I love the Fed IV!!

[Kirk H.]

Hooray, Joy and trumpets! I feel like a song! My FedIV Moonstone just arrived. Looks great. I will try to waint until after Thanksgiving to bash it. Seens just a tad loose, more than my Black FedIV that I got last year.

I called my Mom and she confirmed that my Dad used to wear a Fedora back in the 30's and 40's the bad new is that there are no surviving pictures lost during a move. She remembers that he used to shop for clothes at Joe Brown in Corpus Christi TX. He had a brown and a gray Fedora both with black ribbons. He traded hats with his father-in-law exchanging one of his Fedoras for a Stetson Cowboy hat.

m0nk: thank you , we are going to be Casablanca buddies, can't wait either.
rrwine: Bordeaux it is.
Oldsarge: I will have to break out one of my berets.

Moonstone Fed IV bashing to come, stay tuned.

Maybe we need a new thread: Matching Hats to drinks.

I am glad your Moonstone arrived. But now I am getting the urge for another hat. Fed IV in Carbon Grey or a Stylemaster. Decisions to make, I think when I get home from work I will have to have a drink and ponder it.

 

[amador]

If you have a drink then you will only be two behind. M0nk I now have The Macallen at hand, last bottle at the Idaho State EtOH dispensery in Nampa,ID, I am now at Victor,ID with the Tetons in sight, the mountains look pretty good too. The Macallen will be put to the test! I have my Black Fed IV and a couple of shot glasses, two feet of snow and Linda standing by. Please advise.

 

[scottyrocks]

I definitely want a moonstone or carbon gray Fed IV, but I find grays to be cold. Although I have some gray suits, I wear mostly earth tones. I can't justify (right now) buying a gray hat for the few times I wear grays and/or blacks. What I do is try to find accessories that work with the cold grays and warm browns, tans and greens. I know my situation is the reverse of yours, but accessorizing might be the answer.

 

[monbla256]

I want one of these, but I wonder if it will go with my wardrobe. I've noticed that since I started wearing hats, I've gravitated towards brown/earthtones in all my clothing, to match my hats. I have a Jimmy Pierce gray-with-black-ribbon that I love, but have to scrounge for a shirt that matches it, and I really have no sweaters or jackets that aren't brown.

I wonder what you guys do who have the blues and greens and other color hats.

I have three variations of grey hats Akubra makes, a Charcoal Grey Sydney ( dark black/grey), a Mid-Grey Squatter (an honest grey with some blue to it) and a Carbon Grey Stylemaster ( a darker blue grey) and wear them with just about most of my brown/earth shades as well as blue/grey/black clothing. The bluer greys work well with browns though greens don't do well with greys/blues/blacks. I only have one green hat a Willow Green Stylemaster which I wear only with brown/earth tones. I'd wear that Moonstone with just about anything you have described and it would probably work fine

 

[Bad Co]

The Charcoal Grey is my go to hat for everyday during fall and winter
I never considered it more formal than any of the other colors but I understand what one would mean by cold
Moonstone to me is more suited for spring, summer, but I believe hat color and what it goes with has more to do with complexion and hair color than dress
Just my 2 cents worth

 

[m0nk]

If you have a drink then you will only be two behind. M0nk I now have The Macallen at hand, last bottle at the Idaho State EtOH dispensery in Nampa,ID, I am now at Victor,ID with the Tetons in sight, the mountains look pretty good too. The Macallen will be put to the test! I have my Black Fed IV and a couple of shot glasses, two feet of snow and Linda standing by. Please advise.

Neat, that's the only way. Enjoy!

 

[JTopenroad]

Does anyone own both the Fed IV and a John Penman hat for comparison? Or have you seen them side by side? Just curious if the price of a custom hat is worth it.

 

[Gromulus]

I just placed an order with Hats Direct for two more FED IV hats; a standard in tawny fawn and deluxe in moonstone. I thought about the carbon grey but it's a bit austere and I seldom wear my Stylemaster in the same color while my moonstone gets lots of wear.

Along with my dark brown FED IV this will make a total of 17 Akubras (14 felt, three polypropylene). I cannot think of another Akubra on my short list so my next hats (not until 2012!) will most likely be custom (e.g. Art Fawcett, John Penman, etc).

I have found the FED IV (along with my Campdrafts) to be a very versatile lid, suitable for dress and casual.

 

[m0nk]

Does anyone own both the Fed IV and a John Penman hat for comparison? Or have you seen them side by side? Just curious if the price of a custom hat is worth it.

