Going Away Gift - A New Hat!!!

[atkid]

Hi folks,
I have recently resigned from my position at a professional theatre company. As a going away gift, I have requested a hat from our Costume Warehouse and have narrowed it down to the following 4 options.

Option 1 Dobbs:

Option 2 Biltmore Imperial:

Option 3 Bailey:

Option 4 Imperial Stetson:

Option 1 is in excellent condition, has a beautiful fur felt finish and doesn't appear to have been worn.
Option 2 is in good condition, but will need to be cleaned. The darker blue rim is about 1/2 inch wide.
3 & 4 are brand new/never used so there would be a cost and effort to get these blocked.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
@kid

 

[casechopper]

If I were choosing I'd probably go with the Stetson Imperial. For the Stetson you could crease it yourself by hand. It's not necessary to block an open crown hat.

 

[hatsRme]

I vote for (1) the Stetson, or (2) the Bailey. Then, block it yourself. There are threads showing the step-by-step. It's easy, and you'll feel terrific!

Great hats... Welcome to the Lounge, ATKID! Great avatar.

 

[hatsRme]

It's now unanimous...:eusa_clap

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

Both the Stetson and the Dobbs are beautiful. I would want the Stetson, myself. Both the crown AND brim can be shaped however you want it. The Dobbs is a homburg with a curled bound edge, so you're pretty much fixed with that configuration. The Stetson can be worn formal or casual, so it will give you the most flexibility.

 

[Florida_Marlin]

I'd be all over that Imperial Stetson. I'd plop it on my kitchen table, crease it three or four different ways, then wear it out the door,the last way it was creased. Tomorrow, I might crease it another way. My point being, a nice old open crown Stetson from that era would be easy to hand crease and would just be begging for it! A great hat! Congratulations!

 

[Banky]

Def the stetson. As said above, it's just open crown. There's no blocking required, it's already blocked. Likely you can bash that by hand and even if you aren't comfortable doing it yourself, at least at the shop I work at we'd never charge anyone a cent to bash something for them they're not comfortable bashing themselves.

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

...and you definitely don't have to get it blocked. Most hats like that will respond well to a dry crease, meaning that you can form a crease down the center of the hat by hand and dent the sides for a typical fedora look. The brim can also be snapped downward, or kept upward, depending on how you like it.

Hats also respond well to steam. If you apply steam / moisture to a hat it will shape easily and hold that shape. I'm guessing most will encourage you towards the Stetson. It gets better looking each time I open this thread!!

 

[hatophile]

I like the Stetson, but all are very nice. A very nice leaving gift for you!

 

[Joshbru3]

Like Perry said, all the hats are very nice, but I would GO WITH THE IMPERIAL STETSON.

 

[suitedcboy]

With that assortment to choose from I'd leave, come back, leave, come back, leave, come back, and finally leave.
What a decision. I do concur that the Imperial Stetson is the #1 pick.

 

[ManofKent]

The Stetson for me, but I wouldn't turn any of them down.

 

[Geldoc]

Go with the Stetson, and change the crease each day at your whim.

 

[splintercellsz]

Stetson, for sure. You do look great in a homburg though!

 

[alanfgag]

Fun thread. Best of luck to you. I hope you'll have time to post more often!

 

[jlee562]

That's a funky Biltmore, but I'd join the chorus of Imperial Stetson. As others have pointed out, you need only your hands to put in the crease.

 

[Rogera]

Imperial Stetson!!!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Dang, I would go NUTS picking from all those..then it would be....either the biltmore or stetson....lucky you! Post when you do make out with one of those nice hats!

 

[winter_joe]

Stetson for sure!!

 

[Zombie_61]

Based on the photos you posted, in my opinion a hat with a tapered crown doesn't really suit you, so that eliminates the Dobbs and the Biltmore. Between the Bailey and the Stetson, I think the slightly-less-wide brim on the Stetson suits you better, so I'd go with the Stetson. However, I should mention I know next to nothing about hats and, as such, my opinion is based purely on aesthetics, so take it for what it's worth.