Introduction

[Pinhead]

Good call! I believe you are correct. My old eyes didn't see it.
What would you call this type of cowboy(?) hat with the crown sloping rearward? (Some kind of hiker hat with the pheasant feather in it?) I've ran out of google ideas. Thanks for your help!

 

[Missouri Mason]

Hello!

Greetings, gents.

My name is Jay, I live in the Kansas City area. I've been lurking here for at least a couple years now, joining up is probably long overdue. I can't say that I'm a hat collector because I try to only keep 5-6 on the hat rack at any given time. I am an avid hat wearer, though. I've recently contacted Art about having my first VS hat made. I can already see the 5-6 hats rule vanishing LOL.

 

[Jedwbpm]

Welcome Brother hope you enjoy your time here out of the shadows. Can't waite to see your new VS.

Jeff
Living the Dream at
DelMonico Hatter

 

[gtdean48]

Welcome Jay. I keep 5-6 on the hatrack. 5-6 on the coat hooks. 5-6 on the hall tree....now about all those in boxes in the closet & attic....

 

[dogsounds]

Newbie, hello! And here are my hats. A tiny collection.

Hey all!

First time posting, thought I should say hello and do the introductions thing.

I've always liked hats, but have only recently started collecting and wearing them full-time. Spent a little while learning on this forum, and there is SO MUCH I didn't know. You'll be glad to know I have waded through all the de rigeur wool felt vs. fur felt threads and stuff like that, so I won't be bugging you with such questions. Although I will have one question, and I will also have one handy-dandy little tip for you all, courtesy of my job in the auto-detailing world.

Anyhoo, here's my tiny tiny collection of hats so far. Apologies for the terrible shots, it's the forward-facing camera on an iPhone, at 11pm at night in a not-too brightly lit room. It's not a big collection as I don't earn a lot, and you try finding somewhere to buy hats in the UK. Man, we suck at the whole hat thing. I want to go to a shop and try stuff on, I really hate ordering online as hat sizes are NEVER the same or right, it seems.

I have found that I suck at getting hats to fit me properly as I am blessed with what I call a "kidney bean head" - not straight, wonky ears, the lot. so it's always a struggle to get anything to look good (at least, in my perfectionist mind). Also, not the best mug to sport a hat, but never mind, you have to work with what ya got

Until my first fedora/trilby purchase recently, I hadn't really worn a lid, with two exceptions: I had longer hair years ago, so I needed a hat to control my wayward strands whist I was modelmaking, arting, or detailing, so I needed a cap to stuff it all in. I have to say I have no liking for baseball caps, but I found this little treasure: A 1942 U.S.Air Force pilot cap.

The only other hat I had was for the depths of winter, and is a German Einheitfeldmütze (with offensive insignia removed, of course). Really kept my bean warm when I used to drive a battered old series III Land Rover.

So, anyhoo, recently I started to think about proper hats. I'm getting old now, so that allows me to wear hats that the young kids think are uncool. Which makes me want to wear them. Unlike in the US, there is pretty much NO hat scene here in the UK, and it takes some damn stones to wear a fedora around these parts, for fear of ridicule. But I thought "screw it".

I didn't want to get a huge fedora straight off - I don't think I suit them in my jeans and t-shirt look - so I thought I would go for a trilby. On a budget, and with nowhere to go to play with hats before buying them I trawled the interwebs and happened upon Christys Hats (yes, I know, I have seen the threads). I plumped for a Chepstow wool felt trilby (I couldn't afford a fur felt hat at that time), not knowing at the time that it had a 2.5-inch brim, which is pretty much a full on fedora, really. I measured my bean (which is actually really difficult to do to yourself), got 59, ordered the hat, and then realised two things: I ordered a brown one by mistake (I wanted the grey) and 59 is way too big. Fail. I think my facial expression says it all.

So, I then ordered the CORRECT grey colour wool felt Chepstow, at size 58. It arrived, and fit really nicely:

For some reason, the grey one felt thicker and stiffer than the brown one (which actually felt more like fur felt). In both, I noticed that the brims are not quite symmetrical, up a little bit on one side and slightly wobbly (and I tried steaming it out but to no avail. Darnit).

