The Bowler or Derby Hat

[newturnofphrase]

http://movieclips.com/3HvEN-the-thomas-crown-affair-movie-bowler-hat-guy/

 

[bowlerman]

HA! That clip really says it all, doesn't it? I will have to watch this film. Thanks for posting.

 

[monbla256]

HA! That clip really says it all, doesn't it? I will have to watch this film. Thanks for posting.

Watch BOTH of them. The one the clip was from was the '99 remake of the '68 original which had Steve McQueen and Fay Duhnaway and was MUCH better but did not have any guys in bowlers.

 

[newturnofphrase]

HA! That clip really says it all, doesn't it? I will have to watch this film. Thanks for posting.

"There's guys with bowler hats all over the ********** place!" It does indeed say it all.

 

[randooch]

Another byproduct of last night's insomnia-- A quick attempt at a personal twist on the famous Erik Satie photo:

I'd recommend melatonin, but then we'd be without these creative spasms of yours.

 

[bowlerman]

 

[newturnofphrase]

Knox Derby "The Fifth Avenue"

Knox derby I purchased about a month ago, US size 7 5/8 (almost a perfect fit for me). "The Fifth Avenue" written on the sweatband. It was up for auction on ebay, but I convinced the seller to put a $90 buy it now so I wouldn't have to fight for it, and I immediately purchased. When I received it the brim had flattened at the front and back, and it pinched at the sides. Emboldened by recent successes, I attempted to steam and reshape it. Pulled down the front and back brim to proper shape, pushed up the sides a little as they had fallen from sitting on a flat surface for a long time, and I used my head to conform it. It looks great now, although the brim binding is a little rubbed. Might replace that with ribbon from Mokuba if I'm feeling ambitious some weekend.

 

[job]

I apologize if I offend anyone but for a lack of knowing any place better to post this I'll put it here.
Headnhome.com Mostly leather hats. They do sell a good bit of accessories.

Leather top hats and some other cool stuff.

 

[randooch]

Nice Knox, n-top! I'm still gunning for my first bowler . . .

 

[Brad Bowers]

Knox derby I purchased about a month ago, US size 7 5/8 (almost a perfect fit for me). "The Fifth Avenue" written on the sweatband. It was up for auction on ebay, but I convinced the seller to put a $90 buy it now so I wouldn't have to fight for it, and I immediately purchased. When I received it the brim had flattened at the front and back, and it pinched at the sides. Emboldened by recent successes, I attempted to steam and reshape it. Pulled down the front and back brim to proper shape, pushed up the sides a little as they had fallen from sitting on a flat surface for a long time, and I used my head to conform it. It looks great now, although the brim binding is a little rubbed. Might replace that with ribbon from Mokuba if I'm feeling ambitious some weekend.

Beautiful Knox! Glad you found one that fits in a larger size.
The shape you received it in was the shape it received at the factory. The flattened brim at front and back, along with a more closed (meaning, ironed flat) D'orsay curl on the sides was a popular and typical 1930s style offered by Hat Corporation of America, maker of your Knox. Sadly, curvy and swoopy brims were pretty much gone in America by that decade.

Brad

 

[alanfgag]

Beautiful Knox!...Brad

+1!

 

[bowlerman]

keep gunnin', Randall!

Job-- I've seen some similar ones before, and they definitely grab my attention. Here's another place: http://stores.ebay.com/Australian-Leather-Hats-Bags-Belts

and http://stores.ebay.com/Old-Timey-Hats?_trksid=p4340.l2563

This guy even does bowlers in leather!

I've become apprehensive, however, to leather hats due to all their criticism on the lounge here, but have yet to experience one in person.


newturnofphrase: That Knox is super awesome-- you wear it well!

 

[job]

Those leather hats are pretty cool looking. There are a lot of Australian hat made of leather so I would be inclined to think that they could be a good alternative to fur felt. I like variety.

 

[bowlerman]

Job-- you may have just opened a very dangerous can of worms for me! I can't stop perusing the headnhome website...

 

[job]

The bunny tuxedo top hat is funny.

 

[jwalls]

This derby is my take on the Cambridge style derby.

 

[bowlerman]

I really like that one, jwalls!!!

 

[newturnofphrase]

Beautiful Knox! Glad you found one that fits in a larger size.
The shape you received it in was the shape it received at the factory. The flattened brim at front and back, along with a more closed (meaning, ironed flat) D'orsay curl on the sides was a popular and typical 1930s style offered by Hat Corporation of America, maker of your Knox. Sadly, curvy and swoopy brims were pretty much gone in America by that decade.

Brad

What you say is absolutely true, however on this hat the d'orsay curl (I assume that refers to the brim curl on which the ribbon is attached at the outer edge of the brim on the sides, rather than the overall shape of the brim) was actually quite open and rounded, and a good description would be 'swoopy.' I didn't modify that at all. The front and back had been misshapen and were actually weirdly angled upward, unfortunately I don't have a photo of the before part since it was not photogenic and I didn't think to take one. I simply steamed it and pulled the front and back down parallel to the lines of the bottom of the sweatband, and perked up the sides slightly to reinforce that and because it looked weird and the lines weren't smooth. Here is a diagram indicating the changes I made to the front and back:

The hat was definitely misshapen, and the modifications I performed make it much more wearable. I only pushed the sides up very slightly, creating the look it now has.

As for the hat itself, after a thorough dusting with a soft brush it's about as dark as my christys bowler, and it fits better, is lighter, and is much better constructed.

Edit: after looking at the pic of me wearing the hat, i think the angle just creates an illusion of a more curved brim than is actually there. The top of the sides of the brim are about 1/2 cm below the top of the hatband. It's still fairly flat compared to my topper, and even the christys bowler has a much more substantial brim curl. Also, reading through your blog, very interesting stuff and well written too.

 

[newturnofphrase]

Nice Knox, n-top! I'm still gunning for my first bowler . . .

This was a pretty random find, and I haven't seen any other bowlers of the same size on ebay since (but then I haven't been looking very hard).

 

[Brad Bowers]

Thanks, for the comment on my blog and for this image. I had misunderstood what you did. I would have done the same thing if I had received a hat with a brim like that!

If I ever get around to writing it, one of my next posts will talk about syle changes in Bowlers and Derbies over the decades, particularly between the 19th and 20th centuries. Mostly Derbies, as that's what I've studied the most, but I'll also talk about what are considered the differences between English and American styles.

Steam is good for most small things, though more severe creases sometimes require the denatured alcohol. I had one crease that was perpendicular to the edge of the brim and I was afraid the felt was actually split. The felt turned out to be okay, as the denatured alcohol softened and reset the shellac, solving the problem.

Brad