Fedoras,...your personal recommendations, please,....

[Maj.Nick Danger]

......here's a question that may seem "old hat", he,he,....but please excuse this fedora novice.

My question is this,.......
What style, brand name and whatever other essential detail you might think of, could be considered the quintessential fedora? The fedora of all fedoras if you will. I don't own any hats other than my officer's crusher,...being new in town and having recently parachuted in. So I need a stylish hat with attitude for civilian wear. I have an idea of what I would like, of course, but what would all of you recommend as THE hat to own?

 

[K.D. Lightner]

A 50-plus-year-old mint condition Borsalino if you can find one.

karol

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Hmmm,...

A 50-plus-year-old mint condition Borsalino if you can find one.

karol

Since your's was the first response up, I will go for it first. Only makes sense. Thanks for being there!
I know what my personal tastes are of course as to proportions and color and such, but as to makers of hats, I'm not very savvy. To put it simply, I like a 30's gangster or private eye look the best. Something with a wide brim,.... a rakish down turn to the brim, and maybe a low crown looks best to me. Bogart maybe? I dunno yet.

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

Bogey is the man!

You can't beat the Bogey fedora in The Maltese Falcon, which is the one in my avatar. Other than that, IMHO, the Indiana Jones fedora is awesome, although not actually from the Golden Era, but from 1981. But you can find, in the occasional old movie, some fedoras that are very 'Indy like'.

KC

 

[Andykev]

Lost in Space

A 50-plus-year-old mint condition Borsalino if you can find one.

karol

My thoughts exactly? MATT????

 

[Zach R.]

I'm going to second Bogie's Maltese Falcon lid.:cool2:

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Hmm,......interesting for sure,.....

.......and starting to get enlightening,...:beer: ......
I like the triangular dent thing in the top of the crown, (forgive my ignorance of the nomenclature, if any) seems like it's meant to shorten an otherwise too-tall hat maybe? With my artist's eye for good design, it seems to me that proportion is most important to the overall look. There was another Bogart hat I saw here that really caught my eye,....but which one was it?,..... Thanks for your input so far. :cheers1:

I wonder what the ladies would choose as their favorite?,...........

 

[Snrbfshn]

Is there such a thing as a perfect catch?

There are so many wonderful vintage and custom hats out there that are someone's quintessential lid.

In my mind, and for many others here, favorite brims are some manisfestation of wide brim (2 1/2"-up) and high crown (5"-up), likely with a rakish bash. For others, different proportions better reflect and magnify the man. I prize my '50s Borsalinos, war-years Stetson Playboy, Knox 100, and on and on. But is any my perfect hat? I dunno.

Even though I certainly don't want for a hat to wear under almost all circumstances, my heart quickens at the sight of a species not yet captured, and its promise of reward. The net I cast over the swirling schools of the auction sites has 132 search terms, with more woven in as I find them. Many desirable specimens swim in the murky backwaters.

If the goal is one hat that carries you well, with budget sufficient, your best chance of a citation catch is custom. If you're willing to show patience on the waters, and resign yourself to some throwbacks, the reservoir of heritage trophies is still well-stocked.

 

[Harry Lime]

Perfect fit equals the perfect hat.

It's all about the fit. The hat industry died a slow death because the experts in fitting hats went away. Many men who feel they "don't look good in hats" are right - because they aren't fit properly. My 7 1/2 isn't yours isn't the next guy's. This is what makes the sight unseen Ebay-way of buying iffy for the novice.

Fit is about proportion of crown height and brim to your face. Get this right and you're on your way to looking good. Color and bash (the way you like the crown and side dents formed) are also considerations.

Bogart looked god in certain hats, not so good in others. Unless your short, slight and narrow faced the odds are Bogart's exact hat would not look good on you. Bogart also has the attitude and the chip on his shoulder - it makes him and his hat look better than they actually are.

There are certain vintage hats (if they fit correctly) that are gorgeous. Thankfully there are a few modern custom makers discussed here on the Lounge that can make a beautiful hat that fits properly that will stand next to the best of the vintage. Some guys even look good in cheaper off-the-rack hats - because they chose hats that fit right.

A lot to consider maybe, but actually it's pretty simple. Fit.

That said, I have no one dream hat. I have a lot that fit great that I love, every day it seems like a different one is my favorite.

Harry Lime

 

[Baron Kurtz]

As a novice myself, i can't help much.

