NEWBIE: I need help finding a fedora

[ProfCharles]

Need some recommendations: color and source

I've been a browser of FL for many years. I love Fedora hats. I had several over the years but they were all brown. I had an Indiana Jones thing going on. My most recent was a Federation iv which I've had since it came out. I recently sold it as I rarely wore it because every time I did, it didn't look right with what I was wearing.
I'm a winter, Caucasian with dark brown eyes and hair and wear lots of sharp blue and white. I think the brown of the fed iv clashed so I'm now looking for new hat(s) this time in grey or blue.
I'm thinking about the fed iv in carbon or moonstone, can't decide between them, I dress business casual most of the time and really dark jeans with loafers on weekends.
Also, are there other sources for hats in the US that would have as good a value as akubra?

Thanks all

 

[jlee562]

I'm a big fan of carbon grey, although I feel I may be in the minority. David Morgan sells Akubras in the US, but the Fed is exclusive to the Hattery/Hatsdirect.com.

 

[viclip]

I own 5 different Akubra models, all however in Moonstone. That medium grey colour pretty well goes with anything.
Having said that, my most versatile hats colour-wise are my Biltmore Rosellinis in Driftwood aka Silver Belly. I'm not sure whether Akubra has a corresponding colour but if so, I'd highly recommend it. That colour not only easily coordinates but also fits in whether for formal or casual wear.

 

[TheDane]

There's another thread with a question a lot like this, that has been active for the last couple of days. It's a complex issue to give advice about, and consensus seems not always obvious. Many of us have an opinion, but not necessarily pointing in the same direction.

Most restaurant chefs will probably frown over a burger with fries, but millions love and eat it all over the world. Many blockbusters got shot down by reviewers - but the audience loved them. 'Experts' are often the wrong people to ask, when you want to know how 'the masses' will react to something. 99% of the people, that will see your hat, has never worn a hat and know nothing about hats, so who are the experts? [huh]

That said, I find that brown works fine with navy and a lot of other blues, and it's my understanding I'm not alone with that opinion. Combinations of the hat and ribbon colors may also have a great impact - like other accessories can make a hat/suit combo batter or worse. In my world carbon and moonstone would both go with most blues, but which one you should choose, can only you decide. As we're going into a darker season, some would probably choose the carbon, but again: It depends on how you feel about the little lighter hats during fall and winter.

I'm sorry, I can't do it better. As time goes, and you have bought some hats, you will develop your own style and understanding of hat-wearing. Hat wearing is a very personal thing, and most of us have used some money in the learning process. That's (hat)life

 

[gtdean48]

The Moonstone would be my choice. I have a Fed4 in Moonstone that has been customized to a mid-ribbon, bound edge = Wanderer.
I also have a Moonstone Campdraft which is lighter than my Glen Grey. Both of these are lighter than the Carbon.

 

[ProfCharles]

I'm considering a custom beaver hat by Penman but Im not sure I can plop down the $$ for it. Besides Akubra, is there another hat company that has straight sides, medium height, open crown with a reasonably wide brim, and offer a few color options ?

 

[gtdean48]

I'm considering a custom beaver hat by Penman but Im not sure I can plop down the $$ for it. Besides Akubra, is there another hat company that has straight sides, medium height, open crown with a reasonably wide brim, and offer a few color options ?

If there was, you wouldn't be having to ask the question cause it'd be being discussed as much as Akubra....

Welcome to the Lounge...

 

[jlee562]

I'm considering a custom beaver hat by Penman but Im not sure I can plop down the $$ for it. Besides Akubra, is there another hat company that has straight sides, medium height, open crown with a reasonably wide brim, and offer a few color options ?

Production made hats? Not really. I mean there's the Borso Alessandria, but you're better off going custom at that price, IMHO. Several other custom makers can do straight sided crowns, though Mr. Penman makes a nice hat.