Well, I sported the grey Chepstow for a few weeks but realised that it was more of an autumn/winter hat to go with my vintage greatcoats - what I really wanted was something with a smaller brim. I found a silly cheap £5 straw thing in Matalan, of all places, so grabbed that (now that the warmer weather has FINALLY appeared):

I quite like it, it's really soft and flexible, and doesn't feel like straw at all. Maybe a smidge too big though.

Having worn that a little, and hankering for a stingy brim look, and really wanting a classic grey hat/black hatband reporter look, and knowing my grey Chepstow at size 58 fitted great, I then splurged and grabbed myself a stingy brim (like, 1.5 inches) Pinch Vegas (again, Christy's, but only sold through Village hats (www.hatsandcaps.co.uk). However, I'm not sure why but the 58 Pinch Vegas is smaller than my 58 Chepstow - quite a bit. maybe these stingy city hats are supposed to sit higher? Anyhoo, I do quite like it, and I think it looks OK, kind of a high-up, porkpie feel to it. However, that's the question I wanted to put to you - do I pull it off in a kind of Popeye Doyle kinda way, or does it just look dumb?

One thing I have noticed in all three Christy's hats is the non-symmetrical brim - even in the Vegas. is this like a thing with Christy's, can they just not get a nice balanced snap to the brim front?

Anyhoo, that's my little collection, feedback is more than welcome. I've been trawling through the threads and have to say, you guyys have THE MOST AWESOME hats. I am 100% jealous. I think I would seriously love to get a hold of some of those 1960's Cavanaughs, but in the UK, that's a bit unlikely. Oh well.

Oh, and yes, I promised a handy tip. I'm a detailer. I have noticed many conversations about waterproofing hats on here, and there is a product we use in the detailing world (here in the UK at least) that I have used on my wool felt hats that I think is better than Scotchguard - GTechniq I1 Smart Fabric. We use it to seal, waterproof and protect soft tops, seats, upholstery and anything else fabric in cars, but it can be used on ANY material, and it also retains breatheability so that it is not a solid case over the material it covers and keeps materials nice and flexible. I have it on my two wool Chepstows, to no ill effect. If you can get it give it a try. We do actually sell it at our place, but linking to my shop is a little out of order, so instead here's a link to GTechniq's site: http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/interior-coatings/i1-smart-fabric/

Anyway, that's my loooong introduction done and over with. I hope you are still reading (!) and it's nice to meet you all - you seem like a really nice bunch of folks. And maybe a little crazy. But I like crazy.

 

[barrowjh]

I forget exactly whether the fabric hats with seams at the crown crease were 1970s or 80s, or maybe into the 1990s, but they represent a true low in hat wearing. Demand is so low at that point that the manufacturers use machine-stitched crowns out of fabric rather than any sort of felt (not even wool!), since the single felt hood required so much more labor. So, we generally disdain them.

During vintage times wool was always a cheaper substitute (consistently about half the price of a fur felt) and that is still true today; the fabric hats with machine stitched crowns were a significant step below a wool felt, so the only thing lower than a machine stitched fabric crown would be a baseball cap.

All that said, might be a useful toy to experiment with regarding restoration of the leather sweatband (if it is leather) and trying to shape the brim and crown.

 

[splintercellsz]

:eusa_clap
Welcome! Quite the collection you have there. Be warned about the sickness going around... my signature will fill you in on that

 

[g.durand]

Welcome, sir, and thanks for sharing your collection with us. I'll bet you will be able to find those 1960s Cavanaghs that you're looking for on Ebay US, with sellers willing to ship to the UK.

But heed Justin's warning. We all have the disease and are contagious!

 

[gtdean48]

I remember some made from corduroy.

 

[Preacher Man]

Hello dogsounds and welcome to the Lounge!! You've got a great start on your hat collection and I'll tell you, you've come to the right place to learn about this addiction of ours. There are a lot of great men here who will give you right guidance and steer you in the right direction in your quest to learn about hats. Be warned, this is only the beginning! Like Justin and g.durand said, its an addiction, its contagious, and its gets worse. Aint it grand!!! You wear your hats well, enjoy the Lounge, and God bless!

