which hat?

[Fnorb]

Hi.

So: hair get's thinner, doc said "get a hat idiot!", so I will do just that. I don't know much about hats or caps though. Which does fit to what outfit, to what shape of face, bodyheight, which is an absolute no-go and so on. If anyone could give me some advice, that would be nice.

What I'm looking for:
The hat or cap should be black, since I wear mostly black or darker color. Shouldn't be too formal, since I'm looking for something that goes with as many clothing styles as possible, no matter how casual, or whether you go with friends to some festival or party, to a museum or just to work. Shouldn't be a sombrero either.

On the one hand those bogart hats or fedoras look pretty slick, but I'm not sure if they fit to such a casual style. I also considered one of these black woollen dockworkers caps, but since I got a pretty round face, I'm not sure if they make that worse. On the other hand, I'm not too tall either (slightly below average, most friends beeing taller, some beeing shorter). Does a hat with a brim make you look shorter or create a distance between you and taller people you talk to? As said, I'm not abnormally short or something, but maybe something like that should be considered. I don't want a hat to attract attention. I don't mind something unusual, as long as it fits to me of course, but I'm not the attention seeker by nature.

I put a photo of myself, which is about 2 years old, in these spoiler tags. I currently got somewhat long hair, will cut them off within the next few years I guess since they are getting too thin. Best would be a hit of course that would fit to both long and short hair. Photo can be seen here: click me

First post here in this forum, hope it's the right one and that someone got some advice. Last forum I asked, one about mens clothes in general, told me to ask here.

So, thanks for reading and nice weekend to you people.

 

[scottyrocks]

Hmm, you seem to have that Hollywood actor vibe going on - not a bad thing. i immediately thought of Depp and then Cruise (you dont look like them, you just remind me of them - there is a difference).

Recommending a hat with such a broad range of desired criteria is not easy. I think first you have to decide what type of hat tickles your fancy the most. For me, its fedoras and eight-panel newsboy caps. I am a fan of browns, as most of the hats I wear are anywhere from medium-dark to fawn (tan).

Although you wear mostly black or darker colors, you dont necessarily need a black hat. Various shades of gray work extremely well with black, as well as blues. An all black fedora, for example, may put people (and you) in the mind of the Amish or Chasid'm. Again, not bad things, but all black has its stereotypes.

I dont know where youre located. If there is a hat shop, or store with a selection of hats to try on, that is your best bet to see what pleases you as it sits atop your head. Trust your own judgment, not necessarily the judgment of the person helping you. S/he may just want to sell you a hat. It depends on the store.

If theres no brick-n-mortar near you, look through the 'new hat' and 'what hat are you wearing today' threads here. Theres many, many pages of us in our prized possessions. You are bound to find someone with your facial type. Some will be wearing hats that you find pleasing, and look good on the wearer.

Good luck in your search and welcome to the fold. Great bunch of folks here. Youre bound to get lots of help.

 

[Fnorb]

Thanks for your reply. I guess considering what which hat type is associated with is not something to forget either. Especially if it's a political or religious thing.

I'm located in Cologne/Germany. There are some hatmakers located here as well as shops just selling hats by larger brands. But I thought that first getting some "theoretical" experience on the web can't hurt.

 

[B.U.H.]

Hallo Fnord, schön, dass Du hier bist!

Bernhard hier, aus Gladbeck, nur ca. 100 km entfernt.

Regarding the question what hat to wear, of course there are many possibilities, but for a first hat, considering your info, I would definitely try out something bogartish, i.e. "classical fedora", maybe in grey - seems to be the most versatile option to me. IMO, it can be worn casual as well as when you are dressing sharp. The amish or chassidish impression, I think, will only exist here in Germany if the rest of your outfit matches the stereotype as well, so black should not be a problem either.

You also will want to look at the quality of the hat - in short, and very much simplyfied, wool is not as good as pure fur.

I was very much a fan of a German brand called Mayser, but sadly, what I have seen from them recently is not even near their old quality.

Personally, I am very fond of the Australian maker Akubra - can be found in some stores here, or ordered from Australia directly. Many different styles, and a good quality for a fair price, even considering shipping and custom fees.