You can check with jlee562, I'm pretty sure he has both a Penman and a Fed IV. As for comparison, I don't think you can truly compare the two; while they're both great hats, custom hats like Penman's are on a completely different level. I am on the waiting list for one of his Casablanca hats, and even without seeing it in person, simply just reading all of the reviews of his hats and seeing the pics, I know that his will be the first and the Fed IV will be second, when I choose a hat to grab on the way out the door. I've worn both of my Fed IVs in the worst possible weather, so when I was communicating with John about his hats, I asked how they hold up in rain. His response was "I live in Oregon. I wear mine everyday. Nuff said." And this is true, just knowing he wears his own hat(s) daily in the weather they get out there, I know it'll stand up to just about anything I can see here.

Hope that helps.

 

[jlee562]

I do indeed have both a Fed IV and a Penman custom in rabbit fur. Actually my Penman needs a re-flange as I had worn it in a heavy downpour and the brim got a little too soaked. Of course, this is not a knock on John's hats, if any hat gets too wet it will need a little TLC. John's rabbit felt, which as I understand it is made to his specifications at Winchester, is very soft and has held up to weather well. The finishing on John's hats is going to be noticeably nicer than on the Fed IV. His ribbon work is especially clean. The tacking stitches on one of John's ribbons is darn near invisible. The leather is much more supple and of a visibly higher quality than the Fed. John does every single part of his hats by hand, no machines involved whatsoever, so you are getting a truly handmade and hand crafted hat. I love my Fed IV too, don't get me wrong, but if you have the cash for a Penman, by all means, you should get a Penman.

Here's my Penman after coming in from the rain:

 

[m0nk]

I do indeed have both a Fed IV and a Penman custom in rabbit fur. Actually my Penman needs a re-flange as I had worn it in a heavy downpour and the brim got a little too soaked. Of course, this is not a knock on John's hats, if any hat gets too wet it will need a little TLC. John's rabbit felt, which as I understand it is made to his specifications at Winchester, is very soft and has held up to weather well. The finishing on John's hats is going to be noticeably nicer than on the Fed IV. His ribbon work is especially clean. The tacking stitches on one of John's ribbons is darn near invisible. The leather is much more supple and of a visibly higher quality than the Fed. John does every single part of his hats by hand, no machines involved whatsoever, so you are getting a truly handmade and hand crafted hat. I love my Fed IV too, don't get me wrong, but if you have the cash for a Penman, by all means, you should get a Penman.

Here's my Penman after coming in from the rain:

I've seen your pics a couple times but still have to say that that is absolutely a beautiful hat there. It certainly gave me an idea for something I'd like in the future.

 

[Oldsarge]

Mmm, medium grey hat with wide burgundy ribbon. How dashing can one get?

 

[JTopenroad]

Thanks for the input. I am sure I will travel down the road toward a custom hat. Now...Optimo or Penman or ....?

 

[jlee562]

John has straighter blocks than Optimo does. I have an Optimo Dillinger on their #52 block, which is the straightest block they use, but there is still a slight amount of taper. And of course, Optimos are a bit more expensive than John's hats, but they do have their own felts (now 100% wild beaver) in their own colors, which are gorgeous. But if you want a taper free hat, I would give Mr. Penman a call. Of course, I also have to give a nod to Bob Jesse at Black Sheep Hat Works as well, I've got two hats from him that are simply stunning.

....but I digress, back to the Fed IV!

 

[JTopenroad]

Well, I want a Fed IV. I will order one in dark brown. That will ease the anticipation of the 6 + month wait on the Penman. Thanks
PS: I called Penman and John answered the phone! He truely is a one man show!

 

[scottyrocks]

Here's my Penman after coming in from the rain:

I relish any chance I get to see this hat. Thanks for posting it again.

 

[davidraphael]

Ok, I think I've been treating my (standard) Fed IV like a 1st edition of Shakespeare's portfolio or a little delicate flower fairy....

I know Fed IVs will take rain ok because the hatsdirect site says so, but otherwise how much rough treatment will they take? Can they flattened in a suitcase when travelling? How much can you bash and rebash? Will stains come out? Just how much will the pinch take before the felt is compromised/weakened and you get a 'Depp rip'?

 

[jlee562]

Well, you're not gonna want to flatten the Fed without removing the wire in the sweatband first, that's for sure.

 

[scottyrocks]

The whole idea of squashing a fedora into a suitcase just rubs me the wrong way. And yes, a hat with a steel reed will not come out smelling like a rose, that's for sure. It'll withstand a moderate hand-smooshing, but hours in a packed suitcase. Not for me.

When I go away, I pick one hat, put it on my head, and go.

 

[davidraphael]

I didn't know about the rod! Ok, question answered - no packing!
Thanks!