Maybe this is why it's getting harder to find bargins on OFAS

[johnnyphi]

Flying home to Texas for Christmas, I picked up the latest GQ Magazine, and I was surprised to find an entire page on dress hats.

I'm on my Blackberry, so I can't search for a link, but I can describe the page for you.

The headline says "The Goods - Learn Your Lids"

"Yes, hats are back. But do you know a trilby from a fedora from a porkpie?"

Example hats shown are as follows:

Fedora - Borsalino from JJ Hat Center - $300

Trilby - Rag and Bone - $165

Porkpie - Still Life - $275

Panama - Optimo Hats - $1250

Bowler - Capas Design - $50

Boater - Rod Keenan New York - $395

They also include a pull out from a store website called Stilllifenyc.com.

Did anyone else see this? If so, what did you think? If not, are you surprised to hear that this kind of write up would appear in GQ?

 

[Art Fawcett]

I'm not terribly surprised Johnnyphi, hats really ARE making a comback but I don't believe they will ever return as before. It's good that GQ is recognizing that and making it news.

 

[carter]

Now they need to do a follow-up article on Custom Hatters as well as one on the Secondary Market.

Matt Deckard should submit an article on Blocking your Fedora as well.

Of course, those would also be excellent articles for Classic Style magazine even though the initial issue did feature fedoras.

 

[Jovan]

The Still Life hats are pretty much expensive versions of the same "hats" the mall "hat" stores carry, based on what I saw on the website. But hey, what do I know about fashion? I'm glad they showed Borsalino and Optimo hats though, not to mention just hats in general.

A year ago they would have scoffed at fedoras, just the same as they once declared "bow ties have never been and never will be stylish."

 

[Patrick Murtha]

The Still Life hats are pretty much expensive versions of the same "hats" the mall "hat" stores carry, based on what I saw on the website. But hey, what do I know about fashion? I'm glad they showed Borsalino and Optimo hats though, not to mention just hats in general.

A year ago they would have scoffed at fedoras, just the same as they once declared "bow ties have never been and never will be stylish."

GQ and Esquire are, in my opinion, the most annoying magazines, particularly because of their habit of making windy pronouncements such as you quote. Those pronouncements are for the un-self-confident, the bulk of their target readership who haven't (I'm sorry to say) got minds of their own.

Those magazines also skew the goods on display toward a priciness that their readership can't actually afford, but likes to think that someday it might (the hats GQ touted are a good example of this). GQ and Esquire are mass market magazines; how many of their readers can afford $3,000.00 suits? How many of us on any of the menswear boards can? Those are nice suits, but this is a ridiculous tendency on the part of the magazines.

I'm happy that Classic Style hasn't yet fallen into these traps. They are pitfalls to watch for, though.

 

[Jovan]

You have a point. Though I don't like everything I see in Classic Style, MK has made an effort to keep the clothes somewhat affordable for the middle class crowd. The other problem is that most of the suits that cost $3,000 and up in those magazines aren't even good looking to begin with!

Broad pronouncements aren't my style anymore. They used to be, and they got me in trouble with people on here and another forum. Funny how I've learned from my mistake, yet the fashion mags keep getting readership from theirs! lol

 

[Mustang]

What is OFAS?

I've searched everywhere (or so I think) and can't quite figure it out.

Thanks

 

[AdmiralTofu]

I've searched everywhere (or so I think) and can't quite figure it out.

Thanks

eBay.

Our Favorite Auction Site.

I didn't even know until a few weeks ago, when I found it in an old thread whilst searching for something completely unrelated.

 

[mingoslim]

Mustang . . . You are not alone.

I've searched everywhere (or so I think) and can't quite figure it out.

Thanks

This question comes up so often, someone ought to do a sticky post for the front of this section that tells new browsers what OFAS is . . .

 

[J.T.Marcus]

eBay.

Our Favorite Auction Site.

I didn't even know until a few weeks ago, when I found it in an old thread whilst searching for something completely unrelated.

It's a game we play so we can keep the conversation going. I remember asking the question, myself. Somewhere down the road, you get to answer it for somebody else.

 

[KilroyCD]

I've searched everywhere (or so I think) and can't quite figure it out.

Thanks

I had long wondered too, but I started putting two and two together when I saw postings about hats won on OFAS that had links to eBay auctions. I knew it was eBay just didn't know what the acronym OFAS stood for.

 

[cookie]

general Comment on OFAS

I have been buying stuff for over 12 months now - primarily vintage stuff and believe you me... the price is going up! Big time! Maybe not the starting price... but when the item is what the punters want it can go stratospheric . One of my favourite NOS vintage shoes cost me nearly AUD400 when I put a ridiculous bid in and surprisingly someone (as ridiculous as me ) who wanted the shoes did the same ...but I was higher

 

[SinatraStyle]

I was in Barnes and Noble today and took a look. The hats are on page 30 of the January Issue of GQ.