Have a look at the thread titled "Akubra overload" to start with, if you want to investigate that road.

Good luck with your purchase!

 

[Wolfwood]

Some theoretical background will certainly help you avoid some of the mistakes that one can make when finding one's first hat. My mistake was to go with a wool felt instead of fur felt (didn't know there existed a difference) and then regretting when the said wool felt deformed in rain and humidity. Then I upgraded to fur felt, still ignorant of what the difference between a good hat and a bad hat is. It is only on my third/fourth year when I got my first Akubra and found out what real hats are made of.

As for advice on what sort of hat to find, try this nice guide:
http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/28/the-perfect-hat-for-your-ugly-mug/

 

[Neophyte]

Akubras are excellent starter hats, and some have difficulty leaving their Akubra phase (like myself , the hat in my avatar is an Akubra).

First, though, it would benefit you to know how much you're willing to spend, what you need out of the hat (shade, durability, looks, etc...), and what colors you most often wear. Then you should get your head size and shape, make sure you are/are not something like a Long Oval (took me five hats to finally learn that I was a 59 LO).

Last of all, you should study several charts like what Wolfwood posted. Depending on whether or not you may find this difficult, it would be beneficial to find some kind of hat shop (even if they only sell cheap wool hats) and try some on, find what shape YOU like the best and what YOU think looks good on YOU.

This is all what I've learned over this summer and the past couple of months, over which time I have purchased 6 or so hats. Not all of these purchases turned out successful, and I only wear about two of these hats regularly, but they proved an excellent learning resource (the ones I don't wear I *experiment* on). Normally I would consider this bad investment, but luckily I got a lot of money out of selling old instruments .

Good luck to you and your search, I hope you find what you're looking for !

 

[gtdean48]

Akubras are excellent starter hats, and some have difficulty leaving their Akubra phase ... !

Alexander isn't exactly right about leaving an Akubra phase but I understand his intent. I had vintage Stetson & Resistols & still buy & wear Akubras. I have vintage Pilgrims, Marathons, Borsalinos that I acquired right along side other Akubras. They are good solid hats for a reasonable price = that is never a phase but always a bargain. JMHO

 

[Neophyte]

Alexander isn't exactly right about leaving an Akubra phase but I understand his intent. I had vintage Stetson & Resistols & still buy & wear Akubras. I have vintage Pilgrims, Marathons, Borsalinos that I acquired right along side other Akubras. They are good solid hats for a reasonable price = that is never a phase but always a bargain. JMHO

Thanks, GTDean...I should probably proofread my posts before posting them ...

Please disregard any mention I make of phases.
Again, I wish you success in your search. The guys and gals here at the Lounge are great, and you ought to have no trouble

 

[jlee562]

While I love my Akubra, there are other fine modern production hats out there. Having recently scored a bargain of a hat on ebay, I suggest the vintage route. As long as you know your headsize, you can get some pretty nice hats on Ebay for cheap. I myself have a shorter/slim build, so I prefer hats that aren't too tall and brims that aren't too wide. I wear black a lot too, but I don't usually wear a black hat if my outfit is mostly black. I usually go for grey.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I think a simple black stingy brim fedora would work for you. There are many, but Stetson has quite a few. If you take the feather out of their Saxon model, you'll have a very flexible lid, I think.

 

[Big_e]

All sound advice given above. A brimmed hat (even a stingy brim) goes a long way in keeping the sun and elements off your head and ears. If I had it to do over again, I would have not bought any brimmed wool hats, their prices may be good but they just don't look as good as my Stetsons.
Don't forget to look into caps as well! Bwear makes good ones. A cap goes along way in protecting your head. The same cap can go casual and dress up a coat and tie also. Cotton caps for the summertime and nice wool caps for the fall and winter.
Ernest

 

[laotou]

The fellas have offered up sage advice. I'll reinforce the color gray as a good choice and, get thee to places that sell hats to test drive a few styles.
My first impression upon viewing your picture,(nice photo by the way) was 8 panel/newsboy worn with a rakish flop to one side. Maybe its the sweater?
Please be aware of the high possibility of addiction, I am willing to wager that soon you will have more than one hat.
Welcome to the madness