Guide for first fedora/hat

[deadlyhandsome]

First buy a hat but don’t spend a ton of money on it. You will most likely not end up wearing it as you will learn from that first purchase. You will learn that what you think you like and what you end up liking is two different things. [emoji3]

I would agree if you are talking about a fine custom hat; however, if you go with a custom that costs the same, or slightly more, than a new Stetson or Akubra then a custom starter hat makes sense. A rabbit fur felt custom hat by Agnoulita, for instance, could cost as little as $150 shipped.


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[deadlyhandsome]

Another option to consider is the off-the-rack hats by VS (act fast if you want one), or Northwest. Limited colors and options, but superior hats at a great price.


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[The Wiser Hatter]

I wouldn’t buy a custom hat as a first hat. I would go new or a vintage hat.
One just doesn’t know what style they will like to you put it on your head.
You see many people sell their custom hats or not wear them much because when they put it on their head it didn’t look as good as they imagined.
Having had fedora’s and caps for years now I have a style that Art and Johnny know what I want and I just tell them the colors. [emoji3] An it is always the hat I pictured in my mind. But a beginner doesn’t have that years of buying mistakes. [emoji3]

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I wouldn’t buy a custom hat as a first hat. I would go new or a vintage hat.
One just doesn’t know what style they will like to you put it on your head.
You see many people sell their custom hats or not wear them much because when they put it on their head it didn’t look as good as they imagined.
Having had fedora’s and caps for years now I have a style that Art and Johnny know what I want and I just tell them the colors. [emoji3] An it is always the hat I pictured in my mind. But a beginner doesn’t have that years of buying mistakes. [emoji3]

If the cost is the same, why not make your “new to hat wearing” mistake(s) with a custom? I don’t see the downside. What’s the difference between buying a $200 Stetson that a year from now you might not like or buying a $150-200 custom that a year from now you might not like? I agree that I wouldn’t drop $400+ on a custom if I didn’t know I’d enjoy the hat for years to come.

I don’t think it’s wrong to start off with vintage or modern factory hats, but I also don’t see the downside to starting off with one of the economical customs. I see that Gannon’s rabbit hats are now $225, but still a bargain. Agnoulita has Tonak 100% rabbit fur felt custom hats starting at $150ish including shipping. If a new guy doesn’t know exactly what they want all they have to do is send a photo(s) to the hatter of a style they like and it’s easy to duplicate it. Another upside is that I’ve sold used Agnoulita customs on eBay for more than I paid for them. I just don’t see the downside to starting off with an inexpensive custom hat.


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[belfastboy]

I agree with the custom route with a caveat. Akubra to me represents the best avenue for a first hat. It offers great value, decent selection and a price that is low risk to the pocketbook. Hats Direct has a sale on right now offering free shipping and their prices are around $120US$. I do have a bias as my first fedora 25 years ago was Akubra, still have it, still looks good. I checked HatsDirect webpage and they do not state a return policy but they may allow for returns in which case it is a low risk way to try on a style. At worst you are out some postage and the upside is you will gain knowledge on what style works for you. Then once you have ascertained your style niche by all means move up to a custom. Custom's represent a way better value than most of the mass produced hats out there.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I agree with the custom route with a caveat. Akubra to me represents the best avenue for a first hat. It offers great value, decent selection and a price that is low risk to the pocketbook. Hats Direct has a sale on right now offering free shipping and their prices are around $120US$. I do have a bias as my first fedora 25 years ago was Akubra, still have it, still looks good. I checked HatsDirect webpage and they do not state a return policy but they may allow for returns in which case it is a low risk way to try on a style. At worst you are out some postage and the upside is you will gain knowledge on what style works for you. Then once you have ascertained your style niche by all means move up to a custom. Custom's represent a way better value than most of the mass produced hats out there.

I agree. I don’t think anyone outgrows a classic Akubra. The Campdraft, Federation IV, etc. are great values. I have, however, got rid of my Stylemasters as my tastes have changed.


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[belfastboy]

I agree. I don’t think anyone outgrows a classic Akubra. The Campdraft, Federation IV, etc. are great values. I have, however, got rid of my Stylemasters as my tastes have changed.


