Does this hat suit me?

[avedwards]

I had this hat for a while now and over time and wearing in very heavy rain it shrank a little bit. My head must have grown too, as when I bought it I was size 58cm and now I'm closer to 58.5cm. I put it on classifieds a month ago and no one wanted it, so I eventually decided to have it reblocked from Locke & co. It appears not to have been reblocked but rather stretched as the bash is still in place and it seems to have tapered more than it had been. Not pleasing as I did specifically tell Locke that I wanted a reblock, not just a stretching.

But other than that Locke obviously didn't do what I asked for or that I don't know enough about hats and can't tell whether my hat has indeed been reblocked, do you think this hat suits me the way it is now?

It fits higher than my Stetson Chatham (in my avatar) but maybe it's meant to be like that, since the front brim curves a lot lower.

Does it look good on me or is it too tapered?

Thanks
Alan

 

[avedwards]

Btw, this is what the hat was like before the reblock:

And in action last summer:

Anyone who has a better eye for hats able to tell me if it has indeed been reblocked or it has just been given a stretching?

 

[donCarlos]

I don´t like that hat either way. It just doesn´t look right to me.

 

[avedwards]

Why don't you like the look of it? The safari brim or the taper? I'll admit I don't like the way it looks now, but I liked the way it used to be. The hat is (or was) very hard wearing which was my main concern when I bought it, not the way it looked. But everyone's entitled to their opinion.

 

[zetwal]

I myself don't see any big changes. But it's hard to tell because the before and after pictures are so differant.

Reblocking can change (rather than maintain) the form of a hat. Maybe that's what you're noticing? Either way, if your not satisfied, why not tell LAC exactly what you don't like about how it looks now? Maybe they will correct it without additional charge -

 

[avedwards]

Good idea. If there customer service is as good as it was when I sent the hat, there should be no problem. As I mentioned in another thread, their hats are overpriced but their customer service is amazing and that is not an exaggeration.

I was simply wondering whether this hat suits me at all and this seemed to be a good place to ask for an opinion on that.

 

[bendingoak]

? for you. Did they make the hat? If not, it's hard for anyone who didn't make the original hat to re-block it to what it ounce was unless they have that exact block. It will be close but not exact.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I agree, it looks more tapered. This could be because of what Oak just said, or that they stretched it without reblocking. Either way, I would complain to Lock & Co. as a first step.

As for the looks of the hat, I don't care for it as is. Maybe you can sell it off at a fair price.

 

[handlebar bart]

I really like the hat in the avatar, but I don't like this hat on you or really anything about it. If it were me I wouldn't throw anymore money into it.[huh]

 

[jpbales]

I really like the hat in the avatar, but I don't like this hat on you or really anything about it. If it were me I wouldn't throw anymore money into it.[huh]

:arated:

I don't really like it at all either, and it doesn't seem to really suit you in any way [huh]

 

[FurFeltFedora]

I would tend to agree with the previous posters. The proportions and taper of that hat don't quite suit you. I think there's another hat out there which will suit you more. Maybe something with less taper or a taper that starts closer to the brim rather than the band (which seems to be where the taper on that hat begins). Don't be disheartened - I have several hats I loved until I got my Akubra Fed IV now they sit on the sidelines. Your tastes will evolve and change and so will your hats.

 

[avedwards]

? for you. Did they make the hat? If not, it's hard for anyone who didn't make the original hat to re-block it to what it ounce was unless they have that exact block. It will be close but not exact.

Not made for me, I bought it in Germany from Wegener headwear. At the time it was less tapered probably so it wouldn't have been so bad. I also bought it more for durability than looks. I will stick with the Stetson in my avatar as I think that does look better on me.

I did offer this on classifieds, but no one wanted it. It's still on there and if anyone wants it I will sell it for a low price, though how low I'm not sure yet.

 

[scottyrocks]

Its too tapered for my tastes, and I dont like the 'ribbon,' but Im gonna go against the grain here and say that this hat looks fine on you. Sometimes you look at a person in a hat, or whatever clothing, and it just strikes you that either they look 'right' in what theyre wearing, or not. To me, you look fine.

 

[avedwards]

Thank you Scottyrocks, I may still wear the hat now and then, maybe for rain wear which is what I bought it for. What I needed was to be told that it doesn't look awful. I personally like the ribbon as it's traditional German to have a felt box ribbon. It's the taper that bothers me, so I might ask Locke if they can reblock the crown rather than just stretch it.

 

[avedwards]

I just personally like the down turned brim all the way round as an occaisional alternative to a snap brim. Can a Fed IV be turned down all the way around and still look good? It is one of the hats I am contemplating, but I constantly change my mind regarding hats (including this one - one moment I want to keep it and the next I want to sell it).

 

[FurFeltFedora]

I've only hat my Fed IV for a week but you can shape that hat anyway you want. I'm constantly changing the curl and dip on the brim to refine what I want. And personally I don't think you can make a Fed IV look bad. I think if you turned the brim down the whole way round it would still look good.

 

[Al_Ojeda]

you have to reblock in a straight block ( of at least 5 inches ) a leave it open crown so you can bash as you like, this could be done if the hat is furfelt, if the hat is wool... [huh] there is nothing you can do.

 

[scottyrocks]

I've only hat my Fed IV for a week but you can shape that hat anyway you want. I'm constantly changing the curl and dip on the brim to refine what I want. And personally I don't think you can make a Fed IV look bad. I think if you turned the brim down the whole way round it would still look good.

Yes, you can turn down the front and back, and curl up the sides a bit, and a Fed IV will look great. These hats can be shaped any way you want.

 

[avedwards]

you have to reblock in a straight block ( of at least 5 inches ) a leave it open crown so you can bash as you like, this could be done if the hat is furfelt, if the hat is wool... [huh] there is nothing you can do.

I'm quite sure this hat is fur felt, while the felt is course it is also dense and durable.

 

[jpbales]

The Akubra CEO

has the front and back of the brim turned down, so you may want to search for some CEO threads- just a suggestion