Hat comparison Help

[SGT Rocket]

Hats Hats hats

I maintain a list of Hat stores here and I don't have Heimie's. Could I have an address, phone, and website for the place?

Also, the Margate is too limited for your needs so you should buy it first. Wear it with everything ... including suits with which it clashes and looks horrible. Your wife will then happily give you leave to buy another hat.

Having made Heimie happy by buying a hat, go get a Stylemaster from Akubra from hatsdirect.com. The lower crown is like the Margate and the Saxon but you get a bound rim and a ribbon that's not so wide. The proportions are very pleasing, too. Search for Stylemaster here and go to the thread called Pictures of Stylemasters on Noggins.

I, also, own a Nostalgia and love it as well.

You can see where this is going...:whistling

Here is the web address for Heimie's

http://heimies.com/

400 St. Peter Street, St. Paul, MN 55102 651-224-2354
Store Hours: Mon. - F. 10 am - 7 pm, Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday Closed

They have hats, suites, strait shaves, shoes, and all sorts of stuff. It is an amazing place.

 

[SGT Rocket]

Stylemaster

Wow, just checked out this thread

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=44017&highlight=Stylemaster

Lots of awesome Stylemasters. I like the idea that it has a bound rim like the Margate. Who makes it? Does anyone have the dimensions on it?

Also, what if I order online, in the size that I think I am and it doesn't fit? Can I send it back and get a larger or smaller hat? I'm curious because I wear a different size beret and patrol cap. Plus, depending on what brand of shoes I buy, the sizes for the shoes can be as much as a half inch off.

Oh, I just found the dimensions on the thread! Looks good!

 

[RBH]

Akubra makes the Stylemaster.
They turn out some very fine hats for the money.

http://www.everythingaustralian.com.au/displayproduct.asp?Search=Yes&sppp=18

 

[marvelgoose]

Also, what if I order online, in the size that I think I am and it doesn't fit? Can I send it back and get a larger or smaller hat?

They will want you to be happy, but they will also work with you on the phone to get something that should work. They do this all the time.

What you do is actually measure your head with a measuring tape. Run it one inch above your eyebrows and just above your ears. Note measurements in both inches/fractions and in centimeters/decimenters

Go to www.hatsdirect.com and check the measurement section. Most Akubra's come .5 centimeters larger than the size so a 59 centimeter would be a 59.5. They do this because leather hatbands and felt shrink. Over a few weeks the hat will shrink to your head's dimensions. They supply a bit of foam to take care of the excess space while you wait for the hat to shrink.

It is always better to have a hat a little large than a little small. Some impatient souls in here have doused hats in water and then dried them with a hand held hair dryer to shrink them. That's extreme, but shows what can be done.

You can get real time help by calling the store. Don't forget the time and day zone differences between here and Oz.

 

[marvelgoose]

of course, if you buy a Stylemaster first it will negate the strategy that I gave you to procure two hats!

 

[SGT Rocket]

wow!

They will want you to be happy, but they will also work with you on the phone to get something that should work. They do this all the time.

What you do is actually measure your head with a measuring tape. Run it one inch above your eyebrows and just above your ears. Note measurements in both inches/fractions and in centimeters/decimenters

Go to www.hatsdirect.com and check the measurement section. Most Akubra's come .5 centimeters larger than the size so a 59 centimeter would be a 59.5. They do this because leather hatbands and felt shrink. Over a few weeks the hat will shrink to your head's dimensions. They supply a bit of foam to take care of the excess space while you wait for the hat to shrink.

It is always better to have a hat a little large than a little small. Some impatient souls in here have doused hats in water and then dried them with a hand held hair dryer to shrink them. That's extreme, but shows what can be done.

You can get real time help by calling the store. Don't forget the time and day zone differences between here and Oz.

Wow, I just checked out the hats direct and the stylemaster here. They look super and are half the price of the Margate. The dimensions look good as well.

It looks like the moonstone may go with more of my suits. I like that lite gray with the black band.

Steel gray looks might good too, but that moonstone just looks awesome!

