Fedora - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Qirrel]

Wikipedia is a very good place to get up to date information but on certain topics it is very lacking, as is the case with the article on fedoras. The problem with these topics is that the amount of published material is limited, which makes it hard to cite many good sources. The wikipedian patrollers won't allow drastic changes in an article when that change is based only on the wisdom a single person pulls from their mind, unless they cite a written source claiming the same thing. Because of this we are left with inadequate articles that are difficult to correct. I believe this is the kind of problem dinerman is experiencing.

I think its a very good idea for us here on the lounge to edit wikipedia articles, because we have the knowledge and we know where it comes from.

 

[Spatterdash]

The first modern fedora appeared in France, onstage in an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou (1831–1908). The play was called Fedora,...
(snip)
As Fedora, Bernhardt wore a stylish soft felt hat with a crease in the crown. Bernhardt's many fans were charmed and began to wear the new hat, called a fedora in honor of the star's role. While fedoras were first popularly worn by women in France, Germany, and England, they were soon adopted by men as an alternative to the stiff bowler hats, or derby hats, that were the most common men's hats at the time.


I can't help but wonder, If the play "Fedora" triggered women to wear a fedora style hat, how did men jump on board with the idea? I wouldn't think men of that era would be too keen on wearing a hat that was popular for women to wear. I suppose by the time they did, the play was ancient history.

The cigarette went through the same adoption. It was seen as a woman's tobacco product, but the convenience of them quickly led to their usage among men.
As for the fedora, I wonder if it was easily accepted because wide brim soft hats were already on the scene. Slouch hats and homburgs weren't uncommon by the turn of the 20th century. The fedora was a more conservative version of the slouch hat, and it's stylings simply started creeping into the hat market, year after year, until the fedora was a common hat by the twenties.

Funny - Old Spice was first introduced as a feminine scent, but it failed. So it was marketed to men, and boom - history was made.

I can't help but wonder if earlier generations were less hung up on certain gender associations. They often used the same scents, like lavender and rose, they often had soaps for themselves and for laundry that smelled the same, etc. I am curious if certain items and goods were considered gender-neutral and universal, moreso than today.

This entry is merely speculation on my part, however.

 

[Mav]

I wouldn't think men of that era would be too keen on wearing a hat that was popular for women to wear.

I think this is the real reason JFK never, ever wore a fedora. Not even once.

 

[daizawaguy]

What a fantastic idea:eusa_clap

 

[jbucklin]

Thanks for posting those photos RLK. They are amazing! I am disappointed that no photo finds her sporting a fedora though.

 

[Tone]

How about this? I've Photoshopped the Akubra Nicole Kidman wore in the movie "Australia". They're both actresses, so I'm sure it's accurate. We can slap it up on Wikipedia and call it a day.

LOL! Why not? Now all you need are a few members to log in under a bunch of different 'newb' names (some even experts on the subject who'd been there!) to repeat the info enough to where it becomes fact.

Heck, if they can even slander Sarah Bernhardt enough in the process, we'll all be certain that Nicole Kidman actually originated these roles back in the 19th Century.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Never say never

I think this is the real reason JFK never, ever wore a fedora. Not even once.

Never say never, especially before checking the Fedora Lounge. Have a look at JFK wearing a fedora at a ball game.

 

[Mav]

Never say never, especially before checking the Fedora Lounge. Have a look at JFK wearing a fedora at a ball game.

Clearly photoshopped. I refuse to believe it until I see it on Wikipedia.

 

[Mario]

Clearly photoshopped. I refuse to believe it until I see it on Wikipedia.

lol Uh oh...I'm afraid that this is actually a pretty common state of mind... :eusa_doh:

 

[Dave E]

The cigarette went through the same adoption. It was seen as a woman's tobacco product, but the convenience of them quickly led to their usage among men.
As for the fedora, I wonder if it was easily accepted because wide brim soft hats were already on the scene. Slouch hats and homburgs weren't uncommon by the turn of the 20th century. The fedora was a more conservative version of the slouch hat, and it's stylings simply started creeping into the hat market, year after year, until the fedora was a common hat by the twenties.

Funny - Old Spice was first introduced as a feminine scent, but it failed. So it was marketed to men, and boom - history was made.

I can't help but wonder if earlier generations were less hung up on certain gender associations. They often used the same scents, like lavender and rose, they often had soaps for themselves and for laundry that smelled the same, etc. I am curious if certain items and goods were considered gender-neutral and universal, moreso than today.

