Kentucky Kidd
New in Town
- Messages
- 6
- Location
- Eastern Kentucky
Thank you guys for the insight...
Valuable input to me!
Valuable input to me!
Let's break this down shall weI'm new to the site...
I'm ready to purchase my first "nice" fedora...
I'm ready to pay between $150-$250...I'd like something in the brown/tan color family and not at all rigid...very soft that will keep it's shape.
I have been looking at the Stetson Stratoliner...but I'm unsure about it.
I want something in a wide brim like the Stratoliner...I wear a 7 3/8 in most hats and I'm wondering if most fedoras run true to size.
Any suggestions out there?
Thanks!
+1Let's break this down shall we
$150-$250 ... that gets you from the Akubra range into the Premier Stetson and possibly some customs
"Not at all rigid... very soft that will keep its shape" - to me this rules out Akubra ... granted some are softer than others but chances are you will open the box that traveled from Australia to find a hat as stiff as the box it came in.
if you are willing to wear it for a year and a half before it softens up then by all means hit up Trudi and be prepared to receive a hat that comes down over your eyes when you order your size and wear it for another year before it shrinks
"been looking at a Stetson Stratoliner" - my advice here is to go Premier or above if you go this route ... anything below that is quite costume hat like and not soft at all... the premiers are fine ... pretty soft ... the finish isn't great but it's wearable.
The Excellent quality has a much nicer finish and is probably a hair softer but that also gets you out of your said price range
the whole size thing ... don't get me going on that terrible subject ... you are basically rolling the dice with any hat you buy sight unseen.
I've stood in hat shops trying on hats from a stack by companies like Stetson and Borsalino etc... all marked with my size and all fitting completely differently
I'd say to hit up eBay, Etsy and the like for something like a nice old Open Road which are pretty common but it might take some dedicated searching to nail your size.
7 3/8 is where is starts to get not only expensive in vintage hats but quite a bit more scarce as well... well worth it when you land one in good condition ... there is nothing like a fur felt hat made before the mid to late 1950s ... it's a different animal
Custom is a nice option but the lead time is often grueling and many quality hatters are out of that price range as well .
If you had interest in that route rest assured that everyone here will be offering up their favorite hatter for you to commission... they are all good and will all produce a quality well fitting product made to your specifications
so in conclusion you can either take what was said here and mull it over ... strategically calculate your route and spend your hard earned money as wisely as possible
... or you can just buy the first damn hat that catches your eye ... dig a crease into it and drop it on your head
Personally I recommend the latter
As much as I like my Akubra hats, I have to agree with much of what you've said here...."Not at all rigid... very soft that will keep its shape" - to me this rules out Akubra ... granted some are softer than others but chances are you will open the box that traveled from Australia to find a hat as stiff as the box it came in.
if you are willing to wear it for a year and a half before it softens up then by all means hit up Trudi and be prepared to receive a hat that comes down over your eyes when you order your size and wear it for another year before it shrinks...
+1 Word!Well for sizing and softness issues you can rule out Akubra...
For the other issues (quality/price) you can rule out Stetson.
So either go vintage on ebay and learn from the mistakes you may make...
Or go custom.
Exaggeration for affect ...@Kentucky Kidd, Where I disagree is with the amount of time this takes. My Akubras have all "snugged down" to a good fit within the first three to five wearings, which took much less than a year. And in my experience, the more you wear them the better they'll fit.