It has a little different bash than the Margate. Is this strictly stylistic? Or, is here another reason for it?

Also, to my eyes, the Stylemaster looks a little more classic than the Margate; well, except for the bash. The Margate has the same bash as my panama has.

 

[marvelgoose]

It has a little different bash than the Margate. Is this strictly stylistic? Or, is here another reason for it?

They've been making the Stylemaster for a long time. I saw one for sale on OFAS that was from the 50's. The bash is a shallow teardrop and it does not have a tight pinch as that is more pleasing on more faces. There is a thread on rebashing the Stylemaster, but it wasn't really necessary IMHO.

However, if bash it yourself you must, hatsdirect can order an open crown stylemaster with a three month wait.

 

[carldelo]

The Stylemaster is truly a classic shape - the center dent on the Margate is as well, it's really the ribbon treatment that makes it look more modern. FWIW, the felt on the Margate is probably much nicer (e.g. thicker, softer, more pliable) than the Stylemaster. Akubra felts are thinner and tend to be stiff when new, but will wear a long time. My Stylemaster is downright springy in the crown and the brim makes an audible pop when snapped (I much prefer Stetson felt). The sweatbands on Akubra are much nicer than Stetson, however. Of course, the best way to be sure is to get the Margate and a Stylemaster and do the comparison for yourself

 

[SGT Rocket]

Bogart

I noticed that the Akubra Bogart has the same bashing at the Stetson Margate. anyone have any thoughts on the Bogart?

My head is really spinning. I'm going to have to buy two.

I think I'll let my wife buy me one upon my return, and try to get another one for my birthday.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

My head is really spinning. I'm going to have to buy two.

...In only two days... is that a record? lol

Welcome to our world.

 

[SGT Rocket]

Ok, I think this may be it...

I have narrowed it down to three hats (edit: four hats)

Stetson Nostalgia, Caribou Gray with a black ribbon
Akubra Bogart, in moonstone, the dark gray is too dark.
Akubra Stylemaster, moonstone (gray) with black ribbon
Stetson Margate would be perfect in Caribou Gray if it had a black band.

My wife knows my hat size and I'll let her surprise me. I know that all of these hats are different, and to be totally honest, I would like one of each but I think that would be a little excessive...

I love the "bash" in the Margate and the Bogart, but also like the bash in the crown of the Stylemaster and the Nostalgia... but just a hint less. The pics from the Stylemaster thread just make me drool though.

The whole process has been totally weird for me. Normally, I'm very decisive and can make a decision without any dithering, but this has been something else.

 

[marvelgoose]

I have narrowed it down to three hats (edit: four hats)

Stetson Nostalgia, Caribou Gray with a black ribbon
Akubra Bogart, in moonstone, the dark gray is too dark.
Akubra Stylemaster, moonstone (gray) with black ribbon
Stetson Margate would be perfect in Caribou Gray if it had a black band.

Let the record show that the hat customer went from an all Stetson selection to including two hats from a hat store located a day in the future with a shipping cost of $30. Style matters. And the timeless hat styles sell.

If I were Akubra, I'd be putting pressure on my distributor to sell the hats that people are so passionate about that they order them special direct from half way around the globe.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

If I were Akubra, I'd be putting pressure on my distributor to sell the hats that people are so passionate about that they order them special direct from half way around the globe.

I'm glad you're not Akubra then. The hats cost less ordering overseas! lol

By the way, SlyGI; unless there have been changes that I'm unaware of, the Stetson Nostalgia comes with an open crown. Which means you can copy the Margate if you want.

 

[SGT Rocket]

Open Crown

That is Awesome!

Thanks for the tip Not-Bogart13!

 

[SGT Rocket]

Back in the States

Well, I made it back to the states!

I've been home for about fourteen days and I finally had time to drive up to Heimies Haberdashery in St. Paul today. I looked at a few of their hats.

They did not have the Stetson Margate in stock, but they did have a Stetson Nostalgia. I have a oval (or long oval) shaped head, and the Nostalgia conformed well to it-- I think because the hat seemed rather soft to me. Which I kind of liked.

