What Hat Are You Wearing Today 1?

[mayserwegener]

Gärner Wien

 

[alanfgag]

Looking at that hat, it makes me wonder a few things. I notice how wonderfully thin that felt is. Something that us vintage hat collectors and wearers have come to LOVE about vintage lids. I have owned many vintage hats that were felted extremely dense and pounced to a thinner weight even though they might not have been "lightweight" felts. I have to wonder if there was a financial reason for this.

At one time hat companies were making millions of hats a year and if they could find a way to save just a little bit of fur per felt body, when extrapolated over 1 million hat bodies, that's a good amount of savings. I have always wondered if the fact that many vintage felts were thinner wasn't so much a design aspect as it was a financial move. It just so happened that these thinner weight bodies made better hats, but in order for a thinner body not to tear on the block, they would have had to be felted much denser than a thicker body. Because of those two aspects, we had better quality felt bodies and that wonderful "Vintage" felt that we all know and love.

I look at your hat and see a beautifully felted hat body that is thin and dense and is NOT 100% beaver, nor is it 100% rabbit. Hat Corporation of America was able to produce such a hat body out of a wool/rabbit mix. For the most part, the dress felt bodies we see from major manufactures today such as Hatco, Akubra, Dorfman Pacific, etc are thicker and not felted as densely. I have to wonder.......if these hat companies are trying to save money by not working the bodies as much as they were in the past (I believe that's what I was told by the Winchester rep at the last Fedorafest) why not use less fur.......save money there....and work the bodies longer for a denser product.

I also wonder if the average person today buying a higher end production fedora would appreciate the dry crease-ability of a thinner felt with less shellac or would they think it was a cheaper product because it was thinner and didn't hold shape as well as a thick felt body with a ton of shellac.

Hi Josh,

From the hats I've owned, the American thin felted lightweights of the forties and fifties were all inexpensive (5-7 dollar) hats designed for comfort and travel. I'm not sure where the European featherweights fit into this model. Perhaps the characteristics we praise in these felts are due partly to the supple quality inherent in a thin felt? I'm not sure. I haven't explored the contemporary custom hatters, but my sense is there is no price savings (or cost advantage to the maker) in the lightweight models.

Here are some additional photos of the Flanul Felt Dobbs Cross Country. I find a mention of Flanul Felt from a 1929 Vanity Fair so it seems to be an experiment in felt composition that dates back before this example.

 

[howardeye]

Out on the town tonight with a Barmah kangaroo Skin and Croc band!

 

[dh66]

Killer

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2

 

[ManofKent]

Steve - great Melone/Derby/Bowler

Howard - that's a real statement piece!

 

[job]

Borsalino Alessandria.

 

[Orangegrad]

Nice Alessandria, John. I have two, and they are among my favorites.

Capas cap

View attachment 6144

 

[mmbarnes]

1940's Royal Stetson Vita-Felt with salmon ribbon and brim treatment.

The ribbon has a few blemishes but I struggle with the decision to replace the original. If I did, I suppose I would have to replace the brim treatment as well.

Matt

- A day without a hat is like night.

 

[Orangegrad]

Well, Matt, the blemishes in the ribbon really aren't that noticeable - at least to me. Looks fantastic, actually.

 

[great white]

I'm not quite ready to retire, so it's "work hats" for me daily:

weekends are currently "no hats", but looking to change that soon.

same same with the "not retired" comment....

 

[alanfgag]

6am with Comet Ison on the rooftop of the Buffalo Museum of Science. Frigid.

 

[alanfgag]

Well, Matt, the blemishes in the ribbon really aren't that noticeable - at least to me. Looks fantastic, actually.

Looks great to me.

 

[ManofKent]

John - nice Borso.

Andy - the Capas looks great on you - nice volume.

Matt - great colour combination with the ribbon and felt. i wouldn't have spotted the blemishes if you hadn't pointed them out.

Great white - good to see a work hat. I warn you the weekend hats will become addictive

Alan - looks a suitably warm cap. too cloudy to see the comment over here this morning.

 

[Chepstow]

I have missed some days and to much to mentioned all by names but
I have seen, terrific hats today from all.

 

[casechopper]

Nice Views Alan and nice cap as well.

Beautiful melone Mayserwegener. My modern Wegener melone, though very nice, just can't compete with that.

Glad too see you're getting into caps Andy. They suit you.

mmbarnes: You collection is impressive. That Vita-felt looks great as is. I'm not seeing any obvious staining in the photos you posted.

For today 12" Navy Elosegui Beret

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Busy days and nights for me of late. Today I arrived to the office before the sun rose and will be here long after the sun sets. My Pendleton jacket and VS Strat clone wait for my departure this evening. The sage colored felt is truly a fav. I re-painted my dressing room at our house a similar color.

Best, Eric -

 

[ManofKent]

Sam - you always look good in a beret. My late father-in-law always wore one so I've felt the need to avoid them.

Eric - having recently suffered the pain of working silly hours you have my sympathy. As for the hat you get envy

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A wet and chilly lunchtime in Canterbury in the Lembert:

 

[mikespens]

Another great day for the variety of hats and lifestyles that make the Lounge so interesting. Tip of the hat to all.

I'm about to set off for the big city on a beautiful but chilly day and chose my fuzzy bunny heather from BSHW

 

[mayserwegener]

Richard, Thanks! The Lembert looks really great!

Mike, Really super colors and finish on your BSHW!

Eric, Beautiful VS Strat Clone!

Matt, Great color combos and finish on your 40's Royal Stetson Vita-Felt!

Andy, The Capas cap goes great with the leather jacket!

Sam, Super change up with 12" Navy Elosegui Beret!

Alan, Great photos! Hope all went well. Looks like nice clear skies. Fantastic cap!

 

[mayserwegener]

Hückel Weilheim Chevreau