No Love For Black Hats

[T Jones]

I would really love my Akubra Squatter if it were any other color than black. I won this Squatter in an online bid. The hat looked gray from the pictures.

What I hate about black hats:
1). Black hats show no detail...Can't see the detailing of the bash or the ribbon if it's also black.
2). Shows dirt very easily.
3). Limited to dressy attire.
4). No character.
5). At a not too far distance mine looks like a Billy Jack hat...

Feel free to add to the list if you don't like black hats.

 

[Blackthorn]

Black hats are my favorite. I didn't know they made Squatters in black. Now i'm going to have to buy one.

 

[Shangas]

I only have one black hat, a homburg. Also by Akubra. I agree, they are rather limiting. Or at least, that's been my general observation. Perhaps it just needs a more daring person than me to wear it...

 

[g.durand]

I have two black hats, a Borsalino I bought 26 years ago and an Optimo Milan. I don't wear the Borsalino much these days because it has a low tapered crown and a 3" brim, which makes it look kind of odd to me now, and it's a little bit snug. The Optimo gets some wear but if the weather is cool enough for black, I generally wear one of my felts. I tend to favor other colors, but if it is the right black hat, I'll wear it, no problem.

 

[Banky]

For me it's always been they have too much of a Jewish or Amish feel to them. That isn't any form of discrimination, I have no problem with the Jewish or Amish. But they tend to be characterized by black hats being part of their attire and I personally am neither.

 

[T Jones]

Black hats are my favorite. I didn't know they made Squatters in black. Now i'm going to have to buy one.

What size do you wear? I'd be willing to trade this one off. I really like the Squatter and I'd definitely buy another one, in a different color. I saw a black fedora from Buckaroo Hatters with a wider gray ribbon that didn't look too awfully bad, but still kind of limited to more dressy attire though.

 

[Dinerman]

As with black suits, black hats were extremely common back in the day- one of, if not the, most popular color for decades. They were not limited to dressy attire, and were once worn with just about everything.

In the modern era of online shopping and showing off new purchases via photos vs. in person, it's easy to see why people have an aversion to them now. Because details don't show up well in badly done cell-phone photography, and because they generally don't have much contrast (felt to ribbon), it's difficult to get a real sense of them that way. This is especially true places like ebay, where the photo is reduced to a thumbnail size. In the purely visual format of the internet, contrast and flashiness sells, quality does not.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I own a Beaver Brand Snowy River that I turned into more of a Fedora. It has kind of a short crown though. Its all black. I just ordered a hat from Mike Moore that's also an all black hat. Its actually a more modern cowboy hat, which I normally hate, but this one looks right. Mike was making one for someone else and we share a block.

I also plan on having TonyB make me a black fedora with a maroon or dark navy and black double edge and the same color on the ribbon somewhere.

I wear my Current black hat with a black leather jacket which isn't really formal.

Later

 

[Blackthorn]

What size do you wear? I'd be willing to trade this one off. I really like the Squatter and I'd definitely buy another one, in a different color. I saw a black fedora from Buckaroo Hatters with a wider gray ribbon that didn't look too awfully bad, but still kind of limited to more dressy attire though.

I need a size 59. Is that what you have? I have a size 60 in brown that I'd trade you, but I have had the brim trimmed back to 2 1/2 inches, just FYI.

 

[Blackthorn]

Hi

I own a Beaver Brand Snowy River that I turned into more of a Fedora. It has kind of a short crown though. Its all black. I just ordered a hat from Mike Moore that's also an all black hat. Its actually a more modern cowboy hat, which I normally hate, but this one looks right. Mike was making one for someone else and we share a block.

I also plan on having TonyB make me a black fedora with a maroon or dark navy and black double edge and the same color on the ribbon somewhere.

I wear my Current black hat with a black leather jacket which isn't really formal.

Later

Black felt with a maroon (burgundy?) ribbon is a great combo.

 

[ManofKent]

In the UK black hats are still the most commonly seen, and I suspect make up a very large proportion of sales. I like them, but I do agree that they show up lint very quickly though.

 

[g.durand]

As with black suits, black hats were extremely common back in the day- one of, if not the, most popular color for decades. They were not limited to dressy attire, and were once worn with just about everything.

In the modern era of online shopping and showing off new purchases via photos vs. in person, it's easy to see why people have an aversion to them now. Because details don't show up well in badly done cell-phone photography, and because they generally don't have much contrast (felt to ribbon), it's difficult to get a real sense of them that way. This is especially true places like ebay, where the photo is reduced to a thumbnail size. In the purely visual format of the internet, contrast and flashiness sells, quality does not.

