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Keith Richard's fedora

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
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9,178
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Isle of Langerhan, NY
A lot of what makes an Indy hat look like an Indy hat is the dimensional brim. Of course, I am speaking through the eyes of an Indy fan.

I love hats in general. Ive always had hats, ever since I was a kid, when no one else wore them,and I took some flack for it. I watched the 4:30 movie and studied the fedoras on the heads of the great actors of the 30s-50s.

What makes an Indy hat an Indy hat, at least to an eye that can pick out the subtleties and details, is the dimensional brim. Aside from the reasons it was originally cut that way, it adds a swoopyness and front-to-back length that i have not been able to duplicate with any non-dimensionally cut brim.

You'll also have more luck with a Hollywood-style brim if you get a hat with a bound brim of some sort. Any of the Federation hats wont hold that brim style well without a LOT of work. A bound brim will (should) hold it instantly. My bound brims do.

Sometimes I think that if the Indiana Jones movies were actually made before 1960 that there would be more tolerance for his whole existence, including what he wore. Regardless, I thought I should just point out why an IJ hat made by someone who knows them, looks they way it does.
 
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Yeps

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scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
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9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
They are both fedoras, but dimensionally, they are not the same for the reasons listed above.

In trying to replicate a hat worn by a famous person, or anyone for that matter, what should be considered important, or at least I consider it important is how the hat will look on you. Just because a Harrison Ford, or Johnny Depp, or Keith Richards can pull off a particular hat, not a particular style, doesnt mean you, or anyone else will get the same effect from the same hat.

In the linked picture of Richards, the brim is not snapped Hollywood style, and is not even bound. So yes, a tawny fawn Akubra Fed IV, appropriately bashed and literally beaten up, and perhaps with the front and rear of the brim trimmed even with the sides, should work. Fed IVs do not have to be bashed with high crowns. They can be dropped down considerably.
 

Fedora Jay

Familiar Face
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80
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Anaheim, CA
I've gotten the Indy comment wearing my black Stetson Chatham *facepalm*. It doesn't matter what you wear, a fedora evokes Indy in people's minds. What matters is if the hat looks good on you or not. I'd pesonally go for the Fed IV. If you do a teardrop or diamond bash instead of the center dent, it'll look less Indy. Oh, and don't wear a brown leather jacket with a fedora. That draws the Indy comments like a rotting banana draws fruit flies. Personal experience here, trust me.
 

jlee562

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5,099
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San Francisco, CA
The Fed IV isnt as 'Indiana Jones' as that one though is it?

The Fed IV is a more accurate representation of an Indy hat than the linked ebay auction, regardless of what the auction claims. The block for the Fed IV was chosen in consultation with Steve Delk from the Adventurebilt hat co, who made the Indy hats for the last movie.
 

bowlerman

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6,294
Location
South Dakota
I'd go with the Fed IV, if not going straight to the penmanhats.com website. That guy seems to do really good Indy hats. If I remember correctly from another thread, he's also been mentored by this Steve Delk fellow? I have no personal experience with either. Yet.
Incidentally, I got my first Indy comment ever last weekend, after finishing a concert entirely comprised of John Williams' music. I wore the hat pictured below to play his saxophone concerto "Escapades" from the film "Catch Me If You Can," and one of our orchestra members commented that my hat was "too big to be a fedora, and was a great Indiana Jones hat." go figure.
p2190386.jpg
[/IMG]
 

bowlerman

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6,294
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South Dakota
oh wait-- you're looking to NOT get too Indy. My bad! Either way, it would seem that any of these FL- revered custom hatters could help you out.
 

jlee562

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5,099
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San Francisco, CA
John Penman is a hat wizard. I'm quite sure he could make a reasonable facsimile of the Richards hat. That is, if you're willing to pay the price.

Indy comments I find are inescapable, just because people associate fedoras with the character. Oddly, I have an Indy hat (a sable Christy's adventurer), and get just as many Indy comments in non Indy hats. I got one once in my carbon Grey Fed, which was slightly odd, although my Fed does have an Indy-like bash. The most puzzling Indy comment was to my vintage Resistol, which is far lighter in color, has a completely different crease, and a Hollywood brim.
166592_718049760478_11701808_39229752_1575263_n.jpg


Indy? Yeah, I didn't think so either. But hey, it is what it is. If YOU like the hat, get it.
 

Neophyte

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3,445
Location
Chattanooga, TN
I agree. This is about the fourth thread the OP has started with the exact same question.
So, to answer the question:

--If you want a good, durable hat, go with the FedIV. The open crown will allow you to shape the hat the way you want, and can be easily changed on a whim. That hat will last for decades.

--If you want a hat like Keith's, compile some photos of the hat and contact one of the many custom hatters found here.

--If you don't want a hat that'll be associated with the IJ character, avoid the fedora like the plague! :D
 
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