I have found that i happen to have gathered quite a number of vintage Stetson fedoras. Probably because they're so common (especially if your noggin is size 7 to 7 1/8, like mine).

Agreed on the points above. Choosing the 'perfect' hat for you depends upon your face, head shape and frame. Stetsons that work perfect on me will look ridiculous on you ... and vice versa.

bk

 

[The Wingnut]

Harry's got it right. It's all about how the hat is styled to you. You should wear the hat, the hat shouldn't wear you.

That said, I look for hats with a 2 3/8" brim and at least a 5" crown. This seems to merge well with my ears and jawline, and the 5" crown helps me look a little taller (I'm 5'7"), even though the bottom of the bash is usually resting just a bit on the crown of my head.

You can spend a lot of money on a Borsalino and still not have the right hat. Best to start off with something less expensive. I was fortunate in that my first hat was bought at a vintage clothing expo, and I had a chance to try on numerous hats before settling on the one that fit my face best. I ended up with a near-mint and extremely soft '30s steel gray Knox Fifth Ave Luxor. I haven't spent more than $75 on a fedora yet, and don't really care to. There are plenty of great vintage finds out there still.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Thank you gentlemen,...

....I'll just have to try a few and see how they look on me then.

 

[jamespowers]

Fit and proportion to you face are important. That being said it depends on what strikes your fancy as well. They come in all shapes and sizes. Lets try a few ads out with men wearing hats to see what really strikes your fancy and then you can go further with it:

Love this one

Not bad either.

Brim up all around.

A good variety.

Homburg and fedora.

More variety of shapes to get acquainted with.

Now that I have made this page load really slowly , I hope that gives you just an idea of what is out there and what they might look like on you.

Regards,

J

 

[Michael Mallory]

Like the Holy Grail, the perfect hat is elusive (though it probably looks better on your head). On a purely practical level, I recommend Biltmore. Their fur is pretty good (not brilliant, but pretty good), their blocks are better than most mass market brands, and you don't have to take on a second mortgage to buy one ($400 or $500 hats are great, but they aren't for me). The good ones range about $100-to-$120, though their Milan straws, which I happen to like, run cheaper. Having said that, my current two favorite hats are not Biltmore and run the gamut of quality. One is a soft, luxurious, expensive Cervo which feels like butter and keeps going like the Energizer Bunny -- the kind of hat that I will probably will to my son -- and the other is an El Cheapo Golden Gate wool "Casablanca" that's as stiff as an army helmet, but which miraculously fits perfectly and is a true 1940s shape, thanks to my reblocking it with my trusty tea kettle. It looks a lot better than it should and cost only $40.

 

[silverHalo]

Just one?

There is no "one" perfect fedora, that's why we all have so many of them. It is like trying to find the perfect girl.. they all have something to offer, just a matter of finding the one with all the features you like! Good luck in your search!!

 

[John in Covina]

Oberservation, Questions, Quanitify, Quality

First, take a look at your self in the mirror, maybe use the old camera to take a few pictures full on, 3/4's, profile, etc. Then look for images of people in hats and if you are lucky some of them will have facial features size and shape similar to yours. See if they have worn something you like.

Now you have gotten some ideas, go to the nearest hat store and try some on, you may luck out and find a current hat that is just right.

IF NOT continue to haunt e-bay and save your $$$. Go for the best quality you can find. If you are lucky, you may find a hat on ebay, that cleans up nicely, maybe you have it reblocked.

OR you go to the custom guys like Art Fawcett and detail what you want with pictures and drawings and what ever you can come up with.

I would repeat what others have said, chances are one hat won't do it for you, you'll need several.

Good luck and heaven help you, you're getting close to the suck zone, be prepared to get sucked in!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Hey now!

Fit and proportion to you face are important. That being said it depends on what strikes your fancy as well. They come in all shapes and sizes. Lets try a few ads out with men wearing hats to see what really strikes your fancy and then you can go further with it:

Love this one

Not bad either.

Brim up all around.

A good variety.

Homburg and fedora.

More variety of shapes to get acquainted with.

Now that I have made this page load really slowly , I hope that gives you just an idea of what is out there and what they might look like on you.

Regards,

J

That Mallory! And the Stetsons. That's the ticket! The Mallory has that PI look that I crave, and with just a little tweeking in the right directions,......:cool2: Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, James. :cheers1:

 

[Matt Deckard]

Borsalino, Cavanagh, Stetson, Dobbs, Resistol, all god hats if you buy one that is, like said above ... 50 years, or more, old.