The Curse of Indiana Jones

[Lando]

My dentist called me Indy because I fell asleep in the waiting room with my fedora up on my face. They were running late so I just decided to doze off. It wasn't a brown fedora or a brown leather jacket. She just said she remembered Indian Jones putting his hat down over his face in the movies. Didn't bother me at all, thought it was kind of funny.

 

[Gromulus]

My dentist called me Indy because I fell asleep in the waiting room with my fedora up on my face. They were running late so I just decided to doze off. It wasn't a brown fedora or a brown leather jacket. She just said she remembered Indian Jones putting his hat down over his face in the movies. Didn't bother me at all, thought it was kind of funny.

I do that quite often myself and it's one of the reasons why I like larger brimmed hats. At lunch time I close the door to my office and slip whatever hat I am wearing that day over my eyes and catch a few ZZZZs.

 

[mercuryfelt76]

I know what Jedichase means, you get so many Indy comments when wearing non-Indy hats - I got that wearing my Akubra Jackaroo. Yet I get cowboy when wearing my Fed IV.

Lando, the first time Indy puts the hat on his face to sleep was in Raiders wearing a grey fedora.

 

[Edward]

I know what Jedichase means, you get so many Indy comments when wearing non-Indy hats - I got that wearing my Akubra Jackaroo. Yet I get cowboy when wearing my Fed IV.

Lando, the first time Indy puts the hat on his face to sleep was in Raiders wearing a grey fedora.

I'd forgotten that.... it's been a while. The most memorable instance of him doing that for me was on the plane out of Shanghai in Temple. Course, that was not only my first Indy, but the first one I saw in the cinema, so it made quite the impact.

 

[mercuryfelt76]

I'd forgotten that.... it's been a while. The most memorable instance of him doing that for me was on the plane out of Shanghai in Temple. Course, that was not only my first Indy, but the first one I saw in the cinema, so it made quite the impact.

Same here, my Nan took me to see Temple. I like Indiana Jones and I spent a long time shaping my Akubra Federation IV Deluxe into a pretty accurate replica of the Raiders hat from the Cairo scenes. But I don't go to the extent where I could destroy a vintage hat to make it look more like an Indy hat. If you look in the Homburg Nation thread you'll see a beautiful smokey brown vintage Herbert Johnson homburg I bought on ebay being advertised as a perfect Indy transformation opportunity. This is another curse of Indy, antique craftsmanship is being destroyed because of it's modern connection to a film. Can you imagine butchering that homburg brim and binder! I shudder just thinking about it.

 

[scottyrocks]

I've seen a couple of homburg-to-fedora conversions, and they were quite nice. But the idea of it, permanently altering a vintage homburg, does give me pause.

 

[Edward]

Same here, my Nan took me to see Temple. I like Indiana Jones and I spent a long time shaping my Akubra Federation IV Deluxe into a pretty accurate replica of the Raiders hat from the Cairo scenes. But I don't go to the extent where I could destroy a vintage hat to make it look more like an Indy hat. If you look in the Homburg Nation thread you'll see a beautiful smokey brown vintage Herbert Johnson homburg I bought on ebay being advertised as a perfect Indy transformation opportunity. This is another curse of Indy, antique craftsmanship is being destroyed because of it's modern connection to a film. Can you imagine butchering that homburg brim and binder! I shudder just thinking about it.

Ouch, yes. Especially as brown homburgs are so hard to fin,d and there are plenty of us as love 'em....

I've seen a couple of homburg-to-fedora conversions, and they were quite nice. But the idea of it, permanently altering a vintage homburg, does give me pause.

Agreed. I can see why folks do it - they're not popular hats any more, and they are significantly cheaper than an equivalent Fedora. My most recent homburg I bought about eighteen months ago in Glasgow. Probably 1930s, and I believe it to be beaver. Given I really like them, it seems criminal to see them altered in a "common" fedora (and I love fedoras...).

 

[The Good]

I've seen a couple of homburg-to-fedora conversions, and they were quite nice. But the idea of it, permanently altering a vintage homburg, does give me pause.

Yep, that would be me. I'm one of those homburg-to-fedora converters. It happens to be the hat I wear the most, though. I'm definitely getting my 120 dollar's worth of value from it now. I remember wearing it less as an actual homburg, the Stetson St. Regis kind.

I have heard of some cases of brown homburgs (probably from Club Obi Wan) being converted to fedoras, and while some may frown upon that practice, who am I to be against it? I've done it myself, although with a pale grey one to look like the hat in a completely different movie.

 

[bowlerman]

The homburg-fedora conversions I've seen around here have been exemplary. I suppose I could understand it if you're not a multiple-hat kind of person and you know it would get more wear, but for most of us here: what's the difference between a converted homburg and a new fedora (ignoring the historical and regional etymology, of course)!?

A western hat converted to a fedora has an entirely unique look because of the felt thickness, weight, and finish, and it's kind of cool, IMO, but I'm not sure that's equitable to homburg-fedora.

Slightly shuddering I suppose.

