My New Akubra Federation

[Lawman]

Well, after all of the fuss on this forum about Akubras I took the plunge. I am very pleased to have done so.

I bought the Federation in dark grey. When it first arrived, I could not find a bash that I liked. The brim looked huge, and the crown was so high it looked like a witch's hat on my head. Well, after much beating about, bashing and re-bashing, I found one that I like a lot, and it holds beautifully.

The fit is perfect on my 7 3/8 melon, and I love the felt. It really feels a lot like my vintage Whippet.

And what a price! I think it was $110.00, delivered.

I think Campdraft might be my next buy. I just wish it came in a medium grey. Maybe silver belly?

After reading much about the Federation grey, here are my two cents. Mine, at least, is quite a dark grey. I'd say it leans more toward the charcoal than the standard businessman's grey. The pics are pretty accurate depictions.

The photo of me wearing it is all out proportion. It actually looks much larger (which is a good thing) on my head.

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x263/Lawman112007/IMG_2608.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x263/Lawman112007/IMG_2605.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x263/Lawman112007/IMG_2609.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x263/Lawman112007/IMG_2606.jpg

 

[Newteh]

Very nice.

I have one in Brown and the shape does hold well.

 

[ScionPI2005]

Awesome choice! Looks great on you; and can really tell you like it! Enjoy!:eusa_clap

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Lawman, Looking good. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
I'm personally awaiting my first; some friends are in Australia, right now, and insisted on getting one as a gift. Nice gift, huh?

 

[RBH]

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8234/lawmands1.jpg" border="0" alt="Lawman"/></a>

Looks great Lawman! The Federations are great hats. The Campdraft is also one sweet fedora. I wonder what the Carbon Grey Campdraft would look like?

 

[Lawman]

Does anyone have a Campdraft in carbon grey that they feel like showing off?

 

[RBH]

Here where I got my Campdraft, they do have it in silver belly.

http://shop.valleycountry.com.au/catalogue/category1/category13/category54/product334

 

[fatwoul]

Well, after all of the fuss on this forum about Akubras I took the plunge. I am very pleased to have done so...

I am pleased you did so, too, because you wear it very well.

...When it first arrived, I could not find a bash that I liked. The brim looked huge, and the crown was so high it looked like a witch's hat on my head. Well, after much beating about, bashing and re-bashing, I found one that I like a lot, and it holds beautifully...

It makes me smile reading this, as you could almost be talking about my Fed Dlx when I first got it. Unlike you, it was my first proper hat, and it took me a while to get used to my reflection with this enormous hat sitting on my head. I had a time bashing it, too, but now its bashed and been worn for a month or however long, I wouldn't change a thing. Now, I'm trapped in high untapered crowns - anything else looks too small. My RBH is about as short a crown as I can get away with, and even that was 5 7/8 open.

...The fit is perfect on my 7 3/8 melon...

Not wishing to be the doomsayer here, but you should keep in mind that if it fits perfectly now, it might not once you've worn it a while - unlike your vintage hat(s), this headband is going to shrink some. If you have a hat stretcher, it might be worth keeping it in the hat to retain its current size.

...And what a price! I think it was $110.00, delivered...

And fast delivery too, I bet. They really are a great outfit down there in Katoomba.

...After reading much about the Federation grey, here are my two cents. Mine, at least, is quite a dark grey. I'd say it leans more toward the charcoal than the standard businessman's grey. The pics are pretty accurate depictions...

Thank you for them. I am currently considering another Fed, and can't decide between a tawny or a carbon. I might end up with both.

For anybody who hasn't been to hatsdirect in a while, they seem to have improved their site recently. Now, when you choose a colour for a hat, it shows you a new picture of the hat in that colour. Maybe it always did that and I just didn't notice, but I don't remember being able to see the different Fed colours on there before. Based on Lawman's pictures, the colour of the carbon Fed on hatsdirect's site seems pretty accurate, too.

...The photo of me wearing it is all out proportion. It actually looks much larger (which is a good thing) on my head...

That's because you photographed yourself with a wide lens - my guess looking at the picture is around 18mm. It makes sense to do that when you are photographing yourself at arms length, to guarantee to fit your head and hat in the picture. I did the same thing photographing my RBH recently.

I think the picture looks fine anyway, because you can see the hat suits you, and that you're happy with it, and that's the most important thing in any of our photographs.

