Recent content by Mark Brody

Finally, pics of the real reason I got my bowler in the first place - my Halloween costume; a Pinkerton. And one more pic after I got ride of the moustache…

I finally got around to replacing the ribbon on my bowler that I shared a number of months ago. I have experience making my own hats, but I underestimated the difficulty the curl in the brim would cause compared the the fedoras I made in the past. I’m reasonably happy with how it turned out - I...

Ask, and you shall receive. I’m sure the quality is not at the same level as many of yours (again, that bow...), but as this was originally going to be just a costume hat, I was happy to find one at this price that wasn’t made of wool. I know bowlers tend to have narrower ribbons than fedoras...

I just joined the bowler club this week. I’ve been looking for a good cowboy hat (historic), and decided that the bowler best suited my style. In fact, I like it so much, I’m going to have to try an work up the courage to wear it as an everyday hat, not just a costume hat. My only issue is the...

You know, you’re absolutely right. I copied just the one picture from an older thread here, but the other pictures I didn’t copy look much more like the Snowy River. I should have shared them instead. https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/movie-hats.36280/page-68

"The Man from Snowy River" is set in the 1880's (but in Australia). I'm not sure how accurate the costuming is, or how much those styles can be applied to the United States at the same time period. I'm not super particular about the 1870's specifically, so a decade difference doesn't bother...

When did the “pinch” you see on fedoras like Indiana Jones’s, Dick Tracy’s and Eliot Ness’s become fashionable? A look at American Western hats shows the two side pinches at the front of the hat were extremely uncommon in the decades post Civil War. I ask, because I’m putting together a Western...

I recently ordered a BSA campaign hat. I ordered my normal size (61, or 7 5/8), and although it's comfortable from front to back, it fits a little large in the sides. I'm unsure of whether I should exchange it for a smaller size, here's why: It's 100% wool, which I know doesn't hold its shape...

I picked up this Scala cap last weekend. It seems that I do most of my traveling in uniform, so I can't wear my fedoras when I fly. They take up such a huge amount of space in a suitcase (in a hat box) that I'll sacrifice bringing extra clothes in favor of the hat. I'd been looking for one...

I wear it everyday. The Air Force, Navy and Marines still wear it with their dress uniform (the Marines and the Navy are more likely to wear a service cap for special occasions). Flyers from all services wear the garrison cap with their flight suits.

Berets, I think, are the only hat that works with every military uniform. Unfortunately, it also seems to be the second best hat to wear with any military uniform. There are hats that are much better suited for a combat uniform than a beret. There are also much more appropriate hats to wear...

It's not entirely out. I still wear my peaked cap whenever I'm in my dress uniform. I'd say about 1 in 20 men have them, and even fewer wear them. Being a hat aficionado, I like them, and don't mind carrying it under my arm.

Someone asked a while ago about military berets. I don't think their question was ever answered. I believe the US military uses Bancroft berets. They're nothing special. Some have liners, some don't. The ones I've seen with a liner were glued in so cheaply that the glue was visible when the...

I made both my hats entirely from new materials - not from old hats. I sewed the binding on by hand. It took about 8 hours. I could have probably worked faster had I used my sewing machine, but if I were to make a mistake on that thing, it would have been very unforgiving. As far as what...

Thanks for all the compliments, fellas! It's difficult to say exactly what the specs are, as I just eyeballed some of it, but I'll give it my best. Size: 7 7/16 (I fall between sizes) Brim Width: 2 3/4" Crown Height: about 5 3/4" (I originally made it 6" high by accident, and steamed it with...