The definitive 40's fedora? Which is it?

[Borsig]

Stratoliner? Temple? Saxon?

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

 

[alanfgag]

Why not buy one that lived in the 1940s. They are around in good shape and abound in certain online shopping sites.

 

[Borsig]

Why not buy one that lived in the 1940s. They are around in good shape and abound in certain online shopping sites.

I wouldn't have a clue what to get, or how to grade it or the value even.....

 

[Nick D]

Do a little research. Check out the EBay Hats thread and the Show us your New Hat thread, you'll get an idea of what's out there, what people are buying, and what they're paying.

 

[Doctor Strange]

If you're going to buy new rather than vintage, you'll do much better with an Akubra than a modern Stetson. Check out the Federation or Stylemaster:

http://www.hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?group=Fedora+Hats

 

[Borsig]

oh both those Akubra hats look nice. about the same price with shipping too...... Federation looks more my speed. Too bad theres no where here to try them on.

 

[alanfgag]

I wouldn't have a clue what to get, or how to grade it or the value even.....

That will indeed make it difficult to define the definitive. I would second the Nick's suggestion to explore the highly valued threads on the Lounge. You will quickly form opinions.

... and welcome!

 

[Borsig]

Thats the jaxon I have which I am currently unhappy with.... Something just doesnt seem right about it. Maybe its the quality.....

 

[TheDane]

If you are not quite certain, what you don't like (ie. about the Jaxon), and you aren't really certain, what you like, either - then it's a bit difficult to help you

We can't decide for you, what you like and what you should wear. You have to make up your own mind, and it'll probably take some hats to get there. Listen to Nick's and Alan's advice and buy a couple of vintage hats on EBay. That would be a good start

 

[Rabbit]

Stratoliner? Temple? Saxon?

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

Welcome, Borsig.
I highly recommend that you read this entire thread:

Vintage Fedoras by Decade:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?61698-Vintage-Fedoras-by-Decade

Please note that it's only meant as a rough guide. As such, it simplifies things, so don't mistake the stylistic elements ascribed to single decades for hard facts.

Also check the list of important hat threads:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?52584-Links-To-Important-Hat-Forum-Threads
Scroll all the way down to find the links for the following threads which are also highly recommended for getting a feeling for hat dating.

- Pre 1940s dress hats
- Pre- 1940s Stetson dress hats.
- Stetson crest dating
- Dating Vintage Stetsons by Liner: A Field Guide
- Stetson 1920's Homburg & 1950's Homburg.....A COMPARISON
- Mallory mADness - chronological ads
- Fedoras, first decade of the 20th Century

The learning curve will get steeper once you have handled vintage hats yourself - the more the better.

 

[T Jones]

40"s Fedora

...or you could always have one custom made. I'm sure that hatters have done their research on the different styles from various eras. Maybe a bit pricier to have one custom made but at least you'd be sure of the fit.

 

[Borsig]

Wife likes the federation IV. I may try one of those while looking for deals on vintage hats......

 

[jlee562]

The Fed IV is a good choice for an all around hat. Akubras are well made. Depending on your hat size though, you may be able to find a vintage hat for just about the same money, which is probably going to be a better bet in the long run.

Also, T Jone's suggestion about going the custom route is sound.

Of course, now that you've joined up here, we're going to do everything we can to convince you that you really should have more than one hat!

 

[fedoracentric]

Nothing says 40s era fedora better than the stetson Whippet-style hat. Crown not quite as tall as the 30s, brim at 2-5/8 inches or so, 1-3/4 inch ribbon, ribbon bound edge, snap brim... THIS says40s fedora all day long.

 

[Borsig]

I swear the jaxon is just too small (medium). Its also cheap as all get out. Maybe the crown is too high..... I dont know. Its a "C crown" fedora.

All my ww2 caps (german) are 57 - 57 1/2. My stahlhelm is a 57. (Im a ww2 reenactor - german) I think that puts em about 7 1/8 or 7 1/4

Also I prefer "hollywood" to "gangster".

My wife calls it gestapo LOL. If that means anything

 

[RBH]

Stratoliner? Temple? Saxon?

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

Out of the three you named...only the Stratoliner was a 40s fedora.
And no.... the current Stratoliner is no where near what a 1940 era fedora looked like.
Nice hat yes..
But 40s model ... no.

The best advice I could give you is do a little research on your own, and if you have TCM [The Hat Channel} watch as many 1940 -1949 movies that you can.

 

[Borsig]

The hat channel LOL. epic.

 

[TheDane]

Thanks, RBH. I always wondered, what the C and M in TCM stood for. If people only knew about the loads of knowledge, one can extract from this forum!

 

[jlee562]

I swear the jaxon is just too small (medium). Its also cheap as all get out. Maybe the crown is too high..... I dont know. Its a "C crown" fedora.

All my ww2 caps (german) are 57 - 57 1/2. My stahlhelm is a 57. (Im a ww2 reenactor - german) I think that puts em about 7 1/8 or 7 1/4

Also I prefer "hollywood" to "gangster".

My wife calls it gestapo LOL. If that means anything

IMHO, any hat that is sized with s-m-l is not a 'real' hat.

 

[Borsig]

IMHO, any hat that is sized with s-m-l is not a 'real' hat.

Genau. Which is why I want a real hat. I totaly wasted $40 on this one. despite the reviews on village hat shop, I think it sucks.

plus if you look at teh picture of me in it on the other page, I think it looks like a pilgim hat LOL