Newbie introduction and first Fedora question

[ElGreco]

I confess; I do not own anything but baseball hats and a couple of (driver's?) hats bought from Men;s Wearhouse. But before anything else, let me introduce myself. My name is Chris, I live in Tampa FL, I am 34 years old, married and father of two little boys. I love watching "Games of Thrones" , and besides my wife and kids, I love spending time with my guns and bows when my job allows it.
Now to my question: I recently started spending a lot of money updating my wardrobe. I have bought everything from shoes and shoe care products to shirts, dress pants, jackets, etc. A far as headgear goes, I want to buy a Fedora as soon as possible, and next summer a Panama hat.
I
This is the Fedora I am looking at:

I found it on Brooks Brothers website (BB is where I have done most of my recent purchases since they have a store downtown Tampa..) The description reads: Lock and Co. Burma Atlantic Fedora (got no clue what that means...), 1950s style,tapered crown, 2" brim, made from fur felt, water repellent, khaki color.It is priced at 298$ but I can get it with a 15% discount, so around 250$.
My main concern is if this is a color that I will be able to wear on an evening out with my wife. In my mind, I am dressed with khakis, a nice shirt and tie, brown cashmere sweater and brown Edward Green boots.
Is this an unusual/difficult color? Do you like it? Is it overpriced? I would really appreciate your sincere thoughts and comments.
Chris

 

[Bob Roberts]

Welcome. You can find custom for around the same price. Dont personally kno anything abt the maker. Color is easy to work with.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Chris; I would suggest checking out some of the fedoras that are shown on the "What Hat Are You Wearing thread in this forum. You will see everything from vintage, new and custom fedoras. They will be in every style, color and make. I am confident that you will see a hat that will make your heart palpitate. Prices vary greatly even within a style, color, felt (or straw) that you desire. Ask away and sage advice is to be offered.

For what it is worth, I believe you can easily find a couple of hats to get you started down the hat wearing path for a bit cheaper. The low crown (height of the hat rising above the brim) of the hat you have linked is fashionable today, but tomorrow or next week, it will change. Their are hat shapes that are more classic. Options abound. Several hats I started out with I have sold or given away. I drifted to other looks, more flattening looks, or more classic shapes. My preferences began to show forth after a bunch of hats.

As odd as it initially struck me early on in my hat experiences, a used hat, ala Ebay?Etsy, are great buys. Both in price, but it gives an opportunity to wear a hat to see if it works for you. I found that all hats work as long as my eye said it works. As my "eye" has matured, lots of hat styles and models work.

Best wishes in hat hunting. The hunt is enjoyable and a great diversion to the complications of life. Best, Eric -

 

[Frunobulax]

I can't add much to Eric's post - he nailed it. I'm a relative newby, as well. And I will also tell you I believe the hat you have shown, while nice, isn't exactly where to start. You can get a much better deal elsewhere. Take your time, hang around here, and ask questions. we're happy to enable, er, provide assistance.

 

[DOGMAN]

Welcome to the lounge Chris.I too am a Game of Thrones fan.Up until about 4 years ago I was wearing ball caps ( I have a over 100 of them).My 1st fedora was a Akubra Adventurer from david morgan.Good luck in your hunt,but be prepared hats are like potato chips.You can't have just one.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Welcome to the lounge Chris.I too am a Game of Thrones fan.Up until about 4 years ago I was wearing ball caps ( I have a over 100 of them).My 1st fedora was a Akubra Adventurer from david morgan.Good luck in your hunt,but be prepared hats are like potato chips.You can't have just one.

Hahaha! Stated as a true certified lounger! Fedora hats are like a drug.....like looking for a winning lottery ticket...you can never have enough...I have purchased maybe 200 hats in the past few years for my Husband and he has purchased maybe a 100 for himself...they come and they go. There is always that "quest" looking for the next bargain or maybe even a custom made hat! Addicting and FUN!

 

[LuvMyMan]

I confess; I do not own anything but baseball hats and a couple of (driver's?) hats bought from Men;s Wearhouse. But before anything else, let me introduce myself. My name is Chris, I live in Tampa FL, I am 34 years old, married and father of two little boys. I love watching "Games of Thrones" , and besides my wife and kids, I love spending time with my guns and bows when my job allows it.
Now to my question: I recently started spending a lot of money updating my wardrobe. I have bought everything from shoes and shoe care products to shirts, dress pants, jackets, etc. A far as headgear goes, I want to buy a Fedora as soon as possible, and next summer a Panama hat.
I
This is the Fedora I am looking at:

I found it on Brooks Brothers website (BB is where I have done most of my recent purchases since they have a store downtown Tampa..) The description reads: Lock and Co. Burma Atlantic Fedora (got no clue what that means...), 1950s style,tapered crown, 2" brim, made from fur felt, water repellent, khaki color.It is priced at 298$ but I can get it with a 15% discount, so around 250$.
My main concern is if this is a color that I will be able to wear on an evening out with my wife. In my mind, I am dressed with khakis, a nice shirt and tie, brown cashmere sweater and brown Edward Green boots.
Is this an unusual/difficult color? Do you like it? Is it overpriced? I would really appreciate your sincere thoughts and comments.
Chris

