New Ladies and Gents Step Forward

Super Idea RBH. I'm not really new, but I haven't posted much on the hat thread. I do read it a lot! Thanks to you and every one else for the endless info.

Happy New year to all!
Chris M.

RBH said:

Welcome everyone!!!



COW is Club Obi Wan, a forum for Indiana Jones fans. Alot of us here visit it from time to time. Altogether a rather nice place for all things on Jones!

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Wouldn't Club Hans Solo be more accurate, especially for Indy info? gtd

Hello: I'm David and just returned from Iraq; was a civilian contractor for the last 2 years, I'm back in the states for a few months of training. Once I finish the training, I'll return to Iraq (or Afghanistan) with a different company. This overseas thing is what I do; it seems I've found my niche, in that I thoroughly enjoy working with the troops and the occasional shot of adrenaline. The availability and relative ease of travel is pretty sweet too.

As for the hat thing--I've been a hatless hat guy for as long as I can remember, but the hatless part is fix'n to end. I have a Bailey "Hale" Center Crease in route from TheFedoraStore, should be here in a few days. I'll post pix as soon as I can, assuming that I can figure that part out.
If any of you guys (or gals) have experience with the Bailey Hale, I'd appreciate the input.

Thanks for the opportunity to introduce myself and thanks for the great intel on hats and clothing. . . David "RoadRage"

As I said in the first of my sum total of 6 posts on The Fedora Lounge: "Long time lurker, first time poster"

gtdean48 said:

Wouldn't Club Hans Solo be more accurate, especially for Indy info? gtd

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Club Obi Wan is the name of the nightclub in the first few scenes of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. The neon sign bearing the name is seen only briefly as Indy and Willie Scott fall into their get-away car.

Thanks...Is that the one with Kate Capshaw, aka Mrs. Speilberg? gtd

BlindeMan and David glad you joined us!!!


Yep GT, that is the movie.

RBH said:

Yep GT, that is the movie.

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Thanks RB, I've not seen that one as much as the other 2 of the first ones... gtd

Hi all! I'm also a fairly recent member and got into hats mainly because of Indy. I was looking for a "style" of my own and started taking hints from Indy - first the shoulder bag and later the hat as well as a brown jacket. But, rather than many people on the Indy forums, I do not aim to build a Indy costume.

I currently own a brown Akubra Fed Deluxe IV (in addition to older, lower quality Indy hats), but I'm planning to get a black Fed IV as well at some point. I simply love that particular hat style.

In addition to the Fedora Lounge, I roam certain Indy forums. And I "co-run" a games forum www.hookedgamers.com where I also have my own blog featuring, at least in the images, some of my hat enthusiasm...

Splendid idea, Rusty. It's a good thing to have a "central" gateway, wherein newbies can (if they wish) intro themselves. Personally, I would also like to see more participants from regions beyond the confines of the continental USA...(not that I shy away from our American friends -not in the least, on the contrary)...but it's always interesting to read reports or feedback from Hungary, Germany, CZ (ahoy)...Sicily...Espain lol ...beloved France or even Holland lol Hong Kong...Australia...hey guys, the world is round! Likewise, it's fascinating to learn about the many different occupations and lifestyles of forum participants. Whilst one be a minister, another law enforcer, military away on mission, teacher, ...whatever... this makes for a community, and that's what it is all about.
Happy 2009.

New in Town here as well. I'm a Coast Guard Officer who is enjoying a few months on the beach in Newport, Rhode Island while attending the Naval War College. My wife Candi and I live about 2 miles off of Bellevue Ave (where the mansions are).

Anyone else here who is in the neighborhood, drop me a line and well get together for a few Manhattans.

Cheers,
Ben

oneterrifichog, glad to have you here! Check out this thread
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=33307
you need to join us at Mont Eagle.


bstrickmma, glad to have you as well!

Thank you for the welcome.

I found "The Lounge" while searching the net for a new fedora a couple of weeks ago and was sidetracked reading threads. I've already learned much and the interest is growing. I'm developing a taste for fine clothing and am looking forward to looking and feeling good around town.

Thank you, everybody, for posting and sharing. Happy New Year!

I found the Fedora Lounge looking for a trench coat, then a pea coat. I live and work in Southern California and really enjoy the posts on this forum. Jack

Hi Loungers,
I was happy to discover The Fedora Lounge on Dec. 23...but dismayed to discover that the auctions for those beautiful vintage hats was over with on the 22nd. Clearly the Fedora gods are having a good laugh at my expense.

