Generations

[Johnnysan]

My early interest in hats was surely sparked by a photo of my dad taken in the late 1940's upon his return stateside in which he was sporting a fedora and heavy wool overcoat. As I began adding to my vintage collection, I noticed that my dad was becoming more and more intretsted in my acquisitions and often commented on his manner of dress when he was a young man in the 1930's and 40s.

One of our colleagues here on the lounge offered to sell an absolutely pristine Dobbs to me. Neither of us were sure of the size of the hat, but given it's appearance and price, I snapped it up. When it arrived, I was thrilled with it, but it was more than a bit snug on me. As it happened, my parents were in town for the weekend shortly after it arrived and my dad tried it on. It fit like a glove!

Despite my offering it to him, he declined and suggested that I stretch it to fit me. I knew by his tone that he REALLY wanted this hat, so over the holidays, it became his. He was like a kid at Christmas and is as happy with the Dobbs as he has been with any gift I've ever given him. My mother tells me that he's been wearing it often, even though he's too bashful to say so himself!

It's great that in his 83rd year and my 42nd, we've found one more thing to bring us together. You'll never know what fathers and sons will bond over! Happy New Year, all!

 

[DanielJones]

That's great Johnnysan! Glad to hear that the generations can come together and bond like that. Fathers & Sons have a way of doing that sometimes. I hope that you both wear yours in good health. Have a great New Year.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[John in Covina]

Thanks for taking the time to relate this story about what is in reality good fortune for you and your dad. Savor these times and do your best to make every effort to create both special events and little events of full of that fondness, and enjoyment. Each time can be a celebration of family that you keep in a storehouse of memories.

Also go thru all of the old pictures and make sure they tell you and you write down who everybody is in the picture. The info gets lost really quick when they are gone.

 

[tonyb]

That's wonderful

Congratulations on bestowing a gift that so gladdens both the giver and the recipient. Your story leaves me feeling a bit less cynical about this most holy of retail seasons.
What model is that lid your dad is sporting? And what's that color? Is it as light "in person" as it is in that photo? It looks great on him.
I have a vintage Dobbs Westward (a very Open Road-ish style) that I've had so long I can't remember where or when I acquired it. But it's nowhere near so nice as that hat in the photo, and I never wear it because the crown tapers too much and I have plenty of other lids I'd rather be seen in. I just like that it has embossed on the sweatband a label from a local retailer that went out of business before I was born, or so I've been told.

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Happy New Year, Johnnysan!

I'm really glad to see that you got a cool lid for your dad. What a great way to share across the generations. Congratulations to both of you!

As a kid I tried on my dad's hats and they were way too big. When my dad passed away 8 years ago, my mom wanted me to take his hats and I declined, since they were all 6 7/8's and 7's and I'm a 7 1/4 - 7 3/8. My nephew took them since they fit him, but if I knew then what I know now, I probably would have taken them and kept them, especially one dark brown Dobbs Twenty and a black Stetson St. Regis...

Anyway, you guys make a very cool pair - that's a snappy lid you've got on there!

P.S. tonyb - I tend to agree about the Dobbs Westward though I like mine (navy blue) and do wear it. It looks very small-scale and is not a trulydressy lid. But its somewhat casual low profile still has the look of a trad-western fedora that goes great with casuals and jeans 1) because of the color and 2) it is a lightweight felt. For a nice high-crown of that style, I prefer my gray Stratoliner and chocolate-brown Mallory Dallas.

 

[Johnnysan]

Congratulations on bestowing a gift that so gladdens both the giver and the recipient. Your story leaves me feeling a bit less cynical about this most holy of retail seasons.
What model is that lid your dad is sporting? And what's that color? Is it as light "in person" as it is in that photo? It looks great on him.
I have a vintage Dobbs Westward (a very Open Road-ish style) that I've had so long I can't remember where or when I acquired it. But it's nowhere near so nice as that hat in the photo, and I never wear it because the crown tapers too much and I have plenty of other lids I'd rather be seen in. I just like that it has embossed on the sweatband a label from a local retailer that went out of business before I was born, or so I've been told.

