The Black Hat Brigade

[RedPop4]

Damn, Brad. You got me!!!!!
I'm looking at charcoals, but also doves, and have seen a couple good looknig ivories as well.lol lol lol And it's true.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I'm going to throw my own hat guess into the ring. I think that at an almost subconscious level, we associate black fedoras -- especially the "golden era" types -- with bad guys (remember "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"), undertakers, and the religiously orthodox. Unless we fit into these groups, we may not want to be mistaken for one of their members.

 

[Magus]

Love 'em

I guess I must like them because I have 5 black fedoras. One that is the Stetson from the 30's I showed here I picked up at a second hand stor. Four that I bought off of eBay. A Dobbs, a Champ and a Lee all with under 2" brims. BUT I just got this Lucien de Brabant et Frere off there, French made...beautiful...5 1/2" crown and 2 3/4" brim. Size 7 1/2.

Here it is please excuse the unshaven model....I was...errrr....ummm....going for a depression era look! (working around the house)

M

 

[Marc Chevalier]

You see? You were pleasantly surprised. The French made some very nice hats -- and ties and shoes and suits -- back then.

 

[Magus]

You were right....this could easily become my fav hat.

 

[budward]

I think black's really loud. Might look okay with a grey suit, though. I'd rather have shades of grey for a hat.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Black is it.

I have yet to find a fedora that's exactly right for me, but I hope I find a black one. Black goes with everything,.....right?
Well, at least it goes with my black pinstripe suit and my charcoal gray trenchcoat. All I would need then would be a "violin" case for the complete gangster look.

 

[Russ]

On the other hand...

I have seen more black small brimmed fedoras (brim snapped up all around) or homburgs on young guys -- and a few girls -- in the last year here in Tokyo. They apparently see these as anything but formal, judging by the very casual clothes they wear, usually T-shirts and jeans.

I've also noticed these hats turning up in recycled clothes shops as well as clothes shops catering to rapper wannabes. And the hats are always black -- and usually cheap wool felt.

Until recent years, one could go weeks without seeing a brimmed hat of any type, and then it was on some very old man.

I wear my black Federation to church on Sundays. Looks great with a black coat. And yes, I've been told I look like either an Orthodox Jew or an Amish or Quaker guy.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

That's the weird thing ... it's the wider-brimmed, '30s or '40s-looking black hats which don't get attention. The black stingy brims are a different story.

.

 

[Benny Holiday]

The first fedora I bought is black

It's an Akubra Stylemaster, 2.5 inch brim. A good buddy of mine was into jump blues and Swing, and in '93 & '94 started wearing 40's-styled clothes and often sported a black Stylemaster. When I followed suit in late '94, the first hat I bought was a black Stylemaster too. I've got a SB charcoal pinstripe suit that it looks great with, and I often team it with black 40's-cut trousers and a gray sportscoat.

I've never really thought of it as a particularly formal color. Of course, when Summer comes and I flip the brim up and wear it casual with an Aloha shirt and baggy trousers, out come the inevitable Jewish comments. Haven't seen many Rabbis wearing Aloha shirts, though!

Fedoralover, you were born to wear hats, the look suits you so much!

 

[feltfan]

Funny you should post this today...

This morning while walking the dog in the rain, I wore
my Cravenette-processed black Mallory fedora (purchased
from Art's late, lamented Vintage Silhouettes store in Rodeo).

When I got to work a couple of people noted that I had a
black line across my forehead. I guess the dye ran!

That could explain part of the lack of interest in black fedoras
(though I would back the theory that they don't photograph well).

Jake, where did that coffee graphic come from? It's great.

 

[John in Covina]

Serious color?

Black seems serious or sinister somehow. I know I'll eventually get one at some point.

 

[Burma Shave]

I have noticed...

...that when I wear my black fedora, people comment on my "cowboy hat," something they don't often do when I wear a brown or grey fedora. Not sure why.

I infrequently wear my black hat because when it's cold enough (or cloudy enough) for a black hat, I'm usually wearing a black jacket. Most of the time I wear a leather jacket, and two-thirds of my usual wardrobe is black. A black hat seems overkill. The grey seems to work better. If nothing else, it's more "friendly."

Think about it in reverse: How many people do you see frequently wearing a black coat and black hat? And what percentage of them ARE NOT either goth-y, scary types, wannabe cowboys or orthodox religious?

Speaking of that last one -- anyone read Flannery O'Connor's book Wise Blood? In it, Hazel Motes (the main character) wears a black hat until he gets tired of people asking him whether he is a preacher.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Fear of a Black Hat

...that was a band name, I think.

I always liked the look of black hats - fedoras, cowboy, whatever. The only black hats I've ever worn, however, were pretty much western style. They didn't look right, so I was very hesitant to buy a black fedora. Add to that, I was affraid of how hard it would be to keep clean.

Then, I saw Fedoralover's AB, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I love how black fedora's look. Tough, classy, reliable. That's what it says to me. Yes, adding a black coat gives it a sinister edge, but what's wrong with that. Without the guy in the black hat, the hardboiled film-noir hero wouldn't have a job!

So, I took the plunge and bought a black high open crowned fedora. Admittedly, it was "off the shelf" new from Miller, and I know I could have done better... but I figured if it looked terrible I wouldn't feel so bad. So far, I love it. I gave it a center dent bash, and I've only gotten one unwanted comment so far. A 80+ year old woman said I looked like a Mennonite!:eusa_doh: My only complaint... it's a dust magnet! That said, I would buy another black fedora. Perhaps vintage or custom next time. At least they won't call me Indy.
NB

 

[Marc Chevalier]

At least they won't call me Indy.

GOOD point! :eusa_clap lol

 

[WEEGEE]

BLACK IS BACK

I love black hats...have some right ones and some nice ones but what

has been elusive to me was a midnight blue fedora. I own a nice Stetson

Imperial homborg that has a black/blue quality and bid high once a year

ago on a listed midnight blue Borsalino...lost. So regardless of season

asked Art to work on a soft felt midnight blue creation dubed the "Savoy".

I am not goth...and from an Irish Catholic family but don't mind

being called Rabbi by the visual processing creatively challenged.

Woke up in my black hat again this morning...don't now exactly where i've been...i should heed my hatter warning...he makes the best hat for me he
can...black hat in the rain. (variation on the Police's Shadows in the Rain)

 

[Mr_Misanthropy]

I don't own a black fedora, but I'd definitely like one eventually. I guess i'm just waiting for the right one to come along. Most of the ones I see on eBay are those cheap "Godfather" brand reproductions, or, they're too big (i'm a 7).

But anyway, I think a black hat is very sharp with the right ensemble.

And what's wrong with looking a little sinister now and then?

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I love my black Chatham, but then, at 340 pounds, I'm gonna look like a "Heavy" no matter what I'm wearing. lol

 

[tonyb]

Welcome aboard, Tarzana. Great mug in that avatar. I'm thinking that a guy of your size would look good in wide-brimmed lid with a straight-sided, tall crown. And yes, black would be fine, I'd think.
One warning: Hanging around here could have you believing that there's always another, and perhaps better, hat out there. And next thing you know, you'll have a dozen, and then two dozen, and then ...

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

My only regrest is that I'm hatless in that picture, I was sort of "between hats" when it was taken. Now I have a nice one again, but it ain't likely that I'll be in the Chataeu Marmont(I kid you not) anytime soon to take another picture.

Thanks for the welcome!