Need hat advice

[JohnLClark]

First Hat

What is a good choice for a first hat. I have read the post and am unsure what to get. I have some newsboys I got from my grandfather but want a hat of my own. To help narrow it down I wear a 7 3/8 size hat with a oval face. What would be a good choice for me to consider.

Also where is a good place to try some hats in the Pittsburgh area? Thanks for the help.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Welcome to the Lounge John. As you can tell, there is a variety of thoughts on the best hats to choose. Many here swear by the Akubra line from Hats Direct in Australia (other cos. too, but HD seems to have superb service and ships to arrive yesterday). I have a couple of them, the Camp Draft in glen grey and the FED IV in moonstone. I like them both just fine, but I am a Stetson fan and have several (10-12) mostly modern. I think they are very nice hats and it does help that I am 20 minutes away from the Outlet Store in Garland, where they can be had at 1/3 or less of the regular price of retail. Others swear that the best hats are all vintage and would never touch a modern one. Those can be found on e-Bay in a huge variety of styles. Not much help in choosing I'm sure but the quest is terrific fun! Good luck on your choices.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Welcome to the lounge JohnLClark. What kind of price point are you looking at? How are you going to wear it (fair weather, once in a while, every day?) I think we need more information to help you.

With that said, without any more information, I would say go to http://www.hatsdirect.com/ look at the Akubra/fedora sections and see if anything catches you eye. If you see a model you like, do a search here and you will most likely find pictures of people wearing the hat.

If you want to jump in at the deep end give Art Fawcett a call http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/

Johnny

 

[MarkL]

Welcome, John!

Dear John,

Welcome to Fedora Lounge. Great to have you here. I guarantee you will meet some amazing folks on this site.

As far as a first hat, I would say to go to the threads dealing with "New Hats" and "What hat are you wearing today?" and look at the zillion-and-one photos and see what strikes your fancy. That is what I did! I saw a hat whose shape and color I loved, and asked the hatmaker to duplciate that for me. The problem you will have is that you will most likely see a dozen or more hats you love!!!

Good luck in making a decision..and again, welcome.

Mark

What is a good choice for a first hat. I have read the post and am unsure what to get. I have some newsboys I got from my grandfather but want a hat of my own. To help narrow it down I wear a 7 3/8 size hat with a oval face. What would be a good choice for me to consider.

Also where is a good place to try some hats in the Pittsburgh area? Thanks for the help.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This should help you start making a decision.

http://www.villagehatshop.com/facts_faces.html

 

[JohnLClark]

Sorry I didn't reply before now. Computer crashed over the weekend. Carlisle, thanks for the link, it helped me figure out what hat would do well on my head.

I am looking for a hat that I can wear everyday and with a suit. Does not have to be the same hat. I looked at some Borsalinos and am trying to narrrow it down. This will be the nice hat.

As for the daily that is turning out to be the harder choice. Over the weekend I saw Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity and realy liked his hat. It reminded me of the hat Jimmy Stewart wore in It's a Wonderful Life. That hat has always been my favorite. Can anybody tell me about either hat?

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Welcome John and here's my advise. Don't take advise What I mean is that I learned the hard way when you're starting off if at all possible go to a hat store and start trying hats on - tall ones, small ones, big brims, stingy brims and see what you like and what looks good on you. Once you've got an idea of what works and what doesn't it will make ordering a hat online that you have not have actually seen before a lot easier. At least, that's how it worked for me. Now go get a hat and put some pictures up

 

[camhabib]

Going to LA for a few weeks and decided to break down and by my first "quality" hat since it's going to be permanently affixed to my head non-stop my from turning into a lobster. I stopped by JJ's in Manhattan and decided on a Borsalino Panama hat with a 2.5" brim (the "Tuscany" I think is the model). I just had a few questions I was wondering if anyone could help me with.

- How should the hat fit? They seemed to think I was a 57, but it seems a bit tight for what I'm used to (baseball cap). The 58 was a somewhat loose on me (aka I could pull it all the way down), but I'm not able to pull the 57 down so that the crease touches the top of my head, as I could with the 58. Is this a normal fit or is it all personal preference? Does the hat stretch / mold at all over time?

- Good way to pack it? I've been told that I basically have to wear while traveling as it won't survive packing. Is there a safe way to pack it? Can I just walk through security with it?

- I know there are obviously better hats out there (tried on a few $1k+ ones) but how does this particular one stack up?

Any help is appreciated - thanks in advance.

 

[splintercellsz]

Fit is all personal preference. some prefer hats on the larger side, some prefer them to squeeze their noggin. Fit is all subjected to the wearer.

