Introduction

[BR Gordon]

Welcome to the Lounge. If you can't find the answer to your questions here, there are no answers.

 

[Zuiun]

Hello everyone!

I found my way to this site following my steadily growing appreciation for fine hats. (I can already see this is going to be an addiction...)

I think this lounge will be a great fit. My girlfriend and I love to "class ourselves up" and hit the town. Not very long ago, a good friend of ours created a Facebook group called "Class Up Lincoln," in an effort to get more people in our city interested in dressing and behaving classy. If you guys gave heard of "First Friday" art walks, the Class Up Lincoln group has "Classy Friday" on the last Friday of every month, where the goal is dress or act classy in some way. (Incidentally, I invited the members of that group to join this forum as well, so hopefully some of them will show up).

So there it is. I'm a wedding photographer and this is busy season, so my participation around here may be slow for awhile, but I do hope to stick around.

 

[tealseal]

Welcome to the lounge Zuiun! If you're looking for people to help you reign-in a fine hat addiction, you're in the wrong group lol. However, the wealth of knowledge and experience you'll find here is second to none. Enjoy!

 

[zetwal]

Hello everyone!

Back at you, welcome ... :yo:

 

[BR Gordon]

Welcome to TFL.:eusa_clap

 

[fedoracentric]

OK, after looking thru the site, I think my first purchase will be a black Stetson Stratoliner (the new one, not vintage). It is a fedora but still somewhat casual with the thin ribbon.

 

[DTurcan]

Greetings everyone!

I found this group of fine Gentlemen and Ladies through google searches. It was rather by mistake as I was quickly clicking around, I had thought it was a fine hat dealer. What I found was something much better! I've been looking through the forums for a good week now, saving all the information I need to start down the same road you're all going/been down. I decided to make an account and join the community.

The name's Dave Turcan and I'm 26 years of age. I'm located in Central Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba. My love of the past started at a young age. I've always been heavily into WWI and WWII era history, which includes the lives of those living in the time. I've always preferred my history from accounts of those who were there, rather than a general summarization of what happened. My first taste of trying to recreate the past was when I started to airsoft. (Think paintball) I started off with a 1944 German soldier impression. That was when I was 20. From there it grew.

I've always enjoyed movies that were based during the prohibition era and onward through till the end of the 1940's. I've also enjoyed video games set during those times as well, such as LA Noir and "Mafia". I really enjoy it all. I believe I was born far too late in the 20th century! I give thanks to Fallout 3 for opening my mind to music of the times as well. I never really gave it much thought. In my younger days, I would be one of those "long haired losers". Listening to loud "Death Metal" and nothing but. Thankfully I've grown up a bit. I do still enjoy what I liked when I was younger, but I've become more open minded in other tastes and styles.

To end it all off, its come time to get my act together and get some clothing to suit my interests. My girlfriend and I have looked into swing lessons. My interest in the era is starting to brush off on her as well, which is very welcomed! My goal by joining the forums is to gain all the knowledge I can, gawk at all the class everyone shows, and join in on discussions. (Though will mostly just end up listening)

The problems I currently face is deciding on what exactly I should purchase. I would like to recreate a mid 1940's style, towards the end of WWII and just after. There's a lot of information to sift through to get exactly what I'm after. What I'm actually having the hardest time with is a colour for my suit and Fedora. I have yet to find some sort of chart that describes what I should get with my skin tone and what not. I don't know if I'm to match the Fedora to the suit or vice versa. I plan to purchase the Fedora first, as I feel its the most important part in getting the 40's correct. Another problem in that area is Winnipeg (that I know of) offers no good shops to offer hands on advice. All we have is h'attitude, and they like to charge $200.00 more for a modern Fedora than you could find on most online retailers.

Anyhow, enough of that. Thanks for approving my account. I value these forums greatly!

 

[Connoisseur_BP]

Hello there people of the Fedora Lounge. I'm new here and just wanted to introduce myself to everyone. My name is Brandon, and I'm a huge fan of hats, suits, and all other vintage and old style apparel. Fedoras especially interest me. I've been learning a lot about fedoras and hats recently, and have been watching The Fedora Lounge for a while. The people on this forum seem very friendly and knowledgeable. I look forward to learning more and getting to know you all. -BP

 

[BR Gordon]

Brandon, Welcome to TFL. You came to the right place to both learn about new things of interest and to teach others what you know. TFL is made up of a friendly and knowledgable group of enthusiasts.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Greetings 'Loungers' - I've been away for a while but wanted to visit briefly. I posted a note of sympathy for our friend Herr Gerhard Franzky of Phoenix, Arizona who passed awas this past Sunday, 24th June, 2012. -Dixon Cannon

 

[CONELRAD]

Salutations, Fedora Loungers, I've been posting some in the questions thread, so while I'm not brand new here, I still think a proper introduction is in order.

