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Homburg question...

othelo

New in Town
Messages
2
Location
Barranco Lima Peru
Help with my new bespoke Hombourg

Dear friends, I will order my first bespoke Hombourg here in Peru, but I want your help, because our haters don have the exact proportions. I want to know which will be the correct ( or at least the standard) crown heigt and the correct wide for the brim. May you suggest me those measurements for a "standard" or more common Homburg (my head size is 59 cms).
Thanks.
 
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Chepstow

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,406
Location
Germany/ Remscheid
otelo, welcome here, I am not aware that there are any standards. Most of my Homburgs have a 6 - 7 cm curled brim.
With centerdend bash, front high 11 - 12 cm
 

Rabbit

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,561
Location
Germany
Welcome, Othelo!

If you're looking for classic dimensions, an open crown height of 5.5" is pretty much standard for a Homburg. Go lower than that and it looks a little odd; the upward brim curl takes away some of the perceived crown height, so a lower crown doesn't work very well with a Homburg.

The brim width should coordinate with your frame and your face shape at least to some extent. Many Homburgs of the 1930s to 1950s have a brim width of 2 1/4" or 2 3/8" if you measure the "visible" width, without flattening the curl. That is to say, the effective width that makes up the hat's silhouette. Add ca. 1/4" for the curl. A 2 1/4" effective brim width means a width of perhaps 2 1/2" when fully flattened.

Here are some vintage Homburgs with 5.5" x 2 1/4 or 2 3/8" dimensions.

Stetson Special, late 1930s:

P1040773.jpg

P1040790-1.jpg

P1040791.jpg


Adam, 1950s:

P1040875.jpg

P1040871.jpg

P1040874-1.jpg


Disney, 1950s:

P1040680.jpg
 
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Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,078
Location
London, UK
That brown one is beautiful. When funds allow, I'm going to buy a new one from Christies - first place I've found that do brown in production line and in fur felt these days. I have four or five wonderful vintage originals in greys and blacks, but brown has eluded me to date. I suppose this is because while Hombergs were very common over this side of the Atlantic in the Twenties (the fedora only really started to gain ground in the thirties, as far as I can make out), by the Thirties they were rapidly disappearing into the realm of formalwear only.
 
Messages
17,489
Location
Maryland
I haven't seen any modern (custom or production) Homburgs with proper brim work (curl plus binding). I would suggest going vintage (the beautiful ones posted above by Rabbit are all vintage) since there is a good supply at decent prices. This applies even more so to Bowlers (Derby, Melone, ect).

Here is a repost of my Homburg Nation. There are a couple modern ones in there which you should be able to pick out.

5579597619_4976dd0d2b.jpg

5580184264_a79c910767.jpg

5580181070_1996734c75.jpg

5579594313_0efa67ccd1.jpg

5580204640_31cacb1bfb_m.jpg
 
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YoungHatLover1994

New in Town
Messages
5
Location
Illinois
What happened to all the Homburgs?!

So I can't seem to find a regular fur felt Dobb Homburg anywhere!

The only place I see one basically is here http://www.hats-plus.com/p-1245-dobbs-homburg-hat.aspx and it's navy in a size 7.

I am trying to find myself a homburg in black or light grey, in a size 7 3/4. I don't want to purchase a biltmore because I don't like the modern company. I posted an ad in classifieds yesterday with further explanation of what I am looking for. I am in a price range of $175 under but really want to pay closer to 120. Does anyone know a retailer?

Or perhaps someone could respond to my classifieds ad. I don't mind vintage or pre owned, I hope someone can help me out.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?74293-WTB-7-3-4-Homburg-Black-or-Grey

I so much appreciate the help!
thank you,
Silas
 

casechopper

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,783
Location
Northern NJ
Hi Silas,
Your size is one of the main obstacles you'll face in your search for a homburg. I and a few others here are also in the 7 5/8+ range and the pickings are a bit slim. I would recommend camping out on ebay and checking every day or two for size 7 3/4 homburgs. Eventually one will show up and if you're patient you might even be able to get it for a good price. Listing in the classifieds here was also a good idea but you will need patience as it can take time to get a response.

One other thing. If you really only want a Dobbs brand homburg in size 7 3/4 you'll be looking for a while. I'd widen your search to include older Stetson, Knox and other good brands.
 

YoungHatLover1994

New in Town
Messages
5
Location
Illinois
Hello, Thank you both for the replies I sincerely appreciate it. It's harder than I imagined lol. There are plenty of cheap poor quality "godfather" hats out there but few genuine fine homburgs. And the sizing doesn't help yes. I am certainly open to any vintage :) I was just using the modern dobbs as an example of one I like in a good price with the right shape. But it seems those are gone too lol.

Hopefully someone on here will offer a vintage or pre owned in my size, if anywhere it'll be here! :)
 

Picard1138

One of the Regulars
Messages
229
Location
Philadelphia
JJ's hats is where I got mine, I wear a 7 3/8. It's a Selentino and very nice quality, I would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Best of luck!

-Max
 

YoungHatLover1994

New in Town
Messages
5
Location
Illinois
Confusion over Christy's Homburg. Pictures?

Hello my fellow hat lovers!

So I am curious of the Christy's Homburg. http://www.christys-hats.com/product-p/cso100011.htm?CartID=1

It looks identical to their bowler, and they describe it : "Traditional open crown with bound edge of brim... this classic high crown hat has pinchable 'eyes' and crown, and can be worn in either style"

So.. are there any owners of the modern Christy's Homburg who have reviews or explanations? There isn't much out there. I know there is one person on here where I saw pictures and the crown was indeed with dent, but they don't come like this I take it?

So essentially.. it's bowler where the crown can be dented to a homburg and worn either way? It also has a 5cm brim... so that is significantly smaller than most Homburgs who's brim is near 2.5-3 inches.



I would love to see some pictures and explanations! :) Thank you so much
 
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TheDane

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,670
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
It looks identical to their bowler [...] So essentially.. it's bowler where the crown can be dented to a homburg and worn either way?

No, actually they are quite different in crown silhouette. The homburg just comes "open crown" - many dress hats used to come like that. Yes, the Cristys looks a bit stingy, but you should be aware that the brim width on homburgs is meassured in different ways. Sometimes people meassure from crown to beginning of curl, while others include the curl in the number. It can sometimes be confusing to compare
 

YoungHatLover1994

New in Town
Messages
5
Location
Illinois
Thank you that sincerely help a lot! I had no idea of the measurement differences, nor did I know of the silhouette differences. I can't tell from the pictures. To my untrained eye the Christy's Homburg looks so similar. Hopefully someone here owns one where they can share on it too.
 
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