The Federation is probably the most talked about hat in this forum, so pardon me for adding to what is now a dime-a-dozen post, but it was exceptional enough for me to justify rambling on about.
Over the years, I've purchased and sold Baileys, Stetsons, Dobbs, Borsalinos, Barbisios, Crofut & Knapps, Churchills, Stevens... you name it, and it's probably gone through my hands. As most of you know from my constant blabbering about them, the only vintage hats I still own are a MacLachlan, a Knox bowler, a Stetson Whippet, and a Dobbs 20. If I'm not completely satisfied with a hat, it tends to get sold in exchange for another attempt at finding something that truly works for me.
This method of mine has caused me to post that I was selling all of my vintage hats to just buy Akubra, to vice-versa, to saying I'll only wear stingy-brims to vice-versa, and then some. The posts I've made in the past mostly reflect the growing pains of somebody trying to find something that works for them perfectly, you know?
I love the ones I already own, and I'm waiting for another few to arrive in the mail. After all, this isn't just a preference in clothing, but it's a collector's thing as well. I just won't keep anything that I don't think looks good on me, and I never purchase anything that won't fit my big, Polish head.
It's been a long, long time coming, but I've finally found the perfect modern hat, and I mean it this time. The Akubra Federation IV is exactly what I've been looking for -- not in vintage, but in modern. From the second I put it on, I knew it. There was no feeling-out period, no attempts at alternate creasing or brim bends or whatever. This is the first time I've ever experienced finding a hat that worked out of the box.
I've owned two Federation IIIs and sold them because, at the risk of sounding brash, I hated them because they don't look right on me and I didn't like that they didn't look right on me. It's amazing what a few seemingly minor changes in dimensions and measurements can do, though, isn't it?
Below are three photographs of the hat followed with a picture of myself wearing it. I very rarely post pictures of myself, and this one will be removed in the next few days, but I wanted to show it off.
The creasing is done 100% dry. It has been rained on since, though. Actually, drenched through and through. It was utterly unfazed. This is the kind of bash that I like, and every part of it is intentionally unintentional. I don't like sharp brim swoops, so I just kind of trained it down a slight bit. The bash is a random concoction. I did the front pinch first, exactly how I like it, and then just pushed the crown down in the way that it wanted. It sounds lame, but I listened to the felt. It's asymmetrical but, for me, it's pure perfection. I spent about 30 seconds creasing it, honestly.
I ordered a brown about 2 hours after receiving this one, and that's only because it took 2 hours for me to get to a computer. I toyed with the idea of getting a Deluxe, but purposely chose another Standard. With a Deluxe, I'll end up worrying about it a little bit because it'd be more expensive, but I don't want to worry, and I'm so pleased with the Standard already that I wanted to know what I was getting rather than risk disappointment in some way.
Over the years, I've purchased and sold Baileys, Stetsons, Dobbs, Borsalinos, Barbisios, Crofut & Knapps, Churchills, Stevens... you name it, and it's probably gone through my hands. As most of you know from my constant blabbering about them, the only vintage hats I still own are a MacLachlan, a Knox bowler, a Stetson Whippet, and a Dobbs 20. If I'm not completely satisfied with a hat, it tends to get sold in exchange for another attempt at finding something that truly works for me.
This method of mine has caused me to post that I was selling all of my vintage hats to just buy Akubra, to vice-versa, to saying I'll only wear stingy-brims to vice-versa, and then some. The posts I've made in the past mostly reflect the growing pains of somebody trying to find something that works for them perfectly, you know?
I love the ones I already own, and I'm waiting for another few to arrive in the mail. After all, this isn't just a preference in clothing, but it's a collector's thing as well. I just won't keep anything that I don't think looks good on me, and I never purchase anything that won't fit my big, Polish head.
It's been a long, long time coming, but I've finally found the perfect modern hat, and I mean it this time. The Akubra Federation IV is exactly what I've been looking for -- not in vintage, but in modern. From the second I put it on, I knew it. There was no feeling-out period, no attempts at alternate creasing or brim bends or whatever. This is the first time I've ever experienced finding a hat that worked out of the box.
I've owned two Federation IIIs and sold them because, at the risk of sounding brash, I hated them because they don't look right on me and I didn't like that they didn't look right on me. It's amazing what a few seemingly minor changes in dimensions and measurements can do, though, isn't it?
Below are three photographs of the hat followed with a picture of myself wearing it. I very rarely post pictures of myself, and this one will be removed in the next few days, but I wanted to show it off.
The creasing is done 100% dry. It has been rained on since, though. Actually, drenched through and through. It was utterly unfazed. This is the kind of bash that I like, and every part of it is intentionally unintentional. I don't like sharp brim swoops, so I just kind of trained it down a slight bit. The bash is a random concoction. I did the front pinch first, exactly how I like it, and then just pushed the crown down in the way that it wanted. It sounds lame, but I listened to the felt. It's asymmetrical but, for me, it's pure perfection. I spent about 30 seconds creasing it, honestly.
I ordered a brown about 2 hours after receiving this one, and that's only because it took 2 hours for me to get to a computer. I toyed with the idea of getting a Deluxe, but purposely chose another Standard. With a Deluxe, I'll end up worrying about it a little bit because it'd be more expensive, but I don't want to worry, and I'm so pleased with the Standard already that I wanted to know what I was getting rather than risk disappointment in some way.
