Buying a guy a lid

[skinnychik]

I want to get my boyfriend a hat, but I'm not sure if I'm going about it the right way. Since I've found only limited selections in vintage shops, I thought about buying online.

Anyone have favorite vendors/colors/styles/fabrics that they can recommend?
I'm partial to browns, I think.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Finding a hat is a pretty subjective thing. Something you like when you hold it up and look at in a shop isn't necessarily going to be something that looks right on his head, and it may not fit right. Think about it in terms of yourself - would you rather someone give you a hat or would you like to shop for it yourself? Or if a hat isn't a good example for you, change it to the legendary "little black cocktail dress" - would you rather find one yourself or be forced to wear the one someone else picked out for you?

So what I would suggest is give him a gift certificate or take him out and buy the hat he likes for him.

 

[FedoraGent]

Doggone Mike, that was what I was going to say.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

If my sweetheart (if I had one) wanted to buy me a nice hat, I wouldn't put up a fight.

It is tough without trying them on, though. Different hats fit different face and head shapes and personalities. I'd probably say to look at as many different styles as you can, and visualise them on his head. Most of our vendors don't make a fuss over returns & exchanges.

After all, in the Golden Era, women bought their husbands hats all the time.

 

[johnnycanuck]

I have bought hats for my family before and the difficult thing I found was getting the right size without them getting suspicious. Beyond that its all about style and preference. If he wears a lot of black, blue, or dark colours a Grey fedora would go with his wardrobe. If he wears a lot of "Mulch" colours (brown, beige, green) you will be fine with a brown. Know what I mean?
As for style a nice tapered crown, short to medium sized brim hat is nice. I personally like "Akubra" threw http://www.hatsdirect.com/ Good quality and will last a long time with regular use. I have bought quite a few hats threw them now. As for style you cant go wrong with the "fedora" or the "stylemaster". The only other vendor I have bought anything from was http://www.noggintops.com/ being an American outlet it is more expensive for a Canadian but on there site if you click the hat image you get more pictures, usually with someone wearing the hat so you get an idea of what it looks like on someone. Beyond that the only other vendor I will mention is http://www.millerhats.com/ I have not bought anything form them but the "miller hats" are made by Biltmore and I can vouch for these hats as good quality.
Hope that helps.
Johnny

 

[feltfan]

If my sweetheart (if I had one) wanted to buy me a nice hat, I wouldn't put up a fight.

Yes, But as we know you have the rare superpower of
looking good in any hat. Most of us don't!

After all, in the Golden Era, women bought their husbands hats all the time.

Yeah, but they just gave their man one of those gift
certificate tiny souvenir hats, which he could exchange
at a store with what we would consider today an unimaginable
selection. Imagine having a gift certificate for a Cavanagh hat
in 1947, walking in the store, and taking your pick...

Skinnychik, you might look on eBay for one of those vintage
tiny hats (with tiny box) they used to sell as certificates at
old hat shops and give it to him, with a promise of the hat of
his choice at your nearest fine hat store. Then he can try
some on. Don't know what hat stores you have in Denver...

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Yes, But as we know you have the rare superpower of
looking good in any hat. Most of us don't!

I just wish I had the rare superpower of finding a sweetheart... lol

Work schedule is a bear. "Let's go for coffee after work" doesn't work too well when "after work" is 2AM.

 

[feltfan]

I just wish I had the rare superpower of finding a sweetheart... lol

Work schedule is a bear. "Let's go for coffee after work" doesn't work too well when "after work" is 2AM.

Hm, as far as I can tell, the superpower of finding a sweetheart
is a lot less rare than the superpower of looking good in any hat.
Have you tried saying, "SHAZAM" or playing with radioactive spiders?

Some might say 2AM is a good time to look...

Keep sportin' the lids... maybe MK will add a Personals section
to the Lounge!

 

[Lincsong]

I just wish I had the rare superpower of finding a sweetheart... lol

Work schedule is a bear. "Let's go for coffee after work" doesn't work too well when "after work" is 2AM.

2 A.M. is the perfect time. I heard that down at certain Denny's in Redlands the waitresses are friendly.

 

[Lincsong]

Make a good choice and buy it.

Skinnychick; I know of girls who don't like what their boyfriends wear and throw the clothes out anyway. So find a hat that you're going to want him to wear. As long as it's not off the wall, he'll more than likely wear it.

 

[ortega76]

Finding a hat is a pretty subjective thing. Something you like when you hold it up and look at in a shop isn't necessarily going to be something that looks right on his head, and it may not fit right. Think about it in terms of yourself - would you rather someone give you a hat or would you like to shop for it yourself? Or if a hat isn't a good example for you, change it to the legendary "little black cocktail dress" - would you rather find one yourself or be forced to wear the one someone else picked out for you?

So what I would suggest is give him a gift certificate or take him out and buy the hat he likes for him.

Too true.

Right around the time of our anniversary, my wife saw me looking at hats on e-bay and gave a few "maybes" or "nays". Then she asked, "oh, what does a hat called 'a godfather' look like?" and I showed her a homburg picture, adding that it's not really my style. As soon as I said that, I realized she ordered one for me. I still have it in my closet and as much as I appreciate the thought, I've worn it once in 4 months.

