedora when going out, then unless it's way below freezing I will wear a nice one. I only have two anyway. If not a fedora, I'll wear a cap, I have several very nice ones, including Borsalinos (wool obviously, not felt, but they are very nice). If rain threatens, I'll take an umbrella so I don't get drenched. I don't see the point of getting drenched, hat or no hat.

I say, what's the point of nice things that don't get used?

You analogized to shoes and boots, I'll analogize to something else I collect: pocket knives. I have expensive custom folders and no, I don't take the most expensive of them everywhere, but my "every day carry" knives aren't el cheapo's, either, and they do see real world use, whatever it is on any given day (usually, it's a Benchmade, sometimes a Chris Reeve, which can cost as much as any felt hat). Ask any knife maker if their knives are meant to be used and they invariably say yes, even the thousand dollar ones, and they mean it; and any knife about which there is any doubt is not one I want.

My father wore a hat to work every day, rain or shine or snow. The same hat, a herringbone Dobbs with a feather in the side. I think he would not have considered himself fully dressed for work (or social occasions) without it, and being from Boston would have considered it weird to ask whether he should wear his "nice" hat in bad weather.

 

[feltfan]

My decision on which hat to wear in the rain is
based on the hat's properties and current condition.

Some of my hats are just not good in the rain. For
instance, I wore my lightweight Champ in the rain
once and it curled a bit at the edge of the brim. I don't
want to have to reblock the brim, so I will not repeat that.

I prefer not to wear light colored hats in the rain- never
know what will come down, after all. I also prefer thicker
felt in the rain. I have noticed that super light felt, even
if it is an excellent vintage Borsalino and doesn't allow
rain water to pass through for hours, will cool my bean noticeably
in the rain and wind.

Today I broke the rules and wore a Adam Executive in a light
(creme) color. I did it as a way of reenforcing the blocking.
Some of the felt was getting creasing and a good dip in the rain
set it straight. Works nicely for a (good vintage) hat that shows
a bit of wave from being rolled up. Just make sure you dry it out
completely before rolling it again.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

That's why I stick to something...

...that's relatively inexpensive. If it gets ruined I'm not out much.

 

[makll]

feforalover,

basically I agree with you and subscribe to your thoughts.
I have several hats I will wear in most any weather (season appropriate) but only one I will wear in the pouring rain, its an open crown western style w/ chin strap in a wool felt. It really repels the rain and stays in good shape.
My long hair beaver would not do so well.

 

[varga49]

I wear all mine...

with the exception of the ones that don't fit, which I am in the process of selling and/or trading and/or giving away. I wore my old Dobbs to Russia. It survived rain, sweat, and getting crushed in innumerable shapes everyday. It took it's shape back perfectly much to my suprise. It suprised me because I realize I don't know diddly squat about hats! compared to most of the "old timers" here. I'm going to send it to Art for a restoration!

 

[photobyalan]

Fedoralover, I was going to say that I don't worry about the weather when choosing which hat to wear on a given day, but, the more I think about it, I do tend to treat certain hats differently.

I'm not saying that I would freak out if my 1950's Lee Homburg got rained on but, if it's really nasty out, I might choose to wear the more recent and easier to shape Dobbs or Miller instead just to keep the Lee in the pristine condition it was in when I bought it. I'm also planning on buying a custom from Art and I am pretty sure that one will get special treatment, too, as I'll want it to stay new-looking for as long as possible.

I am not really worried so much about the material of the hats as I am about them needing cleaning and reblocking, which is a major hassle for me since there is no place near me where I can conveniently drop off a hat for service.

So, yes, I do treat some hats differently, but not so much because I'm worried about ruining the hat, it's more about not wanting to be constantly sending them out to keep them looking like I want them.

 

[JeffW]

I wear a hat to work every day. The decision of which one to wear is determined by the suit or other clothing. It also depends on the image I want to portray.

I usually don't wear one when I am in jeans or just bumming around.

 

[MattC]

A perverse style

I tend to wear more formal hats (Navy centerdent, Cavanagh) when I'm wearing jeans or slacks and a leather jacket, and a bit more casual when I'm in a suit (Stratoliner, Open Road, Ccrowns).

