Good question. Looking at photographs taken in both the U.S. and Australia during the mid- to late-1800s I see a lot of similarities. On both continents wider brims were clearly favored by anyone who spent a good deal of their time working outdoors, but aside from that there was no such thing as what we would refer to these days as a typical "western" or "outback" hat; if a hat--any hat--offered protection from the elements, that's what they wore. To me this indicates any hatter who wanted to stay in business would make hats that met the needs of those people, so I think practical necessity came first. There were "dress" hats, but I imagine both societies in those days weren't too different from the way they are today, i.e. that there were a whole lot more "working" men who needed practical hats than "wealthy" men who needed dress/stylish hats.
Wow! I think it looks great like that, but that's probably because I prefer crowns that are a bit lower than usual; the crowns on my Feds are all a little over 4" at the pinch. I hope the "practical" crease eliminates the problems you were having.
Really? I find that interesting. I only have one Heritage felt Akubra, my Moonstone Fed IV, but the felt on it isn't any thicker than it is on any of my Imperial felt hats. It's somehow more substantial, denser perhaps, but not thicker. If the felt on your hat is thicker, that just might account for the problem.
I got the tawny fawn. I didn’t like the color at first because it was too brown and I wanted more yellow, but I like it quite a lot now.