This entry is merely speculation on my part, however.

Wristwatches were also originally aimed at women, it was only during and after WW1 that men got involved with them. Many of the WW1 'Trench' watches are actually pocket watches with wire lugs soldered onto them to convert them to wrist wear.

 

[fluteplayer07]

C'mon guys, I still have hope for this idea... An intelligent, more holistic definition must be possible. I just can't format to save my life.

 

[Neophyte]

Someone must have done something at one point, because the Fedora entry has become much, much more descriptive than it was when I first saw this thread pop up [huh].

 

[scottyrocks]

Wikipedia is actually a good source of information when the entries have references for verification. I look at it as sort of a card catalog to the world's people's research library.

 

[Just Daniel]

Reviving this thread with a twist...

Is it time to ask for a wiki section on the Lounge? I think it would be a decent source of ad revenue, and a much better place for us to consolidate information on dating and evaluating hats. Wikis are now fairly common and I would guess rather inexpensive.

The alternative is we start an actual Wikipedia page for dating Stetsons with sections on liners, size tags, etc.

Comments?

 

[jlee562]

Reviving this thread with a twist...

Is it time to ask for a wiki section on the Lounge? I think it would be a decent source of ad revenue, and a much better place for us to consolidate information on dating and evaluating hats. Wikis are now fairly common and I would guess rather inexpensive.

The alternative is we start an actual Wikipedia page for dating Stetsons with sections on liners, size tags, etc.

Comments?

I've thrown it out once or twice, back when he had a more regular rotation of hat knowledge heavyweights.

Happy to help out in any way I can if it ever happens.

 

[Just Daniel]

Awesome!

It would be great to have one here, and now that wikis are so common I think we are all familiar with how they work.

Mostly it would be a great revenue source for the site and a place to organize our knowledge. It would also be a bit of a shame if we started posting to Wikipedia itself; because while very useful, I think we’d lose some of the Fedora Lounge magic if folks started turning there instead of here.

I've thrown it out once or twice, back when he had a more regular rotation of hat knowledge heavyweights.

Happy to help out in any way I can if it ever happens.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Awesome!

It would be great to have one here, and now that wikis are so common I think we are all familiar with how they work.

Mostly it would be a great revenue source for the site and a place to organize our knowledge. It would also be a bit of a shame if we started posting to Wikipedia itself; because while very useful, I think we’d lose some of the Fedora Lounge magic if folks started turning there instead of here.

My lack of knowledge means I couldn’t contribute much to the database, but I’m sure I’d be a “customer.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I've thrown it out once or twice, back when he had a more regular rotation of hat knowledge heavyweights.

Happy to help out in any way I can if it ever happens.

Phrasing!!

 

[Rmccamey]

If I might suggest (as others have recently suggested) , the Lounge should become the expert source or standard rather than try to contibute to another source (wiki). It would have to be a colaborative effort, as all standards are, with a series of inputs and votes from a diverse group. There are a lot of details but it would probably work best if the Bartenders or some designated adminisrator start a Vocabulary section or thread to house the definitions. The process would be Wiki-like initially but would be more deliberate and systmatic.

That's right. It's the "people's" encyclopedia, where anybody and everybody can be an expert!

Reviving this thread with a twist...

Is it time to ask for a wiki section on the Lounge? I think it would be a decent source of ad revenue, and a much better place for us to consolidate information on dating and evaluating hats. Wikis are now fairly common and I would guess rather inexpensive.

The alternative is we start an actual Wikipedia page for dating Stetsons with sections on liners, size tags, etc.

Comments?

Awesome!

It would be great to have one here, and now that wikis are so common I think we are all familiar with how they work.

Mostly it would be a great revenue source for the site and a place to organize our knowledge. It would also be a bit of a shame if we started posting to Wikipedia itself; because while very useful, I think we’d lose some of the Fedora Lounge magic if folks started turning there instead of here.

 

[Edward]

I say this purely as a personal opinion and not on behalf of TFL, but...

I think this would be a great idea; I think the 'articles' format or the TFL 'Guides' could be a useful base for this sort of information. (Some level of 'beginner's guide' would even be helpful, given we get a lot of traffic from people new to vintage who stumble across us on a google search.)

As ever, the challenge is to find a team of people with the relevant knowledge who are prepared to put the work in and have the time to do so, which can be trickier than you'd assume.