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I have a Madison as my first 'good' fedora from about 1990, a forerunner to the Stylemaster. It has a wind chord and I use it as my travelling hat as I don't mind it getting crushed or mashed in airplanes. Akubra felt back then was much better (even in the 90's) than it is now, soft hand and malleable, although for the money is still good hard wearing felt....just more cardboard like to the touch.

 

[thehatmatters]

Hey guys, I've got one question, and I appreciate every piece of advice. I've just bought a few wooden hat blocks from one guy for a good price (one was for circa 30 dollars, he got it from his grandmother), and I thought it might be a good start for making hats. But now I realized that almost all of the hat blocks I have are around 55cm, some of them have slightly more - up to 57cm, which is still less than enough. I would like to ask you, what is the best thing to do? Is there a way to make the blocks bigger or I have to return them to him and buy some bigger and more expensive ones? Thank you for your advice, Adam.

 

[Rmccamey]

If you can get to a good hat store (very rare these days, unfortunately) you can check out several different styles to see what looks best on you. [Don't get overwhelmed and buy retail. As has been suggested, you can almost always buy better custom or vintage hats at a better value than what you will find retail.] And...keep an open mind. I never imagined I would ever wear a homburg or bowler and now I have several of both

 

[tnjyoung]

Good morning Fellow Loungers,

I have been staying in my lane over in the "Outerwear" Forum for the better part of the last 8 years. I have always loved hats--well not always, but ever since I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark as a child (ironically that is also the movie that got me into leather jackets). I digress..

I have never purchased a Fedora, but I would love to. Can any of you folks give me advice as to what to look for in a quality Fedora?

To help, let me tell you a little about myself. I prefer goods made in Europe or USA. I am 6' tall, weigh 210lbs, and I have light skin and hair. I don't know if this matters, but maybe it does when it comes to colors, banding (I guess this is what it is called that goes around the hat), felt type, etc.?

Hmmm...what else can I think of. Maybe I will post some photos to give you all an idea of a look that I like.

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[SteveFord]

It looks like you picked a Stetson Open Road, a Stetson Chatham, an Akubra Federation IV (or here's the officially licensed version:https://www.villagehatshop.com/prod.../officially-licensed-fur-felt-fedora-hat.html ) and perhaps a Stetson Straoliner?

The best advice I can give is don't buy wool.
One that's really nice is the Stetson Firenze, that's quite the dress hat.

 

[Bamaboots]

Good morning Fellow Loungers,

You don’t say where in TN you are but in Nashville you could visit http://www.hatwrks.com/. They sell some factory made hats as well as their own line of “originals” and you would have an opportunity to try on an assortment of styles. For the money, I’m not a big fan of their originals. JMO.

 

[Robieman]

You don’t say where in TN you are but in Nashville you could visit http://www.hatwrks.com/. They sell some factory made hats as well as their own line of “originals” and you would have an opportunity to try on an assortment of styles. For the money, I’m not a big fan of their originals. JMO.

Ditto! I work in Nashville, and Hatwrks is a good store. Been there many times. Gigi, the owner, is a very nice lady and will help you. She gets a bit higher price for them than you might find online, but has a very good inventory to choose from. And after all, her store is in downtown Nashville. But it is a good place to try on and find your style, and maybe find the just right hat.
If you are in west Tennessee, I would suggest Buckaroo Hatters in Covington. He has primarily western hats, but does have a good assortment of fedoras. Mike can help you choosing what looks good on you, and make one for you if necessary. Only open on weekends though. But worth the trip, even if you are in Nashville. I've been there 3 times.

 

[belfastboy]

Our own Humanshoes here on the Lounge is a great custom hatter and he lives in the Knoxville area. Going to a hat shop with a decent inventory will go a long way in helping you discern what looks good on you, what you feel comfortable wearing etc. I am not a fan of off the rack mass produced hats even by the big names. They are okay but for not too much more $$ you can get a custom hat that will last and look good for a very long time Plus you can get exactly what you want, style, colour, trim etc. What is your budget?