Tony...good eye, it IS a Dobbs Westward. The color is deceiving in the photo. It is a very light fawn color, but not quite as light as it appears in the photo. I have to admit that the color looks better on my dad than it did on me! We worked on it a bit after the photo was taken and it's sporting a nice center dent with a slight pinch in the crown. If I can find it's equal in my size, I'll snap it up in a heartbeat!

Thanks guys for all the kind responses! Health & happiness to you all.

 

[Legal Concepts]

"Who needs hair when you've got a sweet hat?"

BTW Johnny that is SO TRUE, I've worked for two Bald supervisors over the years, and man they need a lid!

 

[photobyalan]

I've been shaving my head for years, but only started wearing a hat regularly about a year ago. What a fool I was. No more sunburns on the top of my head, I'm much warmer on cold days, and much cooler every day :drum:

John, you and your dad look great together. I'm sure your spirits must soar when you see him in that Dobbs. What a great gift, for both of you.

 

[Johnnysan]

John, you and your dad look great together. I'm sure your spirits must soar when you see him in that Dobbs. What a great gift, for both of you.

Indeed, Alan! I was thinking about this again just this morning...how history is circular. My father wore hats when he was a young man and the look inspired me to give the fedora a shot. I began wearing them regularly and it inspired my father to return to wearing them. It also makes me smile when I see my 2½ year-old daughter pick up one of my hats, place it on her head and delicately fix the brim over her eyes! It's gotta be good genes!

Regards! :cheers1:

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Johnnysan -- Great photo of you and your dad, and great hats, too. Thanks for posting it.

My father, who would now be 89 were he alive, wore fedoras from the late 1930's up to the early 60's. I never paid much attention to them, but know that he did look good in them; with his rugged face and fedoras, he was mistaken a lot for a detective.

Wish I had paid attention to them, they are all gone now except for a short-brimmed black hat that he kept in a plastic covering.

It would be interesting to know how he would react to the fedoras I have now, but am betting the old codger would find a way to con one from me.

And I'd give him one, too...

karol

 

[Lincsong]

That's great

Whenever, I hear about father's and son's still doing something I think about that 70's song; Cat's in the Cradle. It's about a father who was too busy with his career when his son was young to spend time with him and when the son got older he was too busy in his career to spend with his dad. At the end of the song the Dad says; "you know, my son grew up like me, yeah, my boy is just like me" To me that is the saddest song I have ever heard. I have always said that I would never allow my life to mimic that song. I'm glad that there are others who also find ways to pass with their fathers.

 

[tonyb]

So Lid, does your Westward's crown taper quite a bit (as mine does) or is it relatively straight up and down, as Johnnysan's dad's appears to be? Yours is a dark blue, which sounds considerably more attractive than my medium- to dark-gray one.
Johnny and Alan hit that nail square on the head. I've been bald, and a hat-wearer, essentially all my adult life. Proper men's hats haven't truly been "in style" during those decades, but to hell with the fashion of the moment if your head is burnt in the summer and pelted by rain and snow and sleet the other 49 weeks of the year. The brim keeps the water from running down my neck and off my spectacles. Felt hats insulate, and they can get good and wet without transferring that rain water to the wearer. Ball caps and watch caps and other such "hats" can't do all that. Maybe men had more good sense back when Johnnysan's dad was a young man.

 

[PutALidOnIt]

...didn't want to take over Johnnysan's thread, but...

No, I would consider the crown to be bit tapered - it's fairly square in the back, but sides and front have a bit of angulation. I think the angular appearance is emphasized by the lower proportioned crown, too.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/dobbswestward1.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/dobbswestward2.jpg

 

[Johnnysan]

...didn't want to take over Johnnysan's thread, but...

No, I would consider the crown to be bit tapered - it's fairly square in the back, but sides and front have a bit of angulation. I think the angular appearance is emphasized by the lower proportioned crown, too.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/dobbswestward1.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/surfnjoe/dobbswestward2.jpg

Oh, man...with photos of a hat like that, feel free to hijack my posts anytime! What a great color...very nice!

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Just great

John,
You are one lucky man to still have your dad to share not only hats but you and yours! :cheers1: Root Beer