My new Federation Deluxe arrived!...uh, yay?

[citRon]

Boy, was I excited to see the Mail-Lady today with that box from Australia! (even with all the holes and tears in it!)
I opened it up...'oooh, pretty!' -Try it on...fits great! Hmm...soething's not quite right...get out the ol' ruler, and that's it. Crown is close to 6" tall , and the brim is short of the 2 7/8 x 2 5/8 listed...that's not a as big a deal as the crown though, I was told it would be 5 1/2" tall.
-On the bright side, it is Abe Lincoln's celebration time arouond here, so the hat should fit right in!lol

 

[HamletJSD]

Yeah, that variation seems standard on the Federations?

I like my Fed. Deluxe, but it also came with a taller than normal crown. I expected it'd grow on me, but it hasn't as much as I'd hoped.

Maybe it's about the hat size ...

 

[Jay]

I had the same problem with my Fed. The thing looks huge on me, like a kid wearing his dad's hat. Then I trimmed the brim down to 2 5/8s or so and now it looks alright. Good luck with it, though.

 

[AlanC]

Congrats on the new hat. After you crease it the crown won't be as high, of course. And you'll get used to it.

And they're also coming out with a new Federation with a lower crown...

 

[citRon]

I got an email response from Hats Direct that said:
"the crown height can vary from the blocked height due to travel - ie the sides can be pushed in a little forcing the crown higher. If the side dimensions are correct the crown height will also be correct. As felt is not a rigid product we cannot control 100% how it travels."

He offered a refund, of course. I just can't seem to get over paying another $35 to ship it back.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Be tall and be proud. I have a hat that makes that look short by comparison and I wear it all of the time. In fact, it's in my avatar. You would be surprised how you can grow into a hat like that.

To me, it's nice that there's a 30's style production hat out there.

 

[RBH]

I agree with Hemingway, give it a try.
What type crease will you be going for?
If not the Indy style put a diamond in it, that will take the crown down quite a bit.
Oh and be sure to post some photos!

 

[citRon]

I'll get some pics up later when I get home. I put a C crown in it for now...

 

[Feraud]

Punch that crown down and it will be fine.

 

[Spellflower]

I never measured my Federation when it was new, but it's never seemed that tall to me. In fact, I often wished it was taller when I was trying to recreate deep bashes I'd seen in movies, and always seemed to run out of felt. [huh]

If you really can't learn to love it, I'm sure there are plenty of State-side Loungers who would take it off your hands and leave you with more $ in your pocket than if you send it back to Oz.

 

[Sefton]

If you like the Bogart style you can find plenty of pictures here showing an amazingly deep top bash that could be easily done with your 6" crown. You've got a lot of felt to work with...go for broke!

 

[HamletJSD]

I had the same problem with my Fed. The thing looks huge on me, like a kid wearing his dad's hat. Then I trimmed the brim down to 2 5/8s or so and now it looks alright. Good luck with it, though.

Can you post pics? I have thought about doing that to mine, but cutting the brim has potential for making the hat permanantly out of proportion, so I've been very hesitant.

 

[citRon]

Can you post pics? I have thought about doing that to mine, but cutting the brim has potential for making the hat permanantly out of proportion, so I've been very hesitant.

:arated:

 

[airforceindy]

The Federation (and the Deluxe version) were specifically designed to be Indy hats: tall crown, dimensional-brimmed. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence here, citron, believe me! If you read WAY back on COW threads about the fedora, you'll find that the vast majority of the time the general consensus was towards a 6" crown. Those threads were the very place that the design features of the Federation line were fleshed out. If you think the Fed feels/looks tall, wait 'til you get your first AB! You'll flip! But, try some different bashes, get used to how it feels on your head, and soon it'll look and feel perfectly natural. :fedora:

Regards, Andy

 

[citRon]

The Federation (and the Deluxe version) were specifically designed to be Indy hats: tall crown, dimensional-brimmed. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence here, citron, believe me! If you read WAY back on COW threads about the fedora, you'll find that the vast majority of the time the general consensus was towards a 6" crown. Those threads were the very place that the design features of the Federation line were fleshed out. If you think the Fed feels/looks tall, wait 'til you get your first AB! You'll flip! But, try some different bashes, get used to how it feels on your head, and soon it'll look and feel perfectly natural. :fedora:

Regards, Andy

yeah, I knew it was designed by the COW guys way back when for that purpose...The main reason I chose it was because of Akubra's reputation for durability and weather-ability, and chose the Deluxe for the better (I thought), color mainly; Akubra doesn't offer a real good chocolate brown color in any other Fedora model, in my opinion. (but after having this one in my hands, it's not a 'good' brown either, sorta grey-brown tree bark looking to me)
Anyway...I'm playing around with the shape, and I've got it crushed down pretty good. It'll need some steam to hold, though.
I'll probably get flogged for this, but...my DP fur Indy seems nicer! The felt isn't as dense, but the color is superb, and the liner is sewn in, not glued like the Akubra.
Pictures will have to wait until morning- lighting isn't the best right now.

 

[KY Gentleman]

I'll bet after awhile you'll get used to it. The tall crown looks a little weird at first but now I kind of cringe when I wear a shorter one. It just dosen't seem right somehow....

 

[Roadrunner]

If it's a size 59 and you end up not liking it, PM me, I'll take it off your hands.

 

[citRon]

Ok everyone, thanks for the comments. I played around with it, and the crown actually did settle in nicely, no more complaints there. I still don't like the color though. It's a size 56 if anyone is interested. I'm going to check with the post office today to see what return shipping will cost me to return it, or I'll offer it to a Lounger. It is in it's new, unbashed shape awaiting a new -or its' old- home.
I've got a Tawny on order that I'm excited about, though...now there's a nice color!

Pics: 1st one with flash, 2nd no flash, 3rd pic, fluorescent light with flash.

[/IMG]

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with a bash:

[/IMG]

 

[NonEntity]

citRon,

What a major disappointment! You consider all the many Indy-style fedoras available. You read the posts here weighing in on the models you like. You narrow your choices down and make a decision. You order the hat and pay for it plus shipping and handling. Then you wait. And wait. And wait.

And then, when it finally arrives, it's wrong. In your case, so wrong that you don't even want to keep it. Bummer. Isn't it ironic that the color of the Akubra Fed is not nearly as appealing as the, relatively speaking, lower quality fur felt of your Dorfman Pacific "Dressed-Up" Indy? I did not realize that the DP's lining was sewn in. That hat has received mixed reviews here; I don't have one, so I cannot offer an opinion.

The good news is that there are many FL members who'd love to have your Fed. That it's being redesigned and the original will soon be history should make selling it even easier.

By the way, what hatsdirect.com said,--"the crown height can vary from the blocked height due to travel - ie the sides can be pushed in a little forcing the crown higher. If the side dimensions are correct the crown height will also be correct. As felt is not a rigid product we cannot control 100% how it travels."--is baloney. There is nothing in transit that could possibly change the crown height. Anyway, for $35 S & H, knowing the abuse it's likely to take en route, they should put the hat in a box/container that protects it.

 

[Bassman]

Sorry it's not to your liking citRon.
Personally, I like mine very much and the pictures you posted show yours to be (IMHO) a great looking hat.
I'm sure someone here with a tiny head (lol) will probably take it off your hands/head/sofa...whatever.