Give the gift certificate or find out the exact one he's bidding on e-bay and snipe it from him.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Doggone Mike, that was what I was going to say.

Great minds think alike!

 

[skinnychik]

Skinnychik, you might look on eBay for one of those vintage
tiny hats (with tiny box) they used to sell as certificates at
old hat shops and give it to him, with a promise of the hat of
his choice at your nearest fine hat store. Then he can try
some on. Don't know what hat stores you have in Denver...

Ah, therein lies the problem. In Denver we have cowboy hats. That's about it. I can get his hat size easily enough, just look inside those cowboy hats, but I can't find any place in town where he could try on vintage-inspires hats.

Ortega76 gave me an idea though. I may just look at some of the vendors online with him and see what he likes. I'd hate to get him one he doesn't want to wear...though he's not typically all that particular.

Thanks for the links, JohnnyCanuck.

 

[Dinerman]

if you knew his hat size, people here might have something that doesn't fit them they could sell you. Probably a better bet than the bay.

 

[FedoraGent]

I want to get my boyfriend a hat, but I'm not sure if I'm going about it the right way. Since I've found only limited selections in vintage shops, I thought about buying online.

Anyone have favorite vendors/colors/styles/fabrics that they can recommend?
I'm partial to browns, I think.

Skinnychick,

I wanted to chime in as well about this. I think it's wonderful that you want to buy your beau a hat. When I'm buying a hat, it's one of those situations where I have a general idea of what I'm going to get. Such as, about two weeks ago, I walked into one of our local hat stores and went into get a boater. It was something particular at first and then a Biltmore just caught my eye. For you, my thoughts were that you should pay attention to the type of man that he is, what his preference is for colours and watch over a couple of days to see what he dresses himself in. If your intention my friend, is to find him a hat that he could wear on a regular basis, then cater to the colours that he fancies and something that would go well with the style of clothes he wears. Such as, if he wears mostly modern casual clothing, then find him something that goes well with that set. Now I'm not suggesting that you run out an get him a hip hop hat from Goorin, but something that is somewhat traditional with a slight modern flair. If the influence is from the Golden Era...and that is your choice...remember that it still has to match his clothing.

Last thing, make sure that you understand the types of situations he'll be in...will he be wearing this at work? Does he know hat etiquette? If he's going to be in a situation where the hat will get dirty and tossed and things like that...well a crushable beater or wool hat might be good. But a good straw will hold up as well.

If all else fails, go with what Mike in Seattle said...get him a certificate.

There's my two cents. Hope this helps.

Jon

 

[tonyb]

So skinnychik, has your boyfriend ever been with you when you came upon those hats in vintage shops? If so, did you note how the hats fit? Or didn't fit? I ask cuz if he happens to be a smaller size, eBay is your oyster, as are other vintage-wear sources. Men wore generally smaller sizes back in the Golden Era, hat sizes included. Thanks to that, truly splendid old lids in sizes too small for most of us moderns often go cheap.
But if he's a larger size, and he's been a good boy, you may consider shelling out a bit less than three Benjamins for an Art Fawcett custom. Yes, that's more than twice what a new, off-the-shelf Stetson or Biltmore costs, but even so, it's still a bargain. New factory-made hats just plain aren't even close to what they used to be, but Art's 100-percent beaver felt lids are nice, nice hats. I've yet to hear of a dissatisfied customer.

 

[skinnychik]

7 3/8...an apparently very common hat size. I noticed the small hat surplus on vintage sites as well as in antique stores, and that's about all I found when he's been with me. Of course I still toss them at him in the stores and he sets them atop his head, but it's hard to get a feel for how it would look if it were pulled down rather than perched like a party hat.

My best comparison for face shapes would be the Nazi fellow courting Robert Sean Leonard's (Peter?) mom in Swing Kids. He has a very German looking square jawline, so I've watched the scene in which that man is dressed in civilian clothes a couple of times and studied his hat.

We looked at a few styles on the internet and he gravitated toward the gray hats. His favorite: the $148

I was hoping to spent $80, but whatever. I think it looks very Jimmy Stewart though Still, I'd rather get something vintage & of superior quality.[huh]

 

[adamgottschalk]

I agree with recommendations to get a gift certificate, though if you're open to him looking with you online, that works just as well.

On the size issue, you're best bet is to measure around his head, an inch or so above the ears. Then, when considering a vintage hat, be sure to ask the seller for the interior circumference. And if you were to order, say, that Beaver Brand teardrop hat from the Fedora Store, you can tell them the exact circumference you want. Only way to be sure it will really fit. I recently ordered a Beaver Brand hat from the Fedor Store; I told them 23", and the hat fits me perfectly, absolutely, like a glove, couldn't fit better. There can be a lot of variation in actual circumference with a given hat size, especially with mass produced hats (not like the Beaver Brand, which are customized to order).

Also be aware, that with a vintage hat, they often need to be cleaned and blocked, which can add a considerable amount on top of the actual cost of the hat. You can definitely find a decent fur-felt hat in $80-90 range; I'm pretty sure you'd be much happier in the end with a customized Beaver Brand for more money.

 

[squid]

This idea just came to me. Buy a cheap ballcap, take it to an embroidery place and have an IOU stitched on it. Then hecan take his time finding the right hat.