The definitive 40's fedora? Which is it?

[jlee562]

Well, the Fed is certainly going to have a taller crown than the Jaxon, FYI.

 

[Borsig]

well, personally? I think I like the stylemaster. No place to try these on though.

Gonna have to take a gamble on something soon...............

 

[The Rag And Bone Man]

well, personally? I think I like the stylemaster. No place to try these on though.

Gonna have to take a gamble on something soon...............

Borsig, what size hat are you, the reason I ask is because there is a S tylemaster on ebay Australia right now, looks new in a size 57, for 50 bucks, it is it's second listing as well.

I can also recommend the Akubra Squatter for a look that will pass for the 40's fedora's should you bash it right, and the Squater will not break the bank either.. And a great hat.

Here is me wearing one I received a few weeks ago..

 

[Borsig]

57 in cm. I gues thats 7 1/8? I only know it in CM becasue Im a german ww2 reenactor LOL

I'll have a look at the aussie ebay - thanks!

 

[barrowjh]

Seconding fedoracentric -

I second the idea that 'whippet-like' hats scream 1940s. A few useful guidelines - Stetson used names like 'Whippet' and 'Stratoliner' to sell their Royal and Royal Deluxe grade hats (rabbit/hare) - the higher grade felts might have the same style and dimensions as a Whippet but the grade (such as 3X Beaver or Sovereign) sold the hat instead of a model name, so you can find some really nice hats that are actually better than a 'Whippet' selling for less than a 'Whippet.' The 'Playboy' for instance was intended as an entry-level hat for young men (ie, Royal grade) and was not a top-shelf hat.

I personally prefer felted-edge hats and have not collected many with the wide-bound edge, which was one of the characteristics of a Whippet. The felted edges were popular throughout that time period and the 1950s, so a felted edge fits 1940s ok. Tough part is the brim width. There are a slew of hats out there with brims less than 2 1/2 inch wide.

With patience you should do ok in 57 cm (7 1/8th). I am 7 1/8th and have picked up some nice fedoras, and I think some of these would pass for 1940s:

 

[The Rag And Bone Man]

57 in cm. I gues thats 7 1/8? I only know it in CM becasue Im a german ww2 reenactor LOL

I'll have a look at the aussie ebay - thanks!

I wear a size 58 Akubra.. or US size 7 1/4. so yes that is correct, 57 is 7 1/8.

 

[barrowjh]

If you want to go a little more on the casual side the Stratoliner/Open Road (San Antonio was Resistol's clone) was 1940s as RBH pointed out, and that style remained popular for several decades. A San Antonio from the 1960s and an Open Road from the 1940s - you would have to inspect the hat to see the difference; assuming both are in good condition, they look about the same. So there is a wide range of hats that would fit ok with 1940s if you are ok with the thin-ribbon bound-edge hats. There might be one or more from the 1940s in this pic, up to the past 5 years (two new hats), about the only decades not in this bunch would be the three decades 1980s through 2010:

 

[Borsig]

I emailed the seller - hopefully they'll ship to me. Oddly enough, I live in Gloucester too, Gloucester Va that is LOL.

You guys have a lot of hats. I never knew there was so much info on something as simple as a hat. The only vintage hats I own are my grandfather's uniform hats from WW2, which I use when I do reenactments myself. All size 57 or 57 1/2. That being said a side cap or crusher with a heikenkreuz on it isnt exactly good for wearing to dinner with the wife LOL.

And I have to ditch this cheap jaxon thing. Now I want to start looking for hats at the local flea markets and the swap meets we have with vintage stuff.

 

[barrowjh]

R & B Man - nice looking lid.

 

[The Rag And Bone Man]

I emailed the seller - hopefully they'll ship to me. Oddly enough, I live in Gloucester too, Gloucester Va that is LOL.

You guys have a lot of hats. I never knew there was so much info on something as simple as a hat. The only vintage hats I own are my grandfather's uniform hats from WW2, which I use when I do reenactments myself. All size 57 or 57 1/2. That being said a side cap or crusher with a heikenkreuz on it isnt exactly good for wearing to dinner with the wife LOL.

And I have to ditch this cheap jaxon thing. Now I want to start looking for hats at the local flea markets and the swap meets we have with vintage stuff.

Glad to be of assistance, yes I did see ship to Australia only, hopefully they will sent it out to you. Yes I see Gloucester, and my old home town was near Gloucester to in England.. how weird is that.

 

[The Rag And Bone Man]

R & B Man - nice looking lid.

Thank you Sir.. yes I really like the Squatter, great proportions not to big and not to small.

And by the way Great Lid's my goodness how long have you been collecting, I struggle to store 5 never mind that lot.

 

[ManofKent]

R&BMan - great looking Squatter - I'm a month into the three month wait on one. Your post has encouraged me that it's going to be worth the wait.

 

[The Rag And Bone Man]

R&BMan - great looking Squatter - I'm a month into the three month wait on one. Your post has encouraged me that it's going to be worth the wait.

You will love it, and I must admit for the price, what you get is well worth it. I purchased the steel grey, to go with the suit you see me wearing, and I think they accompany each other quite nicely.

What colour did you go for.

 

[ManofKent]

Again, Steel Grey, for wearing with suits. Any idea how it different it is to the Granite Grey? I'm after a second Fed IV, but if the Granite is too similar to Steel then I'd avoid Granite.

 

[The Rag And Bone Man]

Again, Steel Grey, for wearing with suits. Any idea how it different it is to the Granite Grey? I'm after a second Fed IV, but if the Granite is too similar to Steel then I'd avoid Granite.

To be honest, I really have no idea. Everything Australian where I ordered from only sell the steel grey, and deep fawn colours.

 

[T Jones]

The Squatter would make an excellent looking 40's era fedora. I have a Squatter but my only complaint with it is the Black color...the reason why I'm trying to trade it off for another of a different color. I don't like Black hats. Although it does seem that a Black Squatter may be hard to come by now. Especially since they're being discontinued for sale in the U.S.



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[alanfgag]

Stratoliner? Temple? Saxon?

I'm trying to find a high quality fedora to replace my $40 Jaxon. Looking for that definitive 40s style.

Might be helpful to know which movie character you have in mind.

Though I've never owned one, many feel that Akubras can be shaped to work. There are zillions of choices if you search 1940s hats on eBay. 97% will be 1950s hats, but no one will no the difference.

A real exploration of the 1940s is a more complicated hat story, with economic hardship on one side, massive conflict in the middle and change on the other (which includes the progression towards the end of traditional hat making). Any attempt to exemplify this era with a single hat is going to come up short.

 

[alanfgag]

ps... as with most topics, we have a thread for that!

 

[hatsRme]

Any attempt to exemplify this era with a single hat is going to come up short.

That's the most succinct an answer as can be had to this question...

 

[T Jones]

Might be helpful to know which movie character you have in mind.

Though I've never owned one, many feel that Akubras can be shaped to work. There are zillions of choices if you search 1940s hats on eBay. 97% will be 1950s hats, but no one will no the difference.

A real exploration of the 1940s is a more complicated hat story, with economic hardship on one side, massive conflict in the middle and change on the other (which includes the progression towards the end of traditional hat making). Any attempt to exemplify this era with a single hat is going to come up short.

Here's a pretty good example of a 40's era fedora. This is Glenn Ford from the 1947 movie, "Framed". The Squatter, I think, would definitely fit the bill for that era...the crowns also seemed to have gotten shorter in the '40's compared to the tall crowns of the '30's from the ones that I've seen.