Need hat advice

[GGlep]

Greetings--
I am new to the Lounge. Have been reading many posts and find the information very useful. I hope you all can steer me in the right direction as I look for my first fur felt hat.

I'm in my early 50s and never wore a fedora until somebody gave me one of theirs (last fall). It's a Country Gentleman wool felt fedora, with a floppy 2" brim; the brim to top of the hat is about 4.5". Originally, I never thought I'd wear it, as I didn't think I could pull off wearing a fedora. But it's turned out quite handy this winter in the Northeast. I like it much more than expected! In fact, I've become quite comfortable with it that I'd like to get a fur felt hat.

I like the proportions of this existing hat and am looking for something similar, but am willing to stretch for something slightly different as well. I am zoning in on hats like the Akubra Federation iv and Stylemaster. I also love the look of the VS Custom Albert hat--it is beautiful. It seems like the Stylemaster would be most similar in proportions to the hat I'm wearing in the photo; while the federation IV is a bit bigger and maybe bolder? Would either of these work for me? How would the Albert compare?

Thanks for any thoughts and advice,
Paul

View attachment 44291

 

[Doctor Strange]

I always recommend the Stylemaster for a first fur felt hat. It looks great on nearly everyone and works equally well with more casual or dressy clothing. It's very reasonable from dealers like Everything Australian, and better made than hats costing considerably more. The 2-1/2 inch brim is neither extreme nor stingy, an excellent medium compromise. I definitely wear mine more than my other fedoras (a Stetson Temple and an Akubra Campdraft). Nearly nine years of rain and snow, and it still looks brand new.

The Federation is a bigger hat and may require a bit more self-confidence to pull off than you can summon as a fedora newbie. But they are great hats too. (I had the older Federation III model, which had larger dimensions than the IV, but I was never really satisfied with the color, and it just always felt like too much hat for me.) Don't be put off by the open crown: creasing a hat isn't rocket science.

I can't speak to the VS, as I've not gone the custom route yet. (I do have an eventual custom project in mind, though: a classic early thirties hat - light gray with a medium brim, high crown, black wider-than-contemporary-hats ribbon, and just a center dent without side pinches or dents.)

 

[hatsRme]

Good morning, GGlep, and welcome aboard! depending on where you are here in the beautiful, sunny northeast (alright, it IS a bit chilly today...) you would benefit tremendously by going to a hat shop to try on lots of hats under the guidance of an EXPERIENCED hatter/stylist. THEN you can see exactly what you look best with. In general terms, where are you (NY, CT, MA, ME, Etc.)?

 

[GGlep]

Hi,

I'm in Maine!

Quick question--once you bash a hat, can you back and make adjustments until you get it right? Does it matter if some time passes in between these reshapings?

Thanks!

 

[GGlep]

hatsRme--I was thinking the same thing, that it would be useful to go to a hat shop first. I'm kind of out in the middle-a-nowhere, though.

 

[hatsRme]

Well, not THAT far out, unless you're in Caribou or Ft. Kent... If you get into a road trip mode, check out "Salmagundi" in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. Jessen and the gang will take good care of you!

 

[GGlep]

So, was searching if there's anything in Portland area, can't find much. But, I did see that this Stetson is available at LL Bean:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/13081?feat=502857-GN2&page=moose-river-hat

It gets very good reviews and looks nice, but is a bit different than a Stylemaster or Federation.

 

[hatsRme]

It does look nice! The benefit of a visit is that you'll KNOW that a lid is right for YOU.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Akubra hats are considerably better made and less expensive than the Moose River. I looked at the Moose River when I was in Freeport a few years ago, and was pretty underwhelmed. I consider my own vintage-2002 Stetson Temple to be of inferior quality to all my Akubras (besides the fedoras, I've got a Stockman and Cattleman as my hiking/snow shoveling/yardwork hats).

Very few of us have the luxury of living near any kind of hat store nowadays. I haven't been in anything resembling a full-service hat store in decades. It's two hours from where I live now to either NYC or New Haven, and I've never considered it worth the schlepp. But then I've been a hat collector/wearer since I was a kid in the sixties, so I'm hardly a newbie.

 

[RJR]

Hi,

I'm in Maine!

Quick question--once you bash a hat, can you back and make adjustments until you get it right? Does it matter if some time passes in between these reshapings?

Thanks!

The short answer is "yes" as long as you haven't steamed really tight creases into it.