 

[mercuryfelt76]

It's not that I'm against converting a homburg into a fedora, I've done it myself. But not a VINTAGE homburg. They're so hard to come by especially in brown. And when it's made by such a famous maker who - although still exist - stopped making homburgs years ago. And fedoras are so easy to come by, why would you need to?

 

[Edward]

A western hat converted to a fedora has an entirely unique look because of the felt thickness, weight, and finish, and it's kind of cool, IMO, but I'm not sure that's equitable to homburg-fedora.

That doesn't both me, the Western to fedora, but I suspect that's because I wouldn't be seen dead in the sort of hat normally referred to as a "Western". YMMV - TEHO, of course!

It's not that I'm against converting a homburg into a fedora, I've done it myself. But not a VINTAGE homburg. They're so hard to come by especially in brown. And when it's made by such a famous maker who - although still exist - stopped making homburgs years ago. And fedoras are so easy to come by, why would you need to?

In all truth, if I got a silly good deal on a modern production one on grey, black or brown I'd consider buying to do it as I've seen and loved fedoras (maybe converted homburgs...) with that great, wide ribbon on the bound edge that you just don't see now outside of high-end customs. It is a real shame with vintage brown ones that, as you say, are so rare. My theory on the rarity of the brown ones is that as the homburg shifted from regular to formal hat early in the twentieth century (30s, I believe over here - earlier in the US), inevitably they started to be found only in black and grey, brown clashing with formal wear. It's nice to see the hip hop community brignig the homburg back this last decade - just a shame they're always wool.

 

[1961MJS]

...A western hat converted to a fedora has an entirely unique look because of the felt thickness, weight, and finish, and it's kind of cool, IMO, but I'm not sure that's equitable to homburg-fedora.

Hi

My Buckaroo Roughrider hat is basically a western weight (I think) felt in a 5.75 inch crown and 3 inch brim. It looks a lot like a Fedora, but it's much stiffer than my Tumwater hat. I like both it turns out. The thicker felt stays where you set it, all the time. the more flexible Tumwater goes where you put it, but you can more it without a steamer...

Later

 

[mercuryfelt76]

I'd like to have a go at fedora to homburg, using the old fashioned tools... fingers, thumbs and steam. I've hand-shaped very poorly made homburg brims - and I mean fedora with a slight upward fold - mimicking my vintage homburgs over the kettle.

I've actually conformed and reshaped the brims on vintage bowlers and silk top hats so that they fit and suit me, only now that I've seen first hand how it's done.

I'd now like to start from scratch on an ordinary fedora brim and make a homburg... er... and THAT'S the curse of Indiana Jones!

 

[elvisroe]

I saw an old guy out shopping this week in a chocolate brown "licenced" Indy Fedora complete with the badge on the ribbon.

While it's always nice to see a fedora out in the wild - it's really not a great looking hat. It kind of made him look like he'd just bought it at a carnival.

 

[jlee562]

As far as modern, tapered, and pre-creased hats wool hats go, I don't see the licensed Indy hat as being any worse than any other Scala or Jaxon offering. On the contrary, I think the proportions of the licensed Indy hat work well with a wide variety of facial shapes and people, which is why I have come to believe that it was selected for the hat as opposed to a block which would have been more accurate.

Licensed Indy

Stetson Raider II wool.

 

[Edward]

I'd hazard a guess that whatever bod in marketing did the selection went on a whole bunch of criteria, not least unit price, and probably paid little or no attention to the notion of whether it suited people or accuracy. FWIW, though, the official Indy hats I've seen, once you get past their lack of accuracy, really aren't bad hats. A wool isn't what I'd choose to buy now for myself, but if in a few years' time my nephew develops an interest in hats, I'd be more than happy to buy him one of these as a starter. As I recall, at least where I saw them on sale, the price was pretty competitive as compared to an equivalent quality, non-moive-branded hat.

 

[scottyrocks]

Basically, they are small-crowned brown fedoras, and that's about it. Different hats that are allowed to wear the IJ name are shaped differently, as the above two pictures show. Small hat = less material = less cost, and that's the main pull, after it being brown, and obviously a fedora.

I have a licensed straw Indy hat that I wore once because the quality is so darned awful. Yes, it is brown, and 'straw', and a fedora, but it's just barely a hat.

 

[elvisroe]

Given that some of these go for around the $100 mark online I think you'd do MUCH better picking up a Fed IV for only a few bucks more. If you want a smaller hat with a bit of taper then an Akubra Adventurer or a Fedora would still be closer to the real thing and much nicer hats. If it's the Indy badge you want then I'm sure you can get them online... but unless you're 12, why the hell would you want the badge? Indy certainly didn't wear one.

 

[fathergoose]

I'm sure someone has posted something along the same lines, but a quick survey of Disfarmer's vintage portraits proves conclusively that, at one time, a good 75% of America's male population dressed pretty much exactly like Indiana Jones.

 

[gtdean48]

I'm sure someone has posted something along the same lines, but a quick survey of Disfarmer's vintage portraits proves conclusively that, at one time, a good 75% of America's male population dressed pretty much exactly like Indiana Jones.

Or something very close & similar...