However, it was an "open crown" and the nice people there showed me how to put a center dent and a pinch in it.

I did notice on a Dobbs that I tried on that the center dent or bash was firm. The whole has was firmer. It was a 7-1/8 VS the 7-1/4 of the Nostalgia. They both fit well, but I think the Nostalgia fit a little better. My wife also really liked me in the wide brim (to my surprise) and I think my dermatologist would perfer me in a wide brim as well.

I'm also looking at the Stylemaster online. It looks like it comes already bashed, but how wide is the brim? --since I'm now going for a wider brim hat--

I like the idea of a soft hat that automatically fits my oval head, but I also like the idea of a bash and pinch that I don't have to set every time I put on my hat. So this puts the Nostalgia out.

How about the Stylemaster? Anyone have any opinions regarding how wide the brim is? I know the crown is a little shorter. Also, will the bash stay "molded", for lack of a better word, so I don't have to worry about it every time I put it on?

thanks!!!!

 

[KY Gentleman]

Welcome home! And Thank You! I hope you enjoy wearing whatever hat(s) you get.

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi SlyGI,

Welcome back to the good ol' USA, where combat helmets are not required, well, usually.

Selecting headgear is highly personal, but as one who has had just about every brand of modern hat there is, I can say with authority that Akubras are by far the best value. Even when you net out price, they are superb: terrific fur felt that softens with time and lasts practically forever, reeded roan leather sweatbands that are durable and very comfortable, and a wide array of styles.

Which brings me to the Stylemaster. Of around 80 lids, it is still my favorite and has garnered more compliments than all other hats combined over a lifetime of wearing them. The bound snap brim is 2 9/16 inch all around, and the crown height is 4 1/4 in. at the front sloping to 3 7/8 in. at the rear. The hatband is 1 1/4 in. wide. Although the precreased bash is called a pinch-front telescope or teardrop, the dome in the middle has so little convexity that it could almost be called a wide center dent.

Whatever you call the bash, it will hold its shape, as will most all open crown hats after the felt has been formed and dried, so precreased versus open-crown would not be a deciding factor based soley on that criterion.

As for fit, beware choosing a hat jsut because it feels right the moment you put it on. It does not take long for a pure fur felt hat with a roan leather sweat to conform to your head shape after a wearing in the rain or perspiring heavily. Being a long oval, you may need to finagle the hat bit more than others, but it's no big deal, and this site is full of advice on how to do it.

As a relative newcomer to the World of Hats, you may not realize that one aspect of a hat's dimensions that is seldom mentioned in descriptions but is enormously important is the crown taper--the degree of inward slope from the base of the crown to its top. This is difficult to see in photos and even in person as you study a hat in hand, but it makes a huge difference in how a hat looks when you put it on your head. The Stylemaster has a moderate crown taper.

While I admire your loyalty to a helpful retail establishment, realize that online vendors halfway around the world like Everything Australian and Hats Direct can be just as, if not more accomodating, and usually charge less for identical merchandise even when shipping and handling are factored in.

My Stylemaster is acorn fawn, but I have an Akubra Federation IV Deluxe in moonstone, and that is a lovely shade of gray that goes especially well with blacks, blues, and grays but is acceptable with any other clothing color.

So, I'd recommend an Akubra Stylemaster for now, but, be warned, this will NOT be your last hat!

 

[gtdean48]

Welcome home! And Thank You! I hope you enjoy wearing whatever hat(s) you get.

:arated: :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[SGT Rocket]

Just measured the noggin!

Just measured the noggin! 22 and 3/4 inches. I believe that is 58cm on the Hats Direct site.

I will pull the trigger on the Stylemaster in Moonstone later this evening.

Right now I'm babysitting my daughter (20 months old) who is home sick from daycare with a little Pink Eye.

When she goes to bed tonight! I'm buying the hat!!!!!

fftopic: Sort of...

I'm looking at the Campdraft for my next hat.

I'll keep everyone posted here as soon as I buy the hat online!!!!

 

[SGT Rocket]

Just Ordered!

Just ordered the Stylemaster in Moonstone!!!!!