I agree with fedora lover, although I do wear some of my really nice old hats (a very light grey Stratoliner) in the rain, and even let it get wet. Maybe I shouldn't be so careless. I used to wear some modern hats in the rain, but other than a Borso Traveler, I'm going to stop that. I lost a Cervo to shrinkage, and for the life of me, I can't get the brim right anymore.

 

[Fedora]

Good topic. If I were gonna go on a backpacking trip, with rain in the forecast I would take a hat that was made for rain. Like an oilskin hat, or one of the Filson oiled canvas hats. Once a felt hat gets soaked to the core, it tends to keep your head wet. I like to stay as dry as possible especially when you are a few days from civilization. Dress for the occasion. Fedora

 

[Dave Keith]

Rain? what's that?

Just move to Texas and never worry about the rain! We are experiencing a terrible drought, as you may see from the national news coverage of the wildfires.

I also try to take a little better care of certain hats I own, but I'll wear fedoras with jeans any day. The ubiquitous western (cowboy) hats need some kind of balance and I'm doing my part by wearing my open road style hats with the brim snapped down and a pinched crown.

Thinking of the classic Stetson image of the cowboy watering his horse from his hat and Russ talking about using an Akubra for a bucket makes me not worry about being caught in the rain.

 

[makll]

I tend to wear more formal hats (Navy centerdent, Cavanagh) when I'm wearing jeans or slacks and a leather jacket.....

That sounds like a great look, I like the combo. Have any pics?

 

[MattC]

Not the best example, but

Mary Ann--

I just don't have that many pictures. Anyway, I changed the avatar to something close to what I mean. That's a dressy black Borsalino (albeit a C crown) with a windbreaker and heavy cotton t-shirt.

Matt

 

[makll]

Matt,
Thanks for the effort. Looks good.
I was hoping for the "formal hats (Navy centerdent, Cavanagh) when I'm wearing jeans" look. That just sounds like it would look great

 

[Billingsgate]

I don't wear my Akubras as much as I used to -ever since I got my convertible.

But:

Rugged Outdoors:

1) Rainy Weather: Watership Haven
2) Hot Weather: Tilley
3) Brisk Weather: Akubra Flinders

Casual / Dress Oudoors:

Akubra Lawson or Banjo Paterson
Various Patch or Tartan Newsboys (cold)
Various Linen Newsboys (warm)

 

[JimD]

finally rained in Southern CaLif.

While at Hollywood Hatters on Sunday I asked Sal about wearing hats in the rain, since it was raining cats and dogs. According to Sal in the old days you did not have to worry about the rain because you could go into any hat store, which were all over, and get your hat reblocked for 25 cents! Unfortunately we do not have that luxury today.

JimD
Too new to have a good quote!

 

[shorel]

well just by way of observation on the streets of NYC, it seems quite a few people wait until the weather gets really bad before they get out the fedora. I've seen more real fedoras in the last two days of solid rain than I usually spot in a month or two.

 

[dressed2the9's]

I wear fedoras mostly Borsalino's sometimes Barbisio's every day with dress super 120's dress pants a vest and jacket and Gravati shoes but when I get dessed up for formal ocassions I wear my beaver fur felt silk finnished top hat and tails it looks much better then when every when else it wearing tux's.

 

[Russ]

Different hats

None of my felt hats cost much more than a hundred dollars, and most of them are made of tough Akubra rabbit felt. I wouldn't fret much if I got caught in the rain in any of them, but when I know it's going to rain, I'll wear my black country style hat. I will also wear a Drizabone oilskin coat, now well broken in and foul looking after 15 years -- in a word, "perfect". I was turned on to Drizabones when an Aussie colleague saw my Akubra and told me I needed to get the coat that goes with it.

If it's a down pour, I'll wear my oilskin Drizabone hat. If it's a typhoon (great weather for taking a walk undisturbed by crowds) I'll go in a Sou'wester securely strapped on.

In nicer weather I go hiking or field sketching in an Akubra Colly, and wander around the city in a brown Federation (the one in my Avatar). Going to work in a suit gets the Carbon Gray Fed.

Oh yeah, one more; if I'm on a boat I'll wear a Greek fisherman's cap but my wife will usually try to distance herself from me. That's where I've crossed the line, apparently.