Find out what size hat you wear?!? Come back and let us know...one of us may have something for you at a great bargain!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Welcome, Chris,

I stumbled across the forum here after the movie Australia came out, featuring Nicole "Goddess Incarnate" Kidman. In several scenes she wears a man's fedora -- which one it is has been discussed here from time to time. As I searched for a hat like it, I discovered FL, and Akubra hats, and eventually transitioned to buying vintage hats from eBay. Before that I'd purchased more than a few fedoras from one of the last true hat stores in the U.S., Meyer the Hatter in New Orleans.

You could certainly do much better than the price on that Brooks Bros. hat. Stetson sells many models, including ones you can shape yourself, for quite a bit less than that. And from what I've read here, their new Premier and Excellent models, while approaching or even exceeding the BB price, are darn near as good as the vintage lids. Akubra offers fedoras you can wear with a suit, a model (the Federation IV) in the Indiana Jones style, and Outback-style hats as well. These are good quality fur felts, not cheap wool lids.

Stetson and Akubra also have panamas, which since you live in Florida would be a useful thing to have.

 

[ElGreco]

Thank you. My size is 7 1/2. What I will probably do, is order the hat, post a few pictures here with me wearing it, so I can get some feedback. If the feedback is not so good I will return it and continue my search. In the meantime, please do let me know how you have available

 

[ElGreco]

I was not aware of Stetson, I will look there as well

 

[Frunobulax]

If you choose to look at Stetson, don't look at the Stetson website. Look at Delmonico or JJ Hat Center. Better, more personalized service.

 

[ElGreco]

I was in the Delmonico site. Very interesting stuff. I looked at a couple of the more expensive Stetson fedoras , and in the description it said that you can wear the hat with the brim up all around or snap it down in the front. I did not realize that is something that you could do with the hats. So if I opted to purchase the hat that I posted pictures earlier, and in which the brim is pointing up all around, I could do the same thing? Or it depends on the style and construction of the hat?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Yes, you can change the brim's "attitude" if you like. It depends on what you prefer. Some brims are stiffer than others, but steam from a teakettle and a little patience will usually work wonders. I spray the brim or other area I want to change with distilled water and shape it by hand.

The brim snapped down in front is the style most people associate with fedoras, thanks to Indiana Jones and Humphrey Bogart films. It shades your eyes, depending on the width of the brim, and (to me anyway) looks cool.

Have a look at the Grand Central on Delmonico's website. It's very easy to shape the hat yourself -- I did it after buying my first open-crown Akubra, just from reading here and watching videos that members have posted.

 

[Frunobulax]

Brim up:

Brim down:

 

[stratcat]

hats are like potato chips.You can't have just one.

Aint that the truth!

 

[Not-Bogart13]

SOME fedora brims are not intended to go up or down, but they usually say so in the description.

Chris, if you are willing to pay $250 for a fedora, go custom. The hat will last much longer, and it can be what you want, not what's available.
That said, you might want to start at a lower price point, and experiment see what you like. Just my 2 cents.

As for color, I find that has little to do with how "appropriate" it will be to wear in different situations. As long as the hat is in good shape, and you coordinate with the rest of what you wear, it will work. If you're the type to wear khaki's, then any tan or brown will do. I suggest thinking about the ribbon. I mean, black goes with everything, brown will match anything a tan or brown hat will. but if you go with something more colorful, keep in mind what other colors might get worn with it. For example, you mention a shirt and tie. If you have a habit of favoring a particular color in your shirts or ties, a hat ribbon that matches or compliments that can really make the whole thing sizzle. These are not "musts", mind you. Just tips from a hat-wearing veteran.

 

[Benzadmiral]

A silverbelly or light gray Akubra Campdraft can go casual or dressy as you prefer. I don't have one myself; my hat in that style is a vintage Stetson Open Road bashed as a fedora. But I've seen a lot of pics of FL members wearing their CDs, in both casual and suit-and-tie mode, and they look great. Plus it's a LOT cheaper than a custom or a modern Excellent/Premier Stetson. Have a look at my "Akubra" link up above, or try Everything Australian.

 

[ElGreco]

I read several of the folks here mentioning the custom route. As I said, I am a complete newbie. Where one goes if he wants to have a custom Fedora made?

 

[hatsRme]

You don't need to go anywhere. Stay near your internet, however that might be, and pick from the hatters list on line. There are enough out there from which to choose.

If you have the time and are able to visit a good hat retailer, that's still the best way to begin on your hat quest. Trying on a variety under the guidance of a knowledgeable person is the best way to establish your baseline look. Good luck, have fun!!