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jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,055
Location
San Francisco, CA
Re: between dressy and casual....

We have an expression here on the lounge: wear the hat, don't let the hat wear you.

I wear pretty casual clothing: jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, and various pieces of outerwear, and I wear fedoras with it all. I also do the casual look with a Homburg - which is a strict no-no according to traditional hat etiquette.

Personally, I don't see any reason why a standard, smooth finish fedora, can't be worn with most contemporary attire. When you get into the longer hair finishes such as the shiny satin finished hats, I would say that those should be dressed up. But generally, I personally view the fedora as a very adaptable piece of clothing, to the point where I just don't look quite right without a fedora on.
 

Sigrah

New in Town
Messages
13
Location
United States
Thanks for the response Jared. Now if I could just convince my wife of your wise words. :) I think she will come around, but I need to ease her into it.

Any thoughts about where I should post the pictures of the vintage hats I found or do you think anyone would be interested?

Thanks,

Ron
 

RBH

Bartender
Last photo shows "Faraway Downs" as the model name.
With a mid-ribbon instead of the wide, it could be a Wanderer-style for sure...

The ''Faraway Downs'' was made for RM Williams in 2008.
It is named for the fictional station in the film 'Australia'.

Nicole Kidman in her 'Faraway Downs' fedora.

nicole3_narrowweb__300x372,0.jpg



If it was a 60... it would be on its way to Arkansas now!
 

DJH

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,352
Location
Ft Worth, TX
I agree with you 100% Jared. There are no rules these days, just wear what you like.

I'm sure Matt Deckard freaks out everytime I wear my Powell fedora with sweatshirt and jeans, but that is just how it is.

Wear whatever the heck you want!
 
Messages
15,238
Location
Somewhere south of crazy
Thanks for the response Jared. Now if I could just convince my wife of your wise words. :) I think she will come around, but I need to ease her into it.

Any thoughts about where I should post the pictures of the vintage hats I found or do you think anyone would be interested?

Thanks,

Ron

I would think it OK to post the hats on this thread Ron. Asking the question "Anyone interested in these hats?". The wife will come around, once she sees how debonair you look in your hats.
 

Sigrah

New in Town
Messages
13
Location
United States
Last edited by a moderator:

splintercellsz

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,137
Location
Somewhere in Time
What is going on with the sweatband on my '30s Stetson Special? I haven't worn it since Thanksgiving, and picke it up to look at it today, and I noticed the sweat has developed a wrinkley texture to it, and seems to be flaking in areas. I am afraid to wear it now. Is this something that should not be a big worry, or should I look into a sweat replacement A.S.A.P.?

003-ve10.jpg
 

bowlerman

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,292
Location
South Dakota
Have you tried conditioning it? Lots of people around here have luck using Lexol (available at most grocery stores), but the best I've ever done with that stuff is make a mess.
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
Have you tried conditioning it? Lots of people around here have luck using Lexol (available at most grocery stores), but the best I've ever done with that stuff is make a mess.

I use the Lexol conditioning wipes = lots less mess making...
I've had some vintage Resistol sweats do this. Looked fine when I got the hat but after a wearing, the sweat really dried out when my perspiration evaporated. One was not too far gone & still wearing it as is with Lexol wipes. Others got replaced.
Regardless of how well I think the sweat is when first received, I condition the vintage sweats now.
 
Messages
15,015
Location
Buffalo, NY
Ancient hat sweatbands can hold up remarkably well but leather has a finite life span. When it begins to dry rot, there is not much that can be done to reverse the process. That said, do not hesitate to wear this one out. Your Stetson Special is a wonderful hat (original price five dollars) that is meant to be worn. When the sweatband expires, you can archive it for its historical interest and have a new sweatband installed that will last you for decades into the future.

One word of caution for leather conditioners. Though they will soften the leather they will not add strength or integrity to the sweatband and can make it more prone to tearing at the weakest point like a wet paper towel. I prefer Pecard's antique leather conditioner to Lexol but I would not use either in this instance.
 
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Mystic

Practically Family
Messages
882
Location
Northeast Florida
Seems I have read some place on FL that a liner with the joining split on the side rather than at the back is a sign of a newer hat.

How new would this indicate and would this hold true across most or all hat makers?
 

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