I am R. Connor Montgomery, I am a native of Texas, and I currently reside in Arlington, TX, home of the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. I brought myself into the world of Fedoras in February of this year, when I ordered a Stetson Temple, the nightmarish events that followed that order nearly made me give up on hat before I'd even started.

First, as I presume is usual, they ordered the hat from Stetson, who took around a month to make and ship it to Pennsylvania from Garland, TX (which is practically just around the corner from me). When it finally arrived, they hat put a 7 1/4 hat in a 7 3/8 box, so I sent it back to Pennsylvania so they could send it back to Garland. Then Stetson took another month to make a new hat, then sent it back to Pennsylvania so they could send it back to me again. When I finally received the right hat, the ribbon was far too loose around the bow, and since I refuse to repair a brand new hat, I contacted HatCo and insisted that they do business with me themselves. In the end, I finally got my hat, though it's practically taken a trip around the country in the process. After all that, I have no wish to do any further business with any HatCo owned brand.

I'm not quite sure when I found the Fedora Lounge, as I remember it seeming vaguely familiar when I was looking through it earlier this year, but I'd been looking here for quite some time between my introduction to fedoras and when I joined, and I must say, it's been a lot of help, before and after joining.

Lastly, allow me to elaborate on my screen name, CONELRAD, and make its meaning known. CONELRAD, short for Control of Electromagnetic Radiation, was the name of the 1950s to 1960s national warning system in the event of a nuclear attack. Seeing as I am a collector of memorabilia related to the Atomic Era, and its similarity to my real name, I thought it fit perfectly.

P.S. In case you didn't notice, I tend to get a bit carried away when I'm typing.

P.P.S I'm afraid don't know who Herr Gerhard Franzky is, but I give my condolences, nonetheless.

 

[St. Valentine]

Welcome Conelrad! It would never have occured to me that in the country of the Stetson it is so difficult to lay your hands on one of them. I surely can understand your disappointment and reluctance to buy from the same source/brand again. Surfing the lounge you will find several hatmakers (most of them located in the USA) who deliver 1st. class quality and service. Even for overseas customers like me the purchase is a breeze, although hats might be slightly more expensive (which should be the case with a bespoke hat anyway). This is a great place to learn about hats, most of what I know was learned here. Enjoy!

 

[CONELRAD]

Well, there's plenty of cowboy hats around here, but fedoras are a different story entirely, plus I was new to hats and didn't know any of the few places in my area that sell them at the time. Since then I've bought an old ADAM hat on eBay that I've had a small hassle stretching to fit me, but ultimately I'm very happy with. I've also been looking around at various custom hatters, but I'm not ready to spend that much money again just yet. And yes, I've already learned a lot in the short time I've been a member here. I agree that there's little quality in mass produced hats nowadays, and from now on, I'll prbably stick to vintage and custom hats.

 

[danofarlington]

The word "Conelrad" conjures up vague memories from the late 50s or early 60s. What was Conelrad? I thought it was some kind of 1950s civil defense siren or something like that.

Oh, I know--some kind of radio network, the "rad" part of the word. Maybe an early emergency broadcasting network.

 

[CONELRAD]

Lastly, allow me to elaborate on my screen name, CONELRAD, and make its meaning known. CONELRAD, short for Control of Electromagnetic Radiation, was the name of the 1950s to 1960s national warning system in the event of a nuclear attack.

 

[danofarlington]

Oops, I didn't read all of your original message.

 

[tealseal]

Hello there people of the Fedora Lounge. I'm new here and just wanted to introduce myself to everyone. My name is Brandon, and I'm a huge fan of hats, suits, and all other vintage and old style apparel. Fedoras especially interest me. I've been learning a lot about fedoras and hats recently, and have been watching The Fedora Lounge for a while. The people on this forum seem very friendly and knowledgeable. I look forward to learning more and getting to know you all. -BP

Hi Brandon! Welcome to the Lounge. You'll learn as much (if not more) about the things you're interested in here, though I might warn you it will end up costing you! The folks here are awesome, and I look forward to your contributions as much as I value theirs. It's amazing that not only is this place awesome for all things vintage as you noticed, but it's great for practically anything you ever wanted to know! For fun some day, try Googling something you're curious about and add "site:thefedoralounge.com". I've found information about briefcases, vehicle maintenance, suspenders, pants, shoes, pens, notebooks/journals, bicycles, you name it. While there is a lot of vintage that goes on here, that's not all. Bienvenidos! -TS

Salutations, Fedora Loungers, I've been posting some in the questions thread, so while I'm not brand new here, I still think a proper introduction is in order.

