The Lords hat

[SMCK]

I have mentioned here before that I take Wills blog most days which I always look forward to. Yesterday Will tells of his rewest discovery which I hope he wil not mind if I share with you. Will has investigated the lords hat which he has seen in an illustration which he shows. The hat looks like a homburg but as Will has discovered is unbound and with a pinch which makes it a more casual hat. Is this a sort of missing link in the hat world? Would it make a suitable hat for some of the fedora lounges members who are church ministers?I dont know how to get the page up here for you but the address is asuitablewarderobe.dynend.com/2007/12/small-mystery-solved.html

 

[jake_fink]

I don't know why one hat would be more suitable than another for FL members who are church ministers, but I can say thank-you for drawing this to my attention. I love the lords hat and have two, though neither one fits me. (Note: when buying on OFAS, size like a homburg, one up.)

I should check out Will's blog more often, it's really great.

Thanks.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I suspect that the "Lords Hat" (or Lord's Hat) you mention is a reference to the ENGLISH use of Lord as a title of wealthy landed gentry, rather than a reference to THE LORD.

I am a Minister and I have a brown hat like the one you describe. I have a few others, too. There are several ministers hereabouts (in the Lounge), and they have wide tastes in hat styles. The days when a black Fedora was the only cover a clergyman should wear seem to have passed into our collective fuzzy memory.

By the way, all Ministers are invited to PM me, and identify yourselves. (I won't "blow your cover" unless you give permission.) Grace and Peace to all!

 

[Boris K]

Link

SMCK

I suspect J. T. is correct - this is a land-owner's hat.

This is the link to the article:

Lords hat article link

 

[AlanC]

Yes, it is a reference to English lords as per Esquire, 1938 (upper right hand corner):

 

[Tango Yankee]

Interesting...

I just picked up a hat very similar to that, only with a narrow edge binding. It's a Cavanagh, in dark brown. At least now I know what to call it!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Whew! Thanks for the clarification! I kept going back to -
"What Would Yahweh Wear?"

 

[bowlerman]

Well this genre of hat has me a little fascinated for the moment. In a way, a perfect hybrid of many of the things I like most about hats: an interesting brim, curled but not stiff, a sharp, unique, yet everyday look, not over the top, yet not trendy. There's just something in the way...

I thought this thread could use a revival.

Currently I have three lords' hats, and a custom in the works.

This black one by Stephen Stetson:

This taller, wider grey one by Wormser (currently waiting for a new sweatband):

and this more compact Dobbs Americana:

The Stephen Stetson (says "customized" on the sweatband) is particularly interesting because it was clearly blocked with a derby crown, though the felt is soft. The sides, front, and back, are straight, and the top is low-- open at about 4 1/2"-- with those signature sugarloafed kind of corners. Absolutely no room to hold a center crease, and since I have enough stiff derbies, I'm enjoying a front pinch only on this one. I think this style suits me.

I would love to see photos of all your lord's hats.

 

[Chepstow]

Jeff, fine Hats, all three. The Stephen Stetson looks very good on you.

 

[bowlerman]

Thanks Manfred! It has become a real favorite of mine, maybe just second to my Falcon Park fedora.

Champ Kasmir finish lord's hat in taupe/pecan; it's an almost identical companion to the grey Dobbs I posted a few weeks ago.
The sweatband... well I've never seen a thirstier one. I expected that from the auction photos, and am trying to be careful about slowly bringing it back to life. So far, it's really guzzling the leather conditioner and though there are hairline cracks, they're pretty much on the surface and it seems to be very accommodating to the stretcher so far (knock on wood...).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.
A vintage 1930s blue "lords' hat", won from Goodwill's auction website for $16.


http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?itemid=9319502

 

[Oldsarge]

Very nice! I'm not sure that a hat of that semi-formality would be of much use to me but it certainly is attractive. Eventually I'll get a homburg to wear on Easter Sunday with my stroller but not this year. A lord's hat? Probably not.

 

[Chepstow]

Thanks Manfred! It has become a real favorite of mine, maybe just second to my Falcon Park fedora.

Champ Kasmir finish lord's hat in taupe/pecan; it's an almost identical companion to the grey Dobbs I posted a few weeks ago.
The sweatband... well I've never seen a thirstier one. I expected that from the auction photos, and am trying to be careful about slowly bringing it back to life. So far, it's really guzzling the leather conditioner and though there are hairline cracks, they're pretty much on the surface and it seems to be very accommodating to the stretcher so far (knock on wood...).

Jeff, he is great. Very similar to a Rheinhut Homburger I have. Shorter-brimmed Homburger.

 

[Joshbru3]

Jeff, That Champ is a GREAT looking hat! I'm so glad that it worked out for you. :eusa_clap:eusa_clap

 

[hatophile]

Very sharp Lord's hats Marc and Jeff.

 

[Denton]

I'm new here and I have no real information to contribute. I have mostly been taking advantage of the encyclopedic resources of this site.

However, after returning to this thread to reread Bowlerman's post from February 5, 2012 for the umpteenth time, I want to express my appreciation.

This is my favorite post on the entire website.

Bowlerman, with a few sentences and a few pictures, you manage to demonstrate that lord's hats are completely fascinating and great.

You also suggest a complex series of relationships between the lord's hat, the bowler, and the homburg.

I don't ever envision myself wearing a lord's hat, but now I can see the real beauty of this shape and style.

I keep returning to this post because I keep learning from it. Its wisdom seems inexhaustible to me.

 

[bowlerman]

bump, for fun.

 

[randooch]

I have an exceptional example of a Lord's hat. Tough to photograph, though, as it exists only in my mind.

 

[Brad Bowers]

bump, for fun.

Good idea!

Good discussion, and interesting perspective and illustrative examples, Josh, Nik, Brad and Steve. At the risk of carrying this discussion further off topic and incurring the wrath of our esteemed moderators, I would like to suggest that the names which are commonly used to refer to hat styles often reflect celebrity association or contemporary fashion or interpretation, and not a formally defined or prescribed design. All of the above hats are representations of a continuum of soft hat style that pre-date Edward VII's visit to Bad Homburg.

Continuing on with our discussion from the other thread, I'd like to understand where the name came from. My original inclination was that it was a British name, since we don't have Lords on this side of the pond. We've seen with many hat styles that their names don't necessarily carry overseas, but evidence shows the name DID enjoy some popularity in the States, if only for a brief period. Going back to what Al said, could a lord in Britain with perhaps some exposure in America have popularized a style with the name "Lord's hat" in the United States in the late '30s? Or from where else might the name have been derived?

Brad

 

[Paul Roerich]

Continuing on with our discussion from the other thread, I'd like to understand where the name came from.

Esquire magazine and Apparel Arts Quarterly answered this question in the '30s. They wrote that the Lords' Hat wasn't named for any individual lord, but for the House of Lords, some of whose aristocratic members favored this type of hat.