Homburgs

[FedoraFan112390]

Hey

What are the main differences between Homburgs and Fedoras? Were Homburgs popular at the same time as Fedoras were? Which was the dressier hat?

 

[PhilS]

Homburg History

Yes, the Homburg has been popular roughly as long as the Fedora. It dates roughly from the same period, the late 1800s. The term fedora comes from a play first produced around 1882; the homburg was popularized by Edward VII, Victoria's son, who became king in 1901. A homburg is a more formal hat than a fedora, and gradually replaced the silk top hat in the earlier part of the 1900s. It is generally associated with the aristocracy and upper classes. It can be worn black tie and with morning dress. In England, the hat became known as the "Eden" after Anthony Eden. In the US, it is popularly associated with bankers, lawyers, and high finance.

I read somewhere that the homburg is the one hat that you have to wear straight on your head; otherwise you look like a drunk. I can't remember where.

 

[Bantam Man]

FedoraFan,
As for the physical differences: the brim of a Homburg has an upward edge, all around the hat. This brim edge is stiff, and not meant to be snapped down. See the picture I just got myself as avatar for an example.

...speaking for myself: I have a few of these in my collection, and sometimes I put one of them on my head in front of the mirror. Although that does not look bad, I cannot get to actually wear one with confidence...

 

[Justdog]

Homburg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/justdog/Hats/Homburg.jpg

My only homburg/ Wear it to the steakhouse Hys Toronto. Actually really like this hat. A Courtney quite old.

 

[AlanC]

You can find quite a bit of information here:

Homburg and Bowler Reference

 

[barrowjh]

I have several hombergs, 1 brown Borsalino, 1 dark choc Cunningham, an ugly grey Stetson St. Regis (ugly condition) and a beautiful grey one from the 'Willard Shop' which someone told me was probably the men's haberdasher that was apparently associated with the Willard Hotel in D.C. I have been stunned by how these sneak up on you, and how you just don't know how you will look in a hat until you try it on, how variations in brim width, crown taper, and crown height can really make a big difference.

The Cunningham was a serendepitous mistake; I bought it for my son (also a 57 cm), and the seller's pics were so bad I thought it was a fedora. The sweat was ripping out, so I sent it off to have that replaced, and JP later commented to me that he had never seen such fine stitching on a sweat on any hat before; the stitches did not go through to the other side. Darned shame that the thread had dry-rotted. It is also the only homberg I have ever seen that did not have a bound edge, but JP assured me that was not rare. What was rare was what I saw (and everyone saw) when I put it on - the right combination of brim width, color, crown taper (seen from the front) and height - it looked really nice on me. The Borsalino does not taper, and seems to have a shorter crown, and just does not work for me (tempted to just push out the crease and call it a bowler, as I have not been successful at landing a brown bowler).

My point in this long tome? I think this is why many of us become collectors -if you do not live anywhere near a hatter, the only way you can find out what looks good on YOU is to buy several and every now and then you get a serendepitous discovery!

I also like the Willard, it has a wider brim and is taller than the Cunningham. I went through a couple iterations of setting a hat stretcher up from the kitchen counter, steaming the brim, then placing it on the stretcher and placing weights on the front and back to really pull those pencil-curled sides up high (almost like a k-boy) and I like it (I know, ought to take a pic). Maybe I just love the felt - similar to a Stetson Sovereign or Dobbs 20 it is really very nice felt.

Which brings me around to another question - was there a time when the manufacturers did not mention or market them for beaver content? My finest Stetson Sovereign, the Dobbs 20 (both classic fedoras w/2 1/2" felted edge brims), the Willard, and a couple of others - really very fine felts, but no mention of beaver. Hard to believe the manufacturers would invest the labor in a felted edge for anything less than a 50-50 mix, but I have seen threads here where it was stated that if the hat markings do not claim beaver content, then there was none. I suspect that marketing beaver content became popular in the 50's, but before that, a hat might have had beaver content but was not marketed that way. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I love Homburgs. I almost think that one has to have at least a little grey hair in order to carry on off, though.

 

[donCarlos]

Can you imagine Hercule Poirot (I mean the D. Suchet´s version from the TV series) without his homburg? They are beatiful and extremely stylish, but fedoras go first for me..

 

[David Conwill]

I love Homburgs. I almost think that one has to have at least a little grey hair in order to carry on off, though.

Agreed, but if you're ever elected (or better yet, appointed) judge, you should probably own one:

(Benjamin Cardozo, famous American jurist.)

-Dave