I am R. Connor Montgomery, I am a native of Texas, and I currently reside in Arlington, TX, home of the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. I brought myself into the world of Fedoras in February of this year, when I ordered a Stetson Temple, the nightmarish events that followed that order nearly made me give up on hat before I'd even started.

First, as I presume is usual, they ordered the hat from Stetson, who took around a month to make and ship it to Pennsylvania from Garland, TX (which is practically just around the corner from me). When it finally arrived, they hat put a 7 1/4 hat in a 7 3/8 box, so I sent it back to Pennsylvania so they could send it back to Garland. Then Stetson took another month to make a new hat, then sent it back to Pennsylvania so they could send it back to me again. When I finally received the right hat, the ribbon was far too loose around the bow, and since I refuse to repair a brand new hat, I contacted HatCo and insisted that they do business with me themselves. In the end, I finally got my hat, though it's practically taken a trip around the country in the process. After all that, I have no wish to do any further business with any HatCo owned brand.

I'm not quite sure when I found the Fedora Lounge, as I remember it seeming vaguely familiar when I was looking through it earlier this year, but I'd been looking here for quite some time between my introduction to fedoras and when I joined, and I must say, it's been a lot of help, before and after joining.

Lastly, allow me to elaborate on my screen name, CONELRAD, and make its meaning known. CONELRAD, short for Control of Electromagnetic Radiation, was the name of the 1950s to 1960s national warning system in the event of a nuclear attack. Seeing as I am a collector of memorabilia related to the Atomic Era, and its similarity to my real name, I thought it fit perfectly.

P.S. In case you didn't notice, I tend to get a bit carried away when I'm typing.

P.P.S I'm afraid don't know who Herr Gerhard Franzky is, but I give my condolences, nonetheless.

Mr. Montgomery, welcome to the Lounge. I'm verbose with my posting too (see above, and anything I've ever written here haha), and that's totally OK. For some, verbosity is TL;DR, while for others, something is gleaned. For example, as a 25 year old, I had no previous knowledge of CONELRAD. Some Google brought me up to basic speed and I think your handle is fantastic! What other memorabilia related to the atomic era do you have/collect? That stuff fascinates me.

Welcome aboard! -TS

 

[TomS]

Welcome folks! This is a great place to learn and have a pleasant time!

 

[CONELRAD]

What other memorabilia related to the atomic era do you have/collect? That stuff fascinates me.

The Highlights are a CD V-777-1 Radiation Detection Set, CD V-717 Radiological Survey Meter, a set of British Civil Defence armbands, a December 1961 "Fallout Protection" pamphlet with an introduction from Robert S. McNamara, a Soviet Banner of some sort, and a Civil Defense card about "Survival Self Helps". I also have various books and vintage magazines on the subject.

I'm also looking for more, but oftentimes, even when I find something I'm looking for, I won't buy it if the price isn't right or if it's in bad condition.



The Atomic Era by CONELRAD6568, on Flickr

 

[jayinhk]

Hi everyone! Missed this sticky the first time around. My name is Jay and I'm 31. Born and raised in Hong Kong while it was British, and escaped to NYC shortly after the handover. I've always been interested in fedoras, and my brother and I had matching felt fedoras and switchblade combs back in the 80s. We bought both at the Singapore Zoo.

My next fedora purchase was in 2002 I believe. I lived out on Long Island, NY and bought one on eBay on impulse. It had a much larger brim than I was comfortable with, so I only wore it out of the house once. I believe it was New Year's 2003. I also happened to meet a gorgeous woman that night, so maybe fedoras do work for me!

Fedoras have been popular summer wear here for a few years, but most people buy low-grade paper ones. I bought myself a buntal hat in the Philippines and absolutely fell in love with it. At the time, I knew about panama hats, but didn't want to spend that much. I didn't realize how similar the buntal trilby I'd picked up was. Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a genuine sombrero de paja ecuatoriana yesterday and it should arrive in around a month, I believe.

I am also hoping to make a pilgrimage of sorts to Bulacan in the Philippines later this year: the home of the bali buntal hat. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself until October, but I have already learned a great deal about panama hats on this board, and I know I'm going to learn a lot more!