Vintage Fedoras by Decade

[Aureliano]

+1 on the sticky.

[W4ASZ]

Very well done ! Ought to be a sticky.

[randooch]

I do hope you're wrangling some school credit out of all this work . . .

Many thanks for posting.

[jlee562]

Fantastic work, Dinerman and very informative!

[Hoss & da Posse]

Thanks for so clearly illustrating the flow of style (and economy) as one trend overtook another

[pipvh]

Thank you for a great illustrated lesson. Love those 1920s transitional Homburg/fedoras...

[rlk]

A valiant attempt, but unavoidably perilously generalized. One must be careful to not assume from a common element or two. Only a starting point to be used with caution before further research.

Sweatband widths, reeding and stitching, just for one area example, also often vary with the felt weight, price point, manufacturer and equipment available, and sometimes even War conditions.

Especially difficult for 20's and 30's with their tremendous range of styles. Note also these generalizations are often particular to USA made hats.
An individual year's offerings can sometimes encompass much of the range. Some trends were brief although occasionally repeated after some separation of time, while others lasted for decades. Many elements contribute to dating and style generalizations are one of the most unreliable. The 40's was perhaps the only relatively consistent decade(the same range staying in production) if ignoring minor details. Look at even a single manufacturer's full catalog and you will see the problem illustrated.
The latest trend promoted to lure fresh sales at any time may be far from much of what is sold.

[Wojo]

Thanks for the info Dinerman

[Hercule]

Thanks for such a fantastic foto essay. Would it be possible to get more info (brand/model name, specs etc.) on the hats shown?

[hatophile]

Great job, D-man! Thanks.