On occasion the question of Jewish hats comes up, and since an off-topic post I made in a different thread generated a little interest, I'll share more here. Ignore it if you want; ask me any questions you want. 
Realistically, when we're talking about black hats worn by Jews, we're talking only about the most Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox groups; the largest Jewish streams in the United States, Conservative and Reform Judaism have no tradition of hat-wearing, and even the Modern Orthodox generally do not wear hats (beside the kippah, or yarmulke, the skullcap men tend to wear).
For most of us, the broad-brimmed black fedora is the one that causes the most, "Hey, are you Jewish?" responses.
Tending to be 3"+ in brim, these black fedoras are not uncommon in traditional Orthodox communities or among a group of Hasidim called Chabad Lubavitch. They tend to be Borsalinos or Huckels (or other non-specific Czech/Polish hatmakers), and they're just fedoras. Mine's a Borsalino with a 3.5-ish" brim. A hat like this will set you back anywhere from $100-$400.
You'll notice the wide brim and a relatively high crown; brims tend to have a pretty good snap in the front, although they can be flanged any way you'd like.
Next, let's look at a type of hat called a "hoiche" or high-crowned hat. "Hoiche" is Yiddish for high. Most Hasidim wear a higher hat like this, with only a few of the courts favoring the lower-crowned "flacha" style of hat ("flacha" is Yiddish for flat).
You can see here the long nap of the felt and the stand-up bound-brim:
This one is made in China and imported through Brooklyn. The hat is really, really stiff, more like a bowler rather than a fedora. These hats are made to sit higher on the head than a fedora might, so keep that in mind if you're ever thinking of getting one. The resting line on your head plus the hard felt means they're not forgiving size-wise.
You can see how the ribbon cuts into the nap of the felt, making it look like a belt almost. The flacha hat is very similar, but with about 2" of crown taken off. These hats will run you $50-$200.
The final hat you might have seen or heard about is called a shtreimel. These are very furry, very special hats usually only worn by the Ultra-Orthodox, and only on Friday night into Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, or on Jewish holidays.
Made of fox fur on the outer round part and on the inner part, the shtreimel looks like a crown, according to some stories. Between the inner fur and the outer fur is a firm band of felt on to which the outer fox fur is placed to give the hat shape and structure. The inside, you can see, is a sort of velvet-felt combination.
Shtreimels are also worn higher on the head than a fedora. If you get one new--which I most certainly did not--you'll pay anywhere from $1500 to $5000 for one of these hats. Used ones come up occasionally on auction sites.
Remember, most Jews in the U.S., and indeed, non-Orthodox Jews throughout the world don't wear hats like these--or hats at all, truth be told.
So there you go! Hope that helps, and if you have questions, please feel free to let me know.
A
Realistically, when we're talking about black hats worn by Jews, we're talking only about the most Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox groups; the largest Jewish streams in the United States, Conservative and Reform Judaism have no tradition of hat-wearing, and even the Modern Orthodox generally do not wear hats (beside the kippah, or yarmulke, the skullcap men tend to wear).
For most of us, the broad-brimmed black fedora is the one that causes the most, "Hey, are you Jewish?" responses.
Tending to be 3"+ in brim, these black fedoras are not uncommon in traditional Orthodox communities or among a group of Hasidim called Chabad Lubavitch. They tend to be Borsalinos or Huckels (or other non-specific Czech/Polish hatmakers), and they're just fedoras. Mine's a Borsalino with a 3.5-ish" brim. A hat like this will set you back anywhere from $100-$400.
You'll notice the wide brim and a relatively high crown; brims tend to have a pretty good snap in the front, although they can be flanged any way you'd like.
Next, let's look at a type of hat called a "hoiche" or high-crowned hat. "Hoiche" is Yiddish for high. Most Hasidim wear a higher hat like this, with only a few of the courts favoring the lower-crowned "flacha" style of hat ("flacha" is Yiddish for flat).
You can see here the long nap of the felt and the stand-up bound-brim:
This one is made in China and imported through Brooklyn. The hat is really, really stiff, more like a bowler rather than a fedora. These hats are made to sit higher on the head than a fedora might, so keep that in mind if you're ever thinking of getting one. The resting line on your head plus the hard felt means they're not forgiving size-wise.
You can see how the ribbon cuts into the nap of the felt, making it look like a belt almost. The flacha hat is very similar, but with about 2" of crown taken off. These hats will run you $50-$200.
The final hat you might have seen or heard about is called a shtreimel. These are very furry, very special hats usually only worn by the Ultra-Orthodox, and only on Friday night into Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, or on Jewish holidays.
Made of fox fur on the outer round part and on the inner part, the shtreimel looks like a crown, according to some stories. Between the inner fur and the outer fur is a firm band of felt on to which the outer fox fur is placed to give the hat shape and structure. The inside, you can see, is a sort of velvet-felt combination.
Shtreimels are also worn higher on the head than a fedora. If you get one new--which I most certainly did not--you'll pay anywhere from $1500 to $5000 for one of these hats. Used ones come up occasionally on auction sites.
Remember, most Jews in the U.S., and indeed, non-Orthodox Jews throughout the world don't wear hats like these--or hats at all, truth be told.
So there you go! Hope that helps, and if you have questions, please feel free to let me know.
A
