Please help me find a comfortable grey Derby

[Slim Portly]

I am searching for a grey derby to buy. The problem is I cannot abide hats with a stiff interior band. For instance, the fedoras that I wear are Broner Litefelt because they are very soft, with a fabric headband. They happen to be "crushable," which is not a requirement per se but it does mean that they conform nicely to my head.

The only derby that I have found that is comfortable for me to wear is the one made by Bailey of Hollywood. I have one in black that I wear often, and they also have one in brown that I plan on purchasing, but the only picture of their grey derby that I have found online makes it look like a very slightly faded black, or even black with a strong light on it. I want grey dagnabbit! Light to medium, but distinct from black.

Here's what Bailey of Hollywood calls black:

And this is what they call grey:

Do you see what I mean about the color? I haven't seen it in person, and the only shop in town that carries this hat says that it "may" have the grey Bailey derby some time later this year when they stock for the autumn.

I have tried on various offerings from different makers, and all of them except for the Bailey have very stiff, unyielding, uncomfortable bands. Can anyone offer me assistance with this?

There is another option that I am hesitant to try. Bailey does have a cream and a white derby, and I may resort to purchasing one or the other of these and dying it. I have no experience with this procedure, and yet if it is the only way of getting what I want then I may need advice on this as well.

Edit: just in case, I have a 22 3/4" head which means I typically wear a 7 1/4 hat, depending, or a "Large" for the mass-produced numbers.

 

[Slim Portly]

The more I think about this the more fun it sounds to try dying the white Bailey. Rit makes a wool-fast Pearl Grey powder die, and I think the craft store down the street carries it. So asuming that no other help is forthcoming, anyone have any advice on dying a wool derby? If not I'll just have at it and see what I get.

 

[HatfeathersVint]

If you do get adventurous enough to dye a wool hat, be sure to dry it on a foam head that has measurements similar to your head, just in case it shrinks.

I have washed some old wool ascot style hats, although not fedoras or derby, and had them turn out ok. They were old fur felt ones, though, and didn't have the modern concoctions of natural and man made materials. I did dry them on a foamy head with a towell on top, and they did turn out great. They needed water and soap desperately, or I wouldn't have tried.

If you do choose to Rit-ify something, make sure the fabric is soaked wet before introducing it to the color bath. That will make it take dye more evenly and without contact lines.

 

[Slim Portly]

Excellent advice, thank you.

 

[troy]

Here's one!

Hi Slim,

I found a site with a grey derby here:

http://www.ahat.com/derbies.htm

They don't show a picture of the grey, but based on the picture of the blue, I have to believe it's more than just a light black.

Post pics of whatever you decide to do!

 

[Slim Portly]

Thanks friend, but the problem isn't finding a grey derby. It's finding one that is comfortable to wear. The Capas deby is as hard as the rest of them. Here's a good picture of it (and I love the way it looks):

I've tried many brands but the Bailey of Hollywood is the only one I've found that has a soft interior band and any amount of "give." Derbys or Bowlers were originally designed to be as hard as a modern construction hardhat, and while most modern derbys are no longer made to be "bullet proof," they still have that stiff band. Maybe it's because my poor bald head is just too soft, but I can only wear a hat that feels comfortable against it.

So is anyone aware of a brand that meets this description? How about any of our resident hat makers?

Ah heck, maybe I'll just get the Capas and beat it into submission.

 

[Brad Bowers]

It sounds like the problem is not so much with the stiff felt, as it is with the quality of cheap sweatbands, which are pretty stiff. If that's the case, then your best option is to buy the Derby that you want and have a custom hatter install a softer sweatband. An additional trick would be to buy a Derby in the next size larger than you wear and have a softer sweatband installed that has a functioning adjuster string in it to reduce the sweat to your head size.

Brad

 

[Slim Portly]

It sounds like the problem is not so much with the stiff felt, as it is with the quality of cheap sweatbands, which are pretty stiff.

Hmm, I don't think I'm explaining it well. When I go down to my local hattery to try on hats, one after the other of them feel the same to me, as if I were putting a plastic bucket on my head. If you put a finger inside the front of a hat and another in the back and pull, most hats are very stiff and have no "give" to them. The Bailey derby, on the other hand, is made in such a way that by doing the same thing, one can actually pull the front and back a couple of inches further away from each other. Does that make sense? And then in addition it also happens to have a softer sweat band, but the sweat band isn't the main issue.

 

[besdor]

I think that the only company today that can make a fur felt derby is Biltmore. The problem is that is isnt in the current line of hats . I'm sure that that one of the local hat stores could order one with a groasgrain sweatband. This would be the right way to go. The wool (Bollman ) versions are less expensive but wont last to long.



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[feltfan]

Did you see the hats in this recent thread?
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=33560
Notice how they are almost flat at the front and have an angled
curve on the sides. The derbies in this thread all have brims that
are curled up like a bowl. Looks all wrong to me.

Derbies/bowlers should be hard. Sorry, that's the style. But a
derby that fits you should be very comfortable. I have two and
they are among my most comfortable hats. It's about shaping the
hat to your head (or getting lucky) and having a quality sweatband,
as some have pointed out.

People wore derbies all day long, every day at the beginning of the
20th century. They had to be comfortable. I can't speak to the
availability of vintage grey derbies, but I encourage you to try a couple
of vintage derbies in your size from eBay. They don't go for a lot of money,
at least in 7 1/4.

 

[Slim Portly]

Thanks for all of the input. I know that a derby is "supposed" to be hard. I also know that every traditional derby I have tried is very uncomfortable and I can either keep wasting money buying them online (as the choices in town are extremely limited) until I find one that fits comfortably, or I can ask for help finding a brand that is built softer than is strictly traditional, which is what I have done here.

The Bailey of Hollywood derby is comfortable and fits perfectly so I know that they are being made this way. Bailey does not have the color of grey that I want so I'm asking if anyone is aware af a brand with a similarly constructed derby but with a different selection of colors.

 

[Slim Portly]

I think I've found a solution to my dilemma. I spoke to a hat maker today who is a "friend of a friend," and she said that if I bring her a Capas or any other brand of derby she'll reblock it and replace the band with whatever I like, from goat skin to terry cloth, and she quoted me a very reasonable price. As feltfan said, a hat should fit and feel comfortable, even a hard hat like a derby. I think I must have an oddly shaped head, and although I can't yet afford custom-made headware, at least I now have the ability to refer to a professional for any assistance I may need in future endeavors.