 

[GGlep]

I always recommend the Stylemaster for a first fur felt hat. It looks great on nearly everyone and works equally well with more casual or dressy clothing.

Yes, the Stylemaster seems like the straight forward choice. It's proportions seem quite similar to the hat I'm wearing in my avatar, which I like and is comfortable to wear. However, the more I look at photos of the Stylemaster and Federation, I see how the Stylemaster has more of a tapered fit as it rises from the brim to the crown, whereas the federation is more of a boxy look, if you will (what are the technical terms to describe this difference?). Anyway, I kind of like the more vintage look of the federation, but as you say, it may not be the best 'first' hat for a newbie.

Re the Moose River hat, there are a few reviews on this site that are not favorable at all.

 

[Doctor Strange]

One of the things you will notice here is a good deal of sometimes highly pitched prejudice against "taper". This started with the Indy hat crowd, always obsessed with the straight vertical crown of the hat(s) in Raiders.

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with a hat with a tapered crown: for some faces, they look better than tall straight crowns. And equally, there's nothing wrong with an untapered crown, especially if you're interested in the classic golden era look.

But be aware that the untapered crown on the Federation and Campdraft does make them honking BIG hats that require a higher level of self-confidence from the wearer. On some guys, these straight crowns can seem almost too big. And even when they don't seem too big, they can be tough to pull off without feeling like a bit of a freak, especially if you're not in a part of the country where big (e.g., western) hats are commonly seen.

I don't mean to put you off the Federation - it's a great hat, especially if want that older style look. But as you already surmised, it's a large hat that requires a bit more... um, commitment from the wearer. Just be prepared for it if you decide to go that route.

 

[William G.]

Another option, if you're interested in shaping the hat yourself, may be the Akubra Sydney aka Akubra Fedora (I believe the Sydney is the same hat listed as Fedora on Everything Australian).

http://everythingaustralian.com.au/shop-by-brands/akubra/fedora.html

Unless I'm badly mistaken, it comes as an open crown, but otherwise the proportions are similar to what you're looking for.

 

[belfastboy]

Another option, if you're interested in shaping the hat yourself, may be the Akubra Sydney aka Akubra Fedora (I believe the Sydney is the same hat listed as Fedora on Everything Australian).

http://everythingaustralian.com.au/shop-by-brands/akubra/fedora.html

Unless I'm badly mistaken, it comes as an open crown, but otherwise the proportions are similar to what you're looking for.

I have a Sydney in Fawn and it is my favourite hat. It came open crowned. It differs from the Stylemaster in that it a raw edge brim (my preference). It is a great hat for the money.

 

[Frunobulax]

I have a Sydney in Fawn and it is my favourite hat. It came open crowned. It differs from the Stylemaster in that it a raw edge brim (my preference). It is a great hat for the money.

And I think the only difference between the Sydney and the Fedora is the Fedora has a wind trolley. The Fedora was my first Akubra and first open crown hat. It's still a fave.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Look at your face shape; consider the fact that you are already leaning vintage; recognize that you are on the path to larger hats before you have even purchased one and project where that all goes. With these facts in mind, boldly order and wear the Fed in your preferred color. You will not regret that purchase.

 

[JackieMatra]

And I think the only difference between the Sydney and the Fedora is the Fedora has a wind trolley.

Also the two colors that each of the hats come in have different names and seem to be different shades of brown and gray.

 

[Frunobulax]

Also the two colors that each of the hats come in have different names and seem to be different shades of brown and gray.

I didn't realize that.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Yes, the Stylemaster seems like the straight forward choice. It's proportions seem quite similar to the hat I'm wearing in my avatar, which I like and is comfortable to wear. However, the more I look at photos of the Stylemaster and Federation, I see how the Stylemaster has more of a tapered fit as it rises from the brim to the crown, whereas the federation is more of a boxy look, if you will (what are the technical terms to describe this difference?). Anyway, I kind of like the more vintage look of the federation, but as you say, it may not be the best 'first' hat for a newbie.

Re the Moose River hat, there are a few reviews on this site that are not favorable at all.

I can pretty much guarantee you that REAL SOON you're gonna want a Fed or a Camp Draft. No matter what you get now.

 

[moontheloon]

I can pretty much guarantee you that REAL SOON you're gonna want a Fed or a Camp Draft. Now matter what you get now.

this is pretty much the dead on truth so you might as well just cut out the middle man