Thin and flimsy

[mayserwegener]

I believe it is by design. I have same quality / time period P. & C. Habig Homburgs that have totally different feels. One will easily take a side pinch while the other resists.

 

[lpa53]

Floppy Fedoras: Were they lighter in the old days?

I grew up watching movies from the 30s and 40s and even today, TCM is my favorite channel and I remain enamored of the fashions of the past, both male and female.

With regard to the ubiquitous fedora of those movies, I've always wondered why they appear to be constructed of a material entirely different from those of today. Is it my imagination or were they of thinner felt and much more flexible? I own Keppler and Akubra Indy hats and they would never crush or bash as easily as many I see in the B movies I love to watch.

If they were indeed different, are there any makers today that accurately recreate them?

 

[Dinerman]

It depended on the hat. There was once a large spectrum of felt weights and stiffnesses available.

 

[Blackthorn]

I've wondered the same thing.

 

[gtdean48]

I....
If they were indeed different, are there any makers today that accurately recreate them?

Art Fawcett of Vintage Silhouettes uses a lightweight body, called an ArtLite, that is the closest to vintage felt that I own & have handled.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I think it may be that each person whom owns a Fedora (or Western hat) finds what is desirable in it's looks and comfort. My very first real fedora, (non wool and actually vintage) was a silk finish dunlap, the one I am wearing in my avatar. It was a super nice hat, (sold to a fellow lounger) and the finish was very well done, but it was a thick felt, even by far thicker than a few wide brim Western hats. However the crown was easy to push out to "open crown" and easy to bash it any way I wanted to. The brim was fairly stiff, but being a 2 inches wide, maybe had to be to retain the shape? As hats came and went, I found myself appreciating different felt textures and how much a hat weighed, (or did not weigh). I have decided a lighter hat is more comfortable for me. A well fitting hat is even better! Nothing worse than an overly tight fitting hat to give your forehead a work out! lol!

 

[jlee562]

I just got one of Art's lightweight felts; and man, Tom is right. Definitely the closest in weight and feel to a vintage hat