 

[tnjyoung]

Our own Humanshoes here on the Lounge is a great custom hatter and he lives in the Knoxville area. Going to a hat shop with a decent inventory will go a long way in helping you discern what looks good on you, what you feel comfortable wearing etc. I am not a fan of off the rack mass produced hats even by the big names. They are okay but for not too much more $$ you can get a custom hat that will last and look good for a very long time Plus you can get exactly what you want, style, colour, trim etc. What is your budget?

I live about 1.5 hours southwest of Knoxville. I may have to make a run up there soon. My budget? Hmmm...I haven't really thought about it much, but I would say $100-500.

 

[belfastboy]

I live about 1.5 hours southwest of Knoxville. I may have to make a run up there soon. My budget? Hmmm...I haven't really thought about it much, but I would say $100-500.

That is a very wide range with which to work. Hitting your range somewhere in the middle will get you a very very good custom hat. Pricing for custom hats is all over the map. Most of the US custom hatters use fur felts from Tennessee so all work with the same raw product. Pricing is $250 at the low end and $800 at the high end and up to $1500 for a European beaver felt hat. To the layman's eye there is not a lot of difference certainly between the $250 and $800 range. Yes, there is some in terms of the hand of the finished felt but in terms of the 'look' not much difference in my experience. For me I will go the custom route every time as the difference in price between a custom and an off the shelf mass produced hat is negligible and the difference in quality is immense. Now if price is no object you can order one of the $1200 to $1500 hats from a 'name' custom house but if you shop you can get a helluva hat for a fraction of that.

 

[SteveFord]

Poking around consignment stores isn't a bad way to go, either.
You never know what will turn up.

 

[Jerm]

View attachment 211027 Good morning Fellow Loungers,

I have been staying in my lane over in the "Outerwear" Forum for the better part of the last 8 years. I have always loved hats--well not always, but ever since I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark as a child (ironically that is also the movie that got me into leather jackets). I digress..

I have never purchased a Fedora, but I would love to. Can any of you folks give me advice as to what to look for in a quality Fedora?

To help, let me tell you a little about myself. I prefer goods made in Europe or USA. I am 6' tall, weigh 210lbs, and I have light skin and hair. I don't know if this matters, but maybe it does when it comes to colors, banding (I guess this is what it is called that goes around the hat), felt type, etc.?

Hmmm...what else can I think of. Maybe I will post some photos to give you all an idea of a look that I like.

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https://imgbb.com/] [IMG[/URL]]

That last pic is a stetson road warrior by Taylor stitch. It hasn't released yet but im getting one as soon as they do. Its pretty much a packable stratoliner

 

[regius]

Can't think of a more appropriate place to pose this question. I'm a senior member on the jacket side of the forum, but never a fedora person, only wear wool caps or baseball caps/Filson wax cotton caps. I've been fascinated and overwhelmed by the many designs of the "cowboy hat" (pardon me on terminology and categorization between "fedora" and "cowboy"). I'm considering getting one hat with a brim, and particularly like the "Royal Open Road", but the academic in me just want to learn in general the history of the different styles. What era and what kind of people wore which hat (it's easy to conjure up images of horseback cowboys and their larger hat, but what's the story of the ten gallon? what's the story of the open road? The Dune? what did the 1930s miners wear? etc etc).

 

[belfastboy]

Can't think of a more appropriate place to pose this question. I'm a senior member on the jacket side of the forum, but never a fedora person, only wear wool caps or baseball caps/Filson wax cotton caps. I've been fascinated and overwhelmed by the many designs of the "cowboy hat" (pardon me on terminology and categorization between "fedora" and "cowboy"). I'm considering getting one hat with a brim, and particularly like the "Royal Open Road", but the academic in me just want to learn in general the history of the different styles. What era and what kind of people wore which hat (it's easy to conjure up images of horseback cowboys and their larger hat, but what's the story of the ten gallon? what's the story of the open road? The Dune? what did the 1930s miners wear? etc etc).

Where to start? The history of the hat, particularly the western/cowboy/Stetson is long and fascinating. I think at this point your best bet is to use Google search and add 'Fedora Lounge" to your query and it will bring up threads from here in the Lounge. Google search is better than the search function of the Lounge itself.