5 Hats for Life - Your Choices

Wow. Just 5. OK.

1. The Champ lightweight I put on "What Am I Wearing Today" today.
2. My early '40s Borsalino fedora
3. My gray Stetson Whippet
4. My Dobbs 50
5. A 40's Resistol Gray-Green Fedora I sold about 2 years ago and regret to this day.

I can't do it because I need straw hats and a cap for windy days and I can't part with my customs. How about 10 hats, I could do 10.

Of course you may choose 10 if you wish.

Then if you wouldn't mind, draw 5 of those from a, well, a hat and share them with us.

Regards,
Wilkey

I think that it's important to have a hat in each of 5 major classifications, which I list alphabetically:

BOWLER ~ aka Derby or Coke. A black Bowler from Christys is the most formal hat in my possession. Indeed it's so formal that I've yet to wear it, possibly I will at the next burial service that I attend (perhaps my own at this rate). Whereas the most formal headwear class would be the Top Hat, barring an invitation to dine with the reigning monarch of the British Commonwealth I don't see myself acquiring such a seldom used item

FEDORA ~ including the Trilby class. There are numerous varieties to chose from, I consider this category to be my daily wear echelon. Probably anything in grey with a medium ribbon would be the most versatile but the possibilities are endless. Something weather resistant such as a wide-brimmed Akubra Bushman also providing proper sun protection is my favorite, Moonstone Grey being my color of choice (these come open crown & I configure mine as a fedora)

HOMBURG ~ for semi-formal wear with at least a sports jacket if not a suit. This actually is my favorite hat type but alas they don't seem to go well with my roundish face. That hasn't kept me from acquiring one in every color that I can find

PORK PIE ~ I consider these to be fun hats & wearable in any color accordingly. They make the ladies smile when adorning my adorable head (likely while laughing at me behind my back). Boaters are similarly casual hats but I stay away from straw

WESTERN ~ including Open Road / Stratoliner types as well as Outbacks. These range from dressy casual to working hats. Dependent upon one's locale, full-blown Westerns may not fit in. I would place the Stetson "Gun Club" collection in this category, albeit as crossovers, which can be worn well in an urban environment & will stand up to the elements; so I bought 3 of them. My Smithbilt "White Hat" can only be worn on my stepfather's hobby farm &/or at the Calgary Stampede

Variety being the spice of life, people seem to appreciate that I sport a variety of hat styles as a function of the occasion, although admittedly at this point in time I have numerous examples in every permutation amongst the major classes (albeit just a single Bowler).

1. Stetson Open Road (Silverbelly)

2. Stetson Stratoliner (Silverbelly

3. Akubra Snowy River (sand)

4. Akubra Cattleman (sand)

5. Stetson Whippet (Tawny)

Hmm... A fairly tough proposition.

1) My custom Leon Drexler homburg in navy. Can be worn with almost any dressy outfit I would likely wear.

2) Navy loden flat cap with folddown flap to protect my ears from the wind. I actually own three (two navy, one grey) and they inspired me to get a loden field coat.

3) Bluegrass green Akubra Campdraft for the countryside.

4) Fawn Campdraft for general daily wear.

5) Either a silverbelly Campdraft or a Panama for the summer depending on the weather of the country I'm in.