Astute observation, Dinerman.

 

[g.durand]

In the UK black hats are still the most commonly seen, and I suspect make up a very large proportion of sales. I like them, but I do agree that they show up lint very quickly though.

In my excursions to the UK and Continental Europe in the winter, whenever I saw a man wearing a fedora, it was black.

 

[cpdv]

As it turns into a why the subtleties of black hats should be appreciated. I have a black Bowler I wear all the time in the fall and winter with almost any of my Edwardian outfits.

 

[T Jones]

I need a size 59. Is that what you have? I have a size 60 in brown that I'd trade you, but I have had the brim trimmed back to 2 1/2 inches, just FYI.

Mine would be too small for you. It's a 58 and a little big on me. I have to stuff sizers behind the sweat band to reduce it. I wear a 7 1/8 LO and that's a problem for me. I can't find anything in a LO unless I send the hats I have now to a hatter and have them re-sized. A 7 1/8 is too tight on me and a 7 1/4 is too big. Even with sizers behind the sweat the 7 1/4's (58) still don't fit properly. I'm thinking about sending my Squatter to Buckaroo Hatters or to, (is it Optimo in Chicago?), to have it sized down to a 7 1/8 LO and to have a wider contrasting ribbon, (I'm thinking gray), put on it. Maybe the contrasting ribbon work will help with the detail issues. Just wondering, if I have my Squatter sized down would that add more to the brim width. I definitely like the wide brim on the Squatters, I just don't want to get carried away with it.

 

[mayserwegener]

Here is an old P. & C. Habig Austrian Velour with a contrasting ribbon. The original ribbon was most likely black or charcoal.

Pre 1940 German and Austrian hats were mostly black especially Velours. Like this J. Hückel´s Söhne Zephyr Seal Velour which is completely original.

This old all original black Erko Velour has a striking appearance.

 

[T Jones]

Here is an old P. & C. Habig Austrian Velour with a contrasting ribbon. The original ribbon was most likely black or charcoal.

Pre 1940 German and Austrian hats were mostly black especially Velours. Like this J. Hückel´s Söhne Zephyr Seal Velour which is completely original.

This old all original black Erko Velour has a striking appearance.

Yeah that's not too bad...the contrasting ribbon adds some detail to the hat. I won my Squatter in an online auction at very reasonable price. So it would probably be worth a little more money to send it off to a hatter and have it re-sized and fixed up more to the way I want it. Would having it sized down from a 58 to a 7 1/8 LO add anything to the brim width?
(Wow! Look at those hats in the background!)

 

[Blackthorn]

I wish Akubra made their Campdraft in black. That would be an awesome hat.

 

[Orangegrad]

I wish Akubra made their Campdraft in black. That would be an awesome hat.

Blackthorn - Borsalino makes their Alessandria in black. It is a very common fedora among the Haredi (ultra Orthodox) in Israel and among the ultra Orthodox here in the U.S.

Though I am not Orthodox myself, I purchased this recently as a NOS sale item from a brick and mortar store: being a 57 it's not always easy for hat stores to sell smaller fedoras, and this one had been sitting around for several years. I purchased this for around the same price as a Camp Draft in Heritage quality fur. Though some are critical of Borsalino quality, and perhaps the company is not what it was 40 years ago, this fedora is every bit as good as a Heritage quality Akubra. The three Borsalinos I own are at least as good, if not better, than any other modern fedoras I own.

Since I really am not concerned with fedora etiquette, I'll wear this black Alessandria with any number of clothes. Though it does show cat hair and white dust easily, I do not really consider this a formal fedora. I wear it with jeans.

 

[Blackthorn]

Blackthorn - Borsalino makes their Alessandria in black. It is a very common fedora among the Haredi (ultra Orthodox) in Israel and among the ultra Orthodox here in the U.S.

Though I am not Orthodox myself, I purchased this recently as a NOS sale item from a brick and mortar store: being a 57 it's not always easy for hat stores to sell smaller fedoras, and this one had been sitting around for several years. I purchased this for around the same price as a Camp Draft in Heritage quality fur. Though some are critical of Borsalino quality, and perhaps the company is not what it was 40 years ago, this fedora is every bit as good as a Heritage quality Akubra. The three Borsalinos I own are at least as good, if not better, than any other modern fedoras I own.

Since I really am not concerned with fedora etiquette, I'll wear this black Alessandria with any number of clothes. Though it does show cat hair and white dust easily, I do not really consider this a formal fedora. I wear it with jeans.

Andy, you have made my day. I love that hat. I'm going to start saving now...