Feathers in your hatbands?

[JohnnyGringo]

This may be rehashing a topic that has been addressed here before, please forgive me if it has been, but do you prefer to keep and use the feathers that hatters seem obliged to offer for your hatbands at POS or do you choose to be feather free? Although I like a nice hatpin, the jury is still out on the feathers for me.

 

[MrFusion]

I wear my hats sans feather. Of course, I have yet to get a hat that has actually come with a feather.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I usually keep the feather, untill my wife isn't looking.

 

[DrQuest]

A few years ago I purchased a black short brim hat, which I don't wear anymore because it's really too small for my head, that came with a feather, which I promptly removed. However, yesterday I received the gray Jaxon Bogart I ordered, which has a feather, and this time I plan to leave it in. I just like the way it looks. Normally, I would have to say I prefer the hat without the feather.

 

[MrFusion]

I think I would like to have them as an option, you know, depending on my mood. I'll have to make sure I ask for them from now on.

 

[carldelo]

I took the feather and pin off my Stetson Chatham immediately, I think it looks better that way. I put them on my el-cheapo $17 corduroy fedora to give it a little class, which was modestly successful.

http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/carldelo/Misc hats/?action=view&current=Hatshow015.jpg

 

[warbird]

Don't like feathers. I got rid of them on all of my oldest hats passed down to me and I immediately remove them from new ones I acquire.

 

[Fredthecat]

Stylin

Well, I suppose it really depends on the character of the hat and the character of the hat wearer, eh? Some lend themselves to feathers, others don’t. Most don't.

Most guys can’t pull it off and the hat ends up looking like a costume component.

Most of the feathers that seem obligatory on some new hats are imported guinea fowl etc, very colourful but “exotic” to US. I lose them.

I wear feathers in about ½ my hats, but only when it seems to actually accent the hat & band colour.

A single overwing feather matched with a belly down and flight or tail feather, tied like a fishing fly looks sharp.

However, Don’t try this at home!

And YES, I’m well aware of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 which protects all migratory birds and their parts (including eggs, nests, and feathers) and The Lacey Act of 1900.

Being a Wildlife Biologist and general Bird Brain, I have the appropriate Federal permits. I catch, handle and band 50-100 migratory birds each week. Hummingbirds to Warblers to Eagles, lots of Warblers. They seem to molt their right over-wing coverts in my hand fairly frequently. Perfect feather curl to fit on the left side of a hat.

A nice Spotted Towhee wing feather on a Fawn coloured hat, a red shafted Northern Flicker tail feather on a silver belly Open Road, beautiful blue and black Steller’s Jay on a steel grey Akubra etc. Ah, styling.

 

[Tinker]

On occassion

Whether or not I put a feather in my hat depends on the hat, the occassion, and what else I may be wearig. I will use a feather to match or compliment other colors I am wearing. I will use a feather to attract attention to a hat or indicate a mood. I have purchased additional feathers to have additional options for expression.

A feather can be used as a subtle accent. Wearing a feather can convey a message. So too can the absence or complete elimination of feathers. Most often, I don't wear a feather. I like having the option.

Tinker

 

[Tomasso]

Not big on feathers.

I've got a box full of feathers, plucked from hats, laying around somewhere.

 

[kowalskt63]

Most times I go featherless. I will say that IMHO stingy brims seem better suited for small feathers. Gives the hat a little touch of class. On the other hand, large brims with feathers remind me of pimps. I hate that association with my hat habit. Hate it...

 

[scotrace]

Only with short sleeve dress shirts & suits.

 

[Spats McGee]

No feather for me, thank you. That's usually the first thing I remove from a hat. I've considered hat pins, but the feather is just too flashy for me. With that said, I'd like to get a porkpie soon and I may well leave the feather in that. That's a different beast than the hats that I have, most of which are fedoras.

 

[bolthead]

I have feathers in just about all of my Stingies and All of my Pork Pies, I like the way they look in them. My wider brim hats don't have any though. [huh]

 

[MAB1]

Lose it in a safe place.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

They're gone as soon as I get to the parking lot...Or I stick them in a little card to one of the nieces and tell them they're the latest crazy in iPod accessories...

 

[splatt]

Never liked the feather look and always removed them...and then in the early 1990's my black Akubra Fedora came with this gorgeous blue feather which i left on it.

Ever since then all of my black hats (except for my Akubra Hampton trilby) have always had a blue feather. I've tried other colours over the years but in my opinion the blue really works with the black.

 

[dhermann1]

A couple of years ago I found a very nice blue jay feather in my back yard. I stuck it in my old beat up Panama. I liked it. (I try not to think about the public health issues of a feather dropped directly from a bird's little body.) When I got my new PanamaBob I plucked that feather out of the old band, trimmed it up a little, and stuck it in the new band. I like it.

 

[KCE]

I agree with Glenn O'Brien that the feather would have been better left on the bird, so I take them out.

 

[RBH]

Sometimes pins... never feathers.