Ralph Lauren's idiotic PRE-DISTRESSED fedora

[Marc Chevalier]

Thought I'd seen it all.

Ralph Lauren's usually good RRL line has taken the fedora as low as it can go ... essentially dragging it through the mud.


"Pre-distressed" fedora. Looks incredibly awful. Fake sweat and dust in a crusty glaze. And only $495!


http://www.ebay.com/itm/RRL-Double-...-/160636628289?pt=US_Hats&hash=item2566b06d41

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Well, a lot of the RRL line is some type of clothing attire that has a torn up old look to it, and for some reason people want to spend money on it. I notice the hat is wool, looks like a Bailey from the 1980's. Who was it P.T. Barnum, "A sucker was born every minute"?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

True about RRL and the torn-up look. IMO, what takes this hat to a whole new level (or low) is the ring of hard, crusty fake sweat around its crown and brim. I mean, there are limits to this craze for pre-distressed stuff ... aren't there?

 

[Rudie]

The guys from consumer science need their successes, too. What greater success than making people shell out big bucks for something totally worthless they don't need and making them feel good about it?

 

[Feraud]

Residual body stains are the next step in distessing. Gotta keep it real..

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Residual body stains are the next step in distessing. Gotta keep it real..

As in, fake 'prostate drip' stains on the inside crotch of RRL pants? Waiting for that one...

 

[Equality 7-2521]

As in, fake 'prostate drip' stains on the inside crotch of RRL pants? Waiting for that one...

Oh goodness did that ever make me laugh .

 

[hatophile]

Well, look at what they do with jeans nowadays. When I was a kid they were "self-distressed".

I could see doing that with a cowboy hat, but a fedora? Not only that, it's wool not even fur felt.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I could see doing that with a cowboy hat, ...

Agreed.

... but a fedora?

Agreed!

 

[Tomasso]

I bet the question of whether or not something will sell in its distressed form is applied to every item that comes out of 650 Madison.

 

[danofarlington]

If distressing increases a hat's value, many of you ought to be paying UPS and the Postal Service for how they improve your hats en route from E Bay.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

If distressing increases a hat's value, many of you ought to be paying UPS and the Postal Service for how they improve your hats en route from E Bay.

If only RRL offered a stylishly pulverized cardboard hatbox to go with that fedora.

 

[avedwards]

For that price I could get a custom hat from Optimo and distress it myself to my heart's content, and it would most likely look infinitely better.

But then I fail to understand a lot of modern fashion. For example, why would anyone who was willing to spend $10,000 on a suit go to Armani when they could afford Saville Row (not that Armani doesn't make a good suit, I just suspect that Saville Row can do better plus it would be personalised).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Why would anyone spend $350 on a clean, custom made fedora, when they could spend $495 and look just like John Carradine: http://www.editoreric.com/greatlit/moviepics/grapeswrath casy.jpg

 

[Feraud]

As in, fake 'prostate drip' stains on the inside crotch of RRL pants? Waiting for that one...

Maybe RRL will do a "skid marks/NASCAR" tie in... It's wonderfully ironic and I can see the stylishly dishevelled hipsters work the look.

 

[Lefty]

Dear Internet, here is a list of things with which I do not agree.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

"This is Freddy Krueger's hat ... he bought it from Ralph Lauren..."

 

[avedwards]

"This is Freddy Krueger's hat ... he bought it from Ralph Lauren..."

And there I was hoping that Optimo made it and would be able to make exactly the same model should I decide I need something to match a red and green sweater.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And there I was hoping that Optimo made it and would be able to make exactly the same model should I decide I need something to match a red and green sweater.

Ha!

No kidding: at least one of Freddy Krueger's hats was made by "Designer Collection", which is a so-so modern brand. See it here: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6321626

 

[Brad Bowers]

Back in my early 20s I thought about starting a business that sold jeans with real bullet holes in them. I don't see why it wouldn't work for hats. I thought the jeans we tested looked pretty good with .45 caliber holes in them, and would look even better if we could get a $100 premium for them. lol.

Brad