 

[ManofKent]

Welcome - there are definitely fewer hats floating in the UK, but I've seen the odd 58 pop up and cursed that it was too small for me, so keep looking (don't forget for US listings their idea of a 7 1/8 is smaller than ours). It's probably worth a look on ebay.de too - you'll avoid the horrendous import charges, and the shipping is relatively low (there are some nice German hats out there - have a look at the appropriate thread). The only Christy's wool hats that seem to have a straight snap brim, are those with a self-bound edge.

 

[mikespens]

Welcome dogsounds and a fine first post. You sought criticism about how your hats look on you but my advice is just wear the ones you like, most of the look is how you wear the hat so wear it like you mean it. Who cares what somebody else thinks. Have no experience with wool fedoras but think you'll find more pleasure in genuine fur felt, preferably vintage since customs can cost a bit, they just look better, you can almost feel them with your eyes. Ebay I'm afraid is about your only choice. Hat size, what a PIA, been there and have plenty of hats my "size" that are too big or small. What works for me is to take a hat that you have that fits and measure the inside of the sweatband from front to back and side to side and go by that. Ask a potential seller to provide that measurement and hope they do it right. Good luck and enjoy your hats!

 

[dogsounds]

Thanks for your kind words and advice everyone, you're very kind

Thankfully the Pinch Vegas is fur felt - I intended to get a fur felt hat but only went for wool initially due to cost.

I think the Pinch Vegas is a little small, but you know what - I just wear it tilted all the way back instead of forward, and I like it. Plus I am kinda crazy anyway, so if it adds to my reputation, that's fine by me

Saving up for my next purchase now, and will definitely be fur felt all the way. I'm thinking more of the 50's-60's medium-stingy brim size, rather than big floppy fedoras. Before I scour the internets and risk sizing clamities, I'm going to check out the stores in Affleck's Palace in Manchester - you can sometimes find good vintage clothes in there - and probably bop over to the Stockport Hat Museum (yes, in the UK we actually have one (and only one) hat museum - http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/visitstockport/museumsandgalleries/hatworks/ ). And they have a store. Glee! No idea what they are selling though, probably tons of straw things and panamas, which I'm not really that hot on. I'll post up pics and stuff when I go

And about the illness - oh, don't worry, I'm more than familiar. I have exactly the same condition when it comes to greatcoats (or "billlowy coats" as I like to call them), as my 1944 Royal Naval Voluntary Reserve greatcoat (including sword-hole) and 1980's French army greatcoat (and many more that I no longer have) will attest to

Wow, I use parentheses waaay too much.

 

[hatsRme]

Welcome aboard, Dogsounds. (And I don't think you over-parenthesize!)

 

[dogsounds]

Oh, hey, I forgot to ask, if I want to offer up the brown Chepstow for a swap (can't be fussed with a sale, it's not worth that much) can I do that on the Classifieds section? I only see "for sale"posts on there...basically I may as well swap it so that someone gets a hat that fits and I get a hat I can actually wear...sigh)

 

[dogsounds]

Welcome aboard, Dogsounds. (And I don't think you over-parenthesize!)

Thanks! I do get a bit carried away (it's a stream of consciousness thing).

Oh...wait. Heckit!

 

[Monte]

(Nice start to your collection of hats from me as well.) (I like the [floppy and the stingy] brims so I get to buy more old hats!)

 

[gtdean48]

Oh, hey, I forgot to ask, if I want to offer up the brown Chepstow for a swap (can't be fussed with a sale, it's not worth that much) can I do that on the Classifieds section? I only see "for sale"posts on there...basically I may as well swap it so that someone gets a hat that fits and I get a hat I can actually wear...sigh)

Yes, just list is as For Trade or For Sale or Trade in the Classifieds....

 

[mingoslim]

Welcome to the Lounge, Dog . . .
You will find a great group here.

 

[BeatleJohn]

Hi from Australia

Hi im new to this forum. I recently decided to purchase a jaxon dead man tophat. (I hope its ok to talk about those sorts of hats in this forum? Please let me know if its not.)
Anyway the Johnny Depp movie "Dead Man" has been a favourite movie of mine and I recently watched it again the other day and I just kept looking at his hat and thinking that I wanted one.
I went online and found one and decided to order it. I've never worn a hat like this in my life. I'm not even sure if I will look any good in it or if I could even wear it anywhere but I would still wear it around the house lol. Heres some pics...