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The Black Hat Brigade

Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
Black hats can be incredibly beautiful and elegant. Nothing can replace a black hat when that’s what is called for.

To make them more approachable, and less stark, sometimes it’s nice to add come color to break up all the black.

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Daniele Tanto

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,247
Location
Verona - Italia
TONAK Formely Hückel Zephyr Seal Velour, size 7 3/8 (late 1940s early 1950s) vs. J. Hückel´s Söhne (JHS) Zephyr Seal Velour, size 7 3/8 (late 1930s).

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Black hats can be incredibly beautiful and elegant. Nothing can replace a black hat when that’s what is called for.
Nothing to add in front of two black hats so beautiful that I would trade them with hats of any color.
Brent, I fully endorse what you say and I add that black hats are certainly formal, but elegant beyond measure and of an austere and always living beauty
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
It seems that if you go back to the early part of the 20th century, or earlier, most of the dress hats were black. If you can’t appreciate black hats you’ll miss out on some wonderful specimens.


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Messages
18,215
Messages
18,449
Location
Nederland
Black hats often feel somber and cheerless to me. I liked them for formal attire or at funerals, but lately I’ve been working them into my rotation. Still not my favorite color, but I don’t avoid them like I used to.

Puerto Fino with 3 1/8” brim:

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I gave it a good brushing, but I find that black hats need a lint roller and I didn’t bother today...it’s also drizzling so water is beading and streaking.


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Very good you have revived this thread, Brent. Interesting points to be made about black hats. Can't say I dislike them, because I don't and I own dozens of them, but they do seem to get less wear for some reason. Need to think about this some more.
 

ruvort

One of the Regulars
Messages
138
Location
Portland area
It seems that if you go back to the early part of the 20th century, or earlier, most of the dress hats were black. If you can’t appreciate black hats you’ll miss out on some wonderful specimens.


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I'd agree on the dress hats. I think that is just about the only color that looks right (other than gray for some circumstances). The issue I have is with fedoras. Since fedoras aren't dress hats, they just don't look right when black. They give off vibes of being religious or Amish hats to my eye. I think those velour hats from a few posts up are an exception though. Something about them really works for me. It must be the richness of the color and texture that bypasses my aversion to black fedoras.

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Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,081
Location
London, UK
My first couple of brimmed hats, and my first furfelt too, were all black. I like a good black fedora, with appropriate clothing. I don't see it as inherently formal a colour, but I've always worn a lot of black casually, so. I think some folks eschew them because they don't photograph as well (sadly, in this Instagram age, I've heard animal shelters say it can be harder to rehome black cats for the same reason :( ), or they associate them with being formal. Also, I've heard of folks avoiding them because they associate them with the Hassidic tradition - though the only time I've ever had mis-aimed anti-Semitic abuse I was wearing a grey fedora (and, ironically, twenty minutes later, in the same hat, I was told "You look like a Naiz, you look like Rudolph Hess.").

Go my eye on adding a black Fed IV to my wardrobe in due course. Even considering something like a black Tablelands to have a Safari-style for wearing with black and greys.
 

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