How many hats is enough?

[bowlerman]

At one time I felt a little guilty for having five. Somehow or another I have just counted forty nine. Sheesh-- This concerns me slightly
I have way more than enough. One or two is enough, but sometimes the impulse just gets the best of ya and eventually you start to take some pride in the collecting. Many of them were "mistakes" or purchases made out of naivete before my involvement here, but sentimental value and diversity of style keeps me from getting rid of them.

She who must be obeyed is another story altogether. I'm with DJH in that if I wasn't the one home for mailtime I'd be in waaay over my head with her. I've come home to find new acquisitions in my front yard, in the dishwater, etc... Sometimes I ease them into rotation by putting them on the shelf (in my tornado shelter/ hat room), discarding the box immediately, and letting them gather a little dust, maybe even not wearing them for a few days. Then it's easier to say "this hat? No, it isn't new. I've had this one for a little while..."

I also find that the more stiff I get about our budget, the more she suspects I've made another purchase... and she's usually right, so I try to remain relaxed about the family finances.

But lately the wave of good finds for reasonable prices in my size has been too tempting to resist, and I have thrown caution to the wind!

Welcome to this wonderful community of enablers and good luck.

By the way-- nice Akubra at a great price! You could explain that this hat really "should have" cost you around $150 with shipping...

 

[alanfgag]

To the question, how many hats is enough... it depends. To accompany a wardrobe, a small number should do nicely. If you become bitten by the urge to know more about hats however, there is no substitute for handling as many as you can handle. The thirst can lead you to a collection of hats larger than you planned. It is not necessary to own them all, or to keep all the hats you purchase. Many here have owned and sold, eventually trimming to a relatively compact collection. It's a process and many of us here are somewhere along the path.

I'd encourage finding a way to share it with your wife (some of it, anyway). Skulking around will likely make you feel worse and at some point hiding it becomes futile anyway. Admitting the compulsion is good for the soul... you might even get some sympathy.

 

[MikeBravo]

Never tell the wife she will always ask why you need more than one , to this I respond I'm trying to catch up to your shoe collection and buy her another pair.

Clever! I see a long and happy, albeit impoverished, marriage ahead of you

 

[Mulceber]

I perceive a small flaw in the logic of the original post; it assumes that there's such a thing as enough hats. I have my doubts. -M

 

[MikeBravo]

How many hats are enough? Allow me to illustrate

Location: Melbourne City Hatters, Melbourne, Australia
Cast: Mike, Mike's girlfriend Sue
Time: a sunny Saturday afternoon; Mike is trying on a fawn coloured, stingy brim Akubra Whippet

Dialogue:
Sue (bemused and amused countenance): "Don't you have enough hats already?"
Mike (look of wry pity): "Will you listen to yourself?"
Sue (laughing): "Of course, what was I thinking?"

Mike exits store wearing newly purchased Akubra Whippet

 

[Tomasso]

37

 

[Johnny J]

I thought in the beginning I would just get 1 blue, 1 gray and 1 brown fedora. Right now I have 9 and I continue looking for something good on the bay. Its hard to stop.

 

[tonyb]

37

Good answer. I have considerably more than that, but even I have to concede that if a person can't find a suitable hat for most any occasion among a collection numbering 37, there's likely more than a bit of redundancy in said collection.

Me, I got hats I never wear. More than few, truth be known. A person might be forgiven for thinking that's silly. I don't share that view, but I understand it.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.
I won't have enough until I have more hats than rlk does.

 

[Tomasso]

.
I won't have enough until I have more hats than rlk does.

What a beast to slay.....

 

[Corky]

How Many Hats Are Enough?

The correct answer to that question is always one more than the number of hats which you already possess.

 

[davidraphael]

I reckon I could stop around 30-40..maybe

 

[gtdean48]

Just wondering... Are there any tips for telling spouses about new acquisitions?

The tip is to NOT get in the mode of telling about new acquisitions. The mode to get into is have enough hat traffic volume that new ones are hard to notice.
Between trading, selling, repairs & customizing, having hats coming & going will become so normal that new ones are not detected....
That is my story & I'm sticking to it....

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

While I have quite a few hats I am always in a process of finding a better version of a hat. I have a couple of perfect Mallory's in colors that I like an wear and I am looking for a few more "perfect" Mallorys in other colors that they made. Its always a process of getting a better hat in the color and style that drives up the hat count. An as I love newsboys as well as Milian's that just causes it to raise even higher. I will never be at the RLK level he is the master for sure.

 

[m0nk]

I think once I have a hat for every occasion, and that will go with every combo of clothing I own, then that will be enough. Of course, this could end up meaning I'll have several hats in the same color/style, but just different enough that I can wear them on either more or less dressy occasions...

 

[DNO]

You can never have enough hats...or books...or paintings...or sculptures...or... Hey, I think I just figured out why my place is so cluttered!

 

[dr.velociraptor]

I have one newsboy, one scally cap, and one Akubra Angler hat, I have a fedora on order from Akubra. If I get one nice basic Ivy cap, to be honest that will probably complete my collection (famous last words).

 

[m0nk]

I have one newsboy, one scally cap, and one Akubra Angler hat, I have a fedora on order from Akubra. If I get one nice basic Ivy cap, to be honest that will probably complete my collection (famous last words).

Yup, famous last words is right.

 

[scottyrocks]

Actually, I could probably use one more. I'd like a nice wide-brimmed gray. I'm thinking an Akubra Fed IV in either moonstone or carbon gray, probably the latter. Then I'll be done.

 

[Marshall]

Hat accumulation is very hard to combat, not only is there always that one color, brand, or style you're trying to get your hands on, but the hunt itself is so thrilling. My name is Marshall and I'm a hatoholic.