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What hat color complements charcoal gray overcoat?

Naphtali

Practically Family
Messages
767
Location
Seeley Lake, Montana
What hat color complements a charcoal gray Filson wool Packer Coat (model 086)? I have distinct problems. The first is basic. I have terrible clothes sense. The second is technical. Colors we discuss, including charcoal gray, will be imprecise -- that is, my charcoal gray may not match yours. So how do we discuss color precisely? If I were unafraid of being stoned to death, I would suggest Pantone color codes.

Or, in terms of color co-ordinating, is "close" close enough?
 

Naphtali

Practically Family
Messages
767
Location
Seeley Lake, Montana
I'm not a black hat person; that color's reserved for Paladin, Lash LaRue, Professor Fate, and some Orthodox Jewish sects. And I never would have considered blue. Are you meaning a steel blue (blue-ish dark gray) or what? We've entered the pit of color imprecision.
 

bolthead

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,905
Location
Pennsylvania, United States
Naphtali said:
I'm not a black hat person; that color's reserved for Paladin, Lash LaRue, Professor Fate, and some Orthodox Jewish sects. And I never would have considered blue. Are you meaning a steel blue (blue-ish dark gray) or what? We've entered the pit of color imprecision.
Mid to darker Blue.......[huh]
 

Not-Bogart13

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,501
Location
NE Pennsylvania
Agreed, mid to dark blues. Also, almost any gray will work fine (but be careful with the light grays). Even a nice earthy olive would be good if the gray has a brown or green undertone to it.

In the end, precision is not even close to needed here. Just try to keep the colors in the same basic family and you'll look fine.
 

carter

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,921
Location
Corsicana, TX
Naphtali said:
I'm not a black hat person; that color's reserved for Paladin, Lash LaRue, Professor Fate, and some Orthodox Jewish sects. And I never would have considered blue. Are you meaning a steel blue (blue-ish dark gray) or what? We've entered the pit of color imprecision.
:eek:fftopic: Not to venture into non-PC speak but... the Amish, Mennonites, Moravians, and others might take exception to this reservation. :rolleyes: :eek:fftopic:

I agree with Bolt & Bogie on the mid-dark blue range as well as mid-dark greens. Also dark burgundy if you're feeling adventurous.
 

funneman

Practically Family
Messages
851
Location
South Florida
Naphtali said:
I'm not a black hat person; that color's reserved for Paladin, Lash LaRue, Professor Fate, and some Orthodox Jewish sects.

Funny you should mention that.

When I bought a black fedora, I made sure it had a very stingy brim, out of respect for the Orthodox and those huge Borsalinos they wear.

023-1.jpg
 

Hat Head

One of the Regulars
Messages
114
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Here's a link that might help: Choosing Hat Color

Charcoal grey is a fairly neutral color. A hat that's a shade or several lighter in grey would work very well, but you could also steer the hat color to line up more with what you're wearing under the coat.

That's why a dark or charcoal grey coat is so common - it goes with most anything.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,084
Location
London, UK
Re the black hats, funny that they carry that automatic association for so many. Never occurred to me when I started wearing them - still not an issue to me, but then the only person who ever seems to have taken offence to any of my hats (in this case, a carbon grey Federation) was ****** gentlman who hissed "DELETE" (or words to that effect) at me one morning outside the local tube station. [huh]

One of my current overcoats is actually a charcoal grey (with brown / copper tones in the lining), and I find it very flexible indeed. I match the hat to the clothing underneath, and the coat tends to follow. I have found it works rather well with mid-brown, black, and all shades of grey, providing that the hat matches the outfit below. Very flexible colour in an overcoat - I wouldn't consider wearing brown or nacy with a black coat, for example.
 

donCarlos

Practically Family
Messages
566
Location
Prague, CZ
I agree with the black hat with that coat.

And while we are discussing black hats - I´ve been to lots of pawn shops and antiques etc. and when they had one or two hats hanging on the wall, they were always black. As far as I know, everyone I know who is older than 60 has only one hat and it´s black. They usually put them on only for funerals. And when I see old czechoslovakian movies (from 30´s and 40´s), nearly all hats are black (as far as one can guess from BW movie lol).

Nevertheless, I get the jewish comment quite often, much more often than I can take. (that´s for the dumb comments topic)
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
Colors!

There are some guidelines, and grey goes with gray. Some people always seek an exact match of grey but others know that if you get too much exact matching colors it makes for a monochrome view and seems unnatural so some non matching but similar colors is OK.

Also you are centering on the coat, but you'll be wearing pants and shoes of some sort and I think they can be part of what you work off of color-wise.
 

Tomasso

Incurably Addicted
Messages
13,719
Location
USA
Edward said:
Re the black hats, funny that they carry that automatic association for so many. Never occurred to me when I started wearing them
Same here. Seems like a necessary hat color for a gent to have in his wardrobe.
 

Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
Edward said:
Re the black hats, funny that they carry that automatic association for so many. Never occurred to me when I started wearing them - still not an issue to me, but then the only person who ever seems to have taken offence to any of my hats (in this case, a carbon grey Federation) was ***** gentlman who hissed "DELETE" (or words to that effect) at me one morning outside the local tube station. [huh]
Funny, that. The ones in the black hats are notoriously clean-living family men. ;)

I get away with black lids best when they're narrow-brimmed. My carbon Fed is cut back to 2 3/8" and is still pretty imposing.
 

Wolfmanjack

Practically Family
Messages
547
Naphtali said:
What hat color complements a charcoal gray Filson wool Packer Coat (model 086)?

Whoa everyone, Naphtail is talking about this coat:
pFILSON1-2230961p275w.jpg


Personally, I would wear my black Stormy Kromer; but Filson makes a matching hat, a wool felt "fedora" they call the Wool Packer Hat:
pFILSON1-2230670p275w.jpg


I have one of these in their forest green. :eek: -Wolfmanjack has a wool fedora!- :eek: It is my winter field hat; sturdy, warm, and with the added chin strap, it will stay on in a good blow. I think Filson even makes one with flip-down ear flaps. This is me wearing it.
LumberJack.gif
 

scotrace

Head Bartender
Staff member
Messages
14,392
Location
Small Town Ohio, USA
Ofer. Imadope. :(

I missed that detail! The Filson jacket is not an overcoat. So..

Anyway.

Uh, what you need is a Stormy Kromer, as Wolfmanjack suggests.

BLACK.jpg
 

Wolfmanjack

Practically Family
Messages
547
scotrace said:
Worked for me.

homburg.jpg



(No black here. Black hat in my sandbox means Amish.)

scotrace, I have a virtually identical overcoat; dark charcoal grey (almost black), double-breasted, peak lapels, with a breast pocket. For semi-formal, over a tux, I wear a light gray homburg, matching gray suede gloves, white silk scarf, and a white linen handkerchief in the breast pocket. I have a black homburg, but the gray ensemble just feels more elegant. Works for me too!
 

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