But if you want a picture of you in your Fed that looks more how you see it in the mirror, try using somewhere between 50mm and 70mm. You'll need to set the camera up on a table or a tripod (unless you have frighteningly long arms), but it should lessen the distortion of shapes in the pictures.

I've noticed that Feds are notoriously difficult to photograph without distortion. The big brim forces the camera away from the hat, and the tall crown towers away from a wide lens and ends up look smaller. That's why so many pictures of Feds (and ABs and other similar hats, for that matter) look like this:

Personally, I really like the look you can get with a wide lens.

Wow. I got carried away with photographic waffle again.

 

[indycop]

Lawman, Looking good. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
I'm personally awaiting my first; some friends are in Australia, right now, and insisted on getting one as a gift. Nice gift, huh?

You won't be disappointed!

 

[schanop]

Lawman, it's great to hear that you are joining the grey Federation club. Mine has become really soft now, just over the past few months.

I have two Campdraft, one in silver belly, one in black. They are both great.

Cheers, Chanop

 

[fedoralover]

I bought a gray federation about 4 years ago, you are correct about the color and your pics show it very accurately. It is true that if this is your first wide brim and tall crown fedora you will feel awkward in it for a while, but remember, nobody else knows it's your first and to them you just look like a cool dude that's got a great hat.

After you get used to wide and tall it's hard to go back to stingy and stumpy. And is it just me or do you bear a slight resemblence to schanop's avatar.

fedoralover

 

[Lawman]

I can see the resemblance!

 

[Edward]

Looks superb! My current hats wishlist has a whole bunch of Feds on it - the Deluxe in both brown and black, and the regular Fed in all the other colours. I love the look of that grey; I think I might well go for one of those ahead of thed black as I already have a couple of black hats....

I'll bet yours would look just fabulous with a sharp-cut 40s style 3x2 db suit and a Burberry...

 

[Doctor Strange]

Re the Federation being a large hat that takes some getting used to...

Even after wearing it for several years, mine still seemed a bit much to me as recently as last spring. However, after wearing my Akubra Cattleman (with its big 3-1/4 inch brim) a whole bunch of times this summer, the Federation no longer seems that large!

Funny how your perceptions can change...

 

[bolthead]

Looks great Lawman. :eusa_clap

JT,,,,that's awesome to have such great friends, who would do that for you.

 

[Fatdutchman]

I cannot wear a small hat anymore. Anything less than "Indy" proportions just makes me look like the next words from my mouth should be "I'm sorry, Ollie". It actually took a bit of getting used to relatively tall hats, but by golly, once you do, you never look back!

Watch the old movies, and yes, you will see some relatively small hats, but the nicest ones are always big, straight, and tall!

Despite a couple of problems (one entirely of my own manufacture), I have become a great fan of Akubra hats. They are relatively inexpensive (always around a hundred bucks, including shipping), they are relatively tough...I wear mine to work outside in the lumberyard in good weather and bad and it's none the worse for wear. For a "work hat" they simply cannot be beat. They also come in such a wide variety of styles. As I look through their offerings, I can see so many that would make great Fedora or Fedora-ish hats, even if the "factory bash" ain't that great...that can be reworked. They also sell more open crowned hats beyond just the Federation, the Squatter, and the Campdraft. There's the Bushman and the Silver Spur, and their "Boss of the Plains", which has a LOT of potential.


Man, now I want to buy some more hats....:eusa_doh:

 

[pils]

That is a great looking hat :eusa_clap

 

[Duck]

Very nice looking lid, Lawman! You wear it well :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[johnnycanuck]

Fantastic job on your first bash. I have a squatter the same colour and love it.
Johnny

 

[Mid-fogey]

I've ordered...

...a Federation in the "Tawny" color. I'm wating for it to come in now.

This is my first ordered hat. We have a local hatter shop where I've bought all the hats I have now.

Interesting note on the size issue. I was concerned about the Federation's size until I saw a picture of myself in one of my regular hats. It looked smallish on me in the picture. I'm 6'4" and 200 ish, so I guessing I can carry off a larger hat.

As an aside, my odyssey into hats began when I decided to get a tan hat to better coordinate with my chesterfield storm coat. I had a succession of fedoras going back over 30 years, but knew almost nothing about them. I didn't know fur felt from wool felt.

The hatter I went to didn't have a tan hat that I liked so I ended up with something else. Several hats, and much information later I am finally getting to the hat that started my journey, so to speak.

Thanks to all the good folks for all the great information. It has really helped.