 

[Nyah]

Hello Fedora Lounge. I already wear a straw fedora. Now I'm considering my first felt hat.

I want a fedora that meets the following criteria:
* Rabbit felt.
* Brim suitable for both up and down snap (I change it in various situations).
* Tapered, relatively short (approx 4") crown.
* Either a teardrop or center dent.
* I'm not sure what width brim I want but, it would be somewhere between 2" and 2.5".
* When I wear the brim snapped down in the front, I want the brim line to be straight, rather than drooping at any one point.

Would the Akubra Federation IV be easily modifiable to what I want, considering that I don't yet have fur-felt experience? Does the crown come set in the shape shown in the photo, at all or, is it a totally unblocked and shaped like a dome? Can someone explain to me how the hat keeps a new shape that they impose on it? I'm confused about a hat being described as "open crown" but also having the blocked shape that I see in the promotional photo. Seems like opposite characteristics.
Also, will the brim of the Federation IV retain its snappiness after being cut down to 2&1/4"? How about only 2"?

I'd been considering a Stetson with 2&1/8" brim. I've seen only one photo of this hat, viewed from the side and the name wasn't listed but, it looks similar to a Temple. Here's the photo. http://www.hatalog.com/Images/HH_0647_2565.jpg

One thing I noticed about that Stetson in the photo, is its brim drooping abruptly in front, rather than transitioning gradually from up in the back to down in the front. I think the promotional photo of the Akubra Federation IV shows a brim doing that as well (it's difficult to know, due to the angle of the shot being different). Is that an effect of having the brim be longer in front and back than on the sides or, are wearers purposefully remolding the brim to achieve that? As I said in my criteria list, I want to avoid that shape.

Thank you much for any help you can give.

 

[g.durand]

Nyah, first, welcome to the Lounge. The Fed IV comes as an open-crowned, un-creased hat so the owner can crease it the way he wants it. The sides of the crown are tall and straight, and even after creasing it's going to probably be taller than 4 inches. It would take a lot of water applied to the crown to shrink it so it has a taper, and you may not be happy with the results. My experience with the Fed IV is it's going to take some effort to get the brim to curl symmetrically like the hat in the photo. The hat in the photo has a tight curl to the brim, formed by the hatmaker on a brim flange. You can snap it up or down. Unless you have one of those, it's going to be hard to do it well. My suggestion would be to look at vintage hats on Ebay. You'll find a large number of narrow-brimmed fedoras that are similar to the one in the photo. That style of hat (late '50s through '60s vintage) generally sells for reasonable prices, with a higher quality and probably for less $$ than what you would spend on a hat from any modern manufacturer.

 

[jlee562]

Nyah, I'm not sure I understand the point you're making about the brim. You're referring to the slope of the brim and how it appears as a curve from a profile view and not a straight line? Fedora brims are generally made with some degree of flange, some flatter, some rounder.

The Fed won't drop down to 4" with a center dent, although you could probably get it that low with a teardrop. As far as creasing, you put the crease in and it holds. You may have to dampen the felt or use steam to get it to "set," but the felt itself is made with stiffener which helps retain the shape.

 

[TheDane]

[...] I want to avoid that shape.

The shape, you don't like, is the shape a snap brim has. Usually a snap brim is flanged, so the brim curves almost the same all around - a little less in the front than in the back. The curve is what makes the brim springy and allows it to snap up and down. When/if the brim is snapped down in the front, it's upward curve will be mirrored downward, hence the form of the brim. A brim, that is flat in the front, would not snap.

 

[g.durand]

Agree with jlee and TheDane, the way the brim is flanged will determine how low it snaps in the front. I do not like the brims on my hats to snap too low in front, either. After I receive a hat and the brim already has the shape it was given by the hatter, I use a hat flange with a shallow curve and steam iron the brim over the flange. Some hats respond better than others.