Packing, you can always buy a hat box that has been built for traveling. Or you can buy some bubblewrap, and wrap the hat (also filling the inside with wrap to preserve crown shape as best as possible). Or, you can wear it on your head, or put it on your lap.

For the quality, I can't answer that, as I am not a pro when it comes to straws!

 

[DJH]

Cam, welcome to the Lounge.

That Borsalino Tuscan is a decent hat - on the pricey side (you usually have to pay a premium for the Borsalino brand!), but if you are traveling pretty soon you probably didn't much time to shop around. When you want another one, ask here first and you'll get some ideas of alternatives.

When I travel by air, I usually just wear my hat (if I need to take more than one I have a rollable one I can put in my bag) since this is the best way to make sure it arrives intact.

For the security, I take a clear plastic bag to put the hat in should it need to go through the x-ray - those belts and the plastic crates are usually pretty dirty. If you put the hat under the seat on the plane, the bag comes in handy again.

Best is when you get an empty seat next to you to put the hat on.

Regarding the fit, Justin is right - it varies from person to person. You usually don't want the hat to go down so low that your head hits the top and ideally you'd have some gap between the hat and your ears. In my case, my ears seem to be set high on my head (and they are Spock sized) so there is usually minimal clearance. If you look at the pics of the guys wearing hats on the site, you'll see the big variation.

Let's see some pics of you wearing your new hat!

 

[scottyrocks]

If I only have a choice between slightly too big or slightly too small, I'll take slightly too big. Slightly big hats can shrink with wear whereas slightly too small hats usually remain slightly too small, in my experience, and I don't wear hats that are too small because they give me a headache.

 

[camhabib]

If I only have a choice between slightly too big or slightly too small, I'll take slightly too big. Slightly big hats can shrink with wear whereas slightly too small hats usually remain slightly too small, in my experience, and I don't wear hats that are too small because they give me a headache.

I was under the impression that straw stretched a little with wear?

 

[runningbare]

I am ordering my first hat also , an AKUBRA either a Leisure time or Plainsman. My head measures 59cm..But any smaller would give me a headache..Do they come a half size big to allow for shrinkage? I know they shrink some...

 

[carldelo]

I was under the impression that straw stretched a little with wear?

The straw may stretch, but the leather sweat band will shrink up slightly with time and sweat. I have a nice Stetson Milan that I bought years ago - I was between sizes and the salesman convinced me to get the smaller size (I was a rookie). It's been slightly uncomfortable ever since, and has in fact gotten a bit smaller over time. A hat that is a tad too large can have felt strips put behind the sweatband to make it fit until the small amount of shrinkage kicks in.

 

[carldelo]

I am ordering my first hat also , an AKUBRA either a Leisure time or Plainsman. My head measures 59cm..But any smaller would give me a headache..Do they come a half size big to allow for shrinkage? I know they shrink some...

The four Akubra lids I've bought have all been slightly large when new, say 1/3 to 1/2 size.

 

[runningbare]

Thanks,that helps ...think I will get a 59cm..

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Panama hats like the Borsalino Tuscan is a basic hat. There are some Panama's that are made to roll up but this one is not one of them.

 

[Picante]

Cam, welcome to the Lounge.

When I travel by air, I usually just wear my hat (if I need to take more than one I have a rollable one I can put in my bag) since this is the best way to make sure it arrives intact.

For the security, I take a clear plastic bag to put the hat in should it need to go through the x-ray - those belts and the plastic crates are usually pretty dirty. If you put the hat under the seat on the plane, the bag comes in handy again.

Best is when you get an empty seat next to you to put the hat on.

Regarding TSA security I couldn't agree more with David, I just came from a three week vacation and at the very first TSA point in LA, my brand new Dove VS Artlte ended dragging on the belt between two bins.

Seems like the strip curtain knocked my hat off from the bin were I placed it with my coat, the hat came out almost ruined, filthy with black stains and crushed, I was fuming and the operators offered no help other than saying, it was my fault by bringing such and nice item for travel.

Anyways, bring your hat in a specialized container or the very least like DHJ suggests, plastic bag and place it on empty bin, not with other items, or insist on a hand inspection, as it was suggested by Canada Border Protection employees.

 

[camhabib]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I've been trying to find a clear plastic bag to put my hat into for security but haven't really been able to find a good one. Anyone have some links or recommendations as to where I can pick one up?

 

[DJH]

Best way is to buy one from Art Fawcett. Quite an expensive bag but it does come with a free hat

Seriously the bags Art uses in his packaging are perfect for traveling with hats.