 

[Landman]

Nyah,

You might want to take a look at Akubra's Fedora from Hats Direct. Here is a link.

http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?view=44&returncat=Fedora+Hats&returnpage=0

The hat in your photo looks like it might be too tight for the gentleman wearing it. I have noticed that when I put on a hat that is too small for me the front and back brims tend to bend up and down more than a hat that fits me properly.

 

[Landman]

The Akubra Sydney from David Morgan is essentially the same hat as the Akubra Fedora from Hats Direct except it does not have a wind trolley. Here is a link to it.

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=92

 

[Nyah]

The Fed won't drop down to 4" with a center dent, although you could probably get it that low with a teardrop. As far as creasing, you put the crease in and it holds. You may have to dampen the felt or use steam to get it to "set," but the felt itself is made with stiffener which helps retain the shape.

I like a teardrop dent so, if that would work, I might be set. I would probably be happy enough even if 4.25" is the lowest I could go. So that's great to know.

From another thread, here's B,J, Hedberg's open crown Akubra (he calls it the Campdraft but, would it have the wide ribbon in that case?):

Campdraft purists beware, but I was working on my 2 1/2” trimmed brim Campdraft here tonight, and after looking at some pics decided the brim was too wide for such a dark hat. Far too flamboyant (and I’m far too flamboyant as it is), plus the brim was impacting the old field of vision when I wore it comfortably, so I trimmed slightly over 1/4” off all around, making it almost midway between 2 1/8” and 2 1/4.” Still large enough to protect the glasses from the rain, but not be a bother. I’m pleased with the result and already find it much more enjoyable to wear. Bad pics though. (And I still haven’t removed all the pencil marks).

In another of his posts, he says that the crown is 4&5/8" high. I'd like to get it at least 3/8" lower than that. Judging from the photo, does anyone see that as a possible endeavor?


As for the brim droop question, I was referring to what would normally be a straight line, that the brim edge looks like when the hat is viewed from a specific angle.. However, I think I was focusing so much on a single photo that I didn't realize what I was actually looking at was a hat viewed from a slightly different angle. I'll forget about that. Landman's suspicion about the hat being too small for that wearer is noted though.


Landman,
Thanks for the suggestion of the Fedora. Could be the right candidate. Its open crown is 5&1/2", which might be the same height as the Fed IV's but, the brim is 2&1/2" all around so, might be better for cutting the brim to 2&1/4". I wonder...

 

[Nyah]

Sorry for this second post but, I wanted to separate this question from my previous post.

I want to get an open crown Akubra, either the Federation IV or the one they call "Fedora". Then cut the brim down to 2&1/4". The brim of the Federation IV is 2&3/4" in front/back and approximate 2&1/2" on the sides. The brim of the Fedora is 2&1/2" all around. Would I get the same end result regardless of which hat I do this with or, would the fact that one hat starts with a wider brim in front/back effect the way that it snaps after the modification?

 

[Banky]

I'd go to ebay and look at vintage hats with a 2 1/4 brim before I'd go mess with buying an akubra and trying to work on it yourself. Chances are likely you'll find a fair number because most of the members here and hat enthusiasts overall consider 2 1/4 a tad too stingy. Point is you'd likely find a hat that fits your requirements for less money and be of higher quality than even the akubras.

 

[Nyah]

Ebay has problems that I'd rather avoid. Also, the self-bashed look is what I'm after. I really don't want the look of most hats from the 60s, which is when the majority of them under 2&3/8" brim on Ebay seem to be from.

The brim on B.J.Hedman's hat in the photo I quoted above is 2&3/16" - smaller than what I propose. So hopefully there are some people here who might deem my intention worthy enough to advise me on it.

 

[Zombie_61]

...From another thread, here's B,J, Hedberg's open crown Akubra (he calls it the Campdraft but, would it have the wide ribbon in that case?)...

Since this question has not yet been addressed...the Campdraft comes with a narrow ribbon; it appears B.J. replaced that with a wider ribbon.