I've just returned to classic hat wearing. When I was a freshman in high school, my father brought home a beautiful sage/grey open crown fedora, previously owned by my grandfather, that my brother and I fought over for a few years, wearing it so much (and manhandling it in ways that make me cringe now) that the crown finally developed a hole at the peak of the pinch. We had no real idea that we had something special there and should be more careful with it. Even then, though, we knew there was some real style in it, whether from old episodes of George Reeves' Superman or from 30s/40s films. Since then, I haven't worn many hats.

Nearly 30 years later, I've returned. I began this summer with straw or cotton stingy brims, and having just discovered the Village Hat Shop in my town of Long Beach, CA, I've made my starter purchases. The three hats I commonly wear in this new lifestyle are:

1. Jaxon Houndstooth stingy brim
2. Stetson Saxon (walnut)
3. Stetson Chatham (mink)

I know, I blew my load a little quickly with the two Stetsons, but I was so excited to find well-made men's hats that I couldn't resist. I may return the mink (dark brown) Chatham for the caribou (grey) or sage model so that I don't get quite as many "Hey, Indy!" comments...or I may simply look to a grey Federation IV that so many of you recommend. And I'm learning about what to look for in vintage hats from your great posts so that I can begin that collection...

In any case, I've enjoyed browsing the site and look forward to many great conversations with you!
Steve (jazzncocktails)

jazzncocktails said:

Hi Loungers,
I was happy to discover The Fedora Lounge on Dec. 23...but dismayed to discover that the auctions for those beautiful vintage hats was over with on the 22nd. Clearly the Fedora gods are having a good laugh at my expense.

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Welcome to the Lounge, but don't despair. Johnny Phi still has hats to auction, I believe. He's probably just taking a break over the holidays.

Check out the various threads on his hats. The story behind them is very interesting.

Welcome Steve!!

First off.. there is nothing wrong with the Stetsons, nice hats for the money. But now you are here you will find that there are alot of nice 'factory' hats much less the great custom hatters we have here.
Look forward to more post from you!!!

Jazz, just sit back and enjoy the ride. There is a lot of info dispensed here and the people seem pretty nice. Can't beat that:eusa_clap

I am new here, too.
Costumer by hobby, currently a secretary going to school to do nails and makeup by trade. Wandered in looking for costuming ideas for a steampunk con to help some folks out. Am staying cause I love the era.
Wear SOMETHING vintage most every day.
Will head over to the ladies lounge for a more thorough intro.

I’m New in Town also. I’ve been browsing the forum for a month or two, and actually stumbled upon it while doing a Google search for ‘fedora.’ There is quite a wealth of information here that I have already used to make some new hat purchases. I have always had an appreciation for the fedora style hats, but never really thought that any style of hat looked that good on me. At 55, I finally decided if I was going to start wearing hats I may as well get started. Having a wife that thinks I ‘look good’ in a hat didn’t hurt any either! My lifestyle is not one that offers that many opportunities for dress wear on a daily basis, so my dress hats are probably going to be geared more for wearing to church with a suit and tie, and more casual wear throughout the week.

We are big fans of the older movies from the 40s and 50s, an era when men’s dress wear always included a hat, and I find myself now always trying to figure out what style is being worn while we are watching. I would really like to find an illustration that shows the difference between different crown types, and different hat styles, that would make identifying a hat a lot easier. It seems that the differences between hat styles seem to blend together sometimes. I even find myself trying to determine what kind of hat would look best on others now.

I measure right at 23.5 inches, for a 7 ½ hat size. The first hat I ordered was a black Golden Gate Philadelphia Traditional dress hat from Az-Tex. (Http://www.aztexhats.com/system/shopexd.asp?id=116) I decided that I would limit myself on my first few purchases to the lower priced hats to avoid any costly mistakes. Once I learn enough to be more confident in an online purchase (no local shops with good selections), I’ll move into the better hats. That being said, this is one nice $50 hat. I am pleased with how it fits and looks, and the service I received from Az-Tex. I discovered that I may be somewhat of a long oval, as the hat fits fine from front to back, but just a little loose from side to side. Thanks to some advice I found here, a little piece of 3/16 x ¾ foam inserted on each side inside the sweat band solved that problem.

I just ordered another Philadelphia Traditional in steel gray and for more casual use a brown Bailey Briar from Hats Plus. I haven’t received either of these yet, but they should arrive sometime next week. My only other fedora style hat is an older Broner felt hat that is a center dent. The Philadelphia Traditional is a C crown, and the Bailey is a tear drop crown, so I will be able to do some comparisons. I also wear a leather cap that is more of my everyday hat in cooler weather.

I’ve been amazed at all there is to learn about hats and appreciate the lounge as a great source of information. I have received a number of compliments on my Philadelphia Traditional, and sometimes I get the impression that a number of other men are just like I was – interested but hesitant to start wearing hats.

I'm new here

I've been lurking about, reading the fascinating posts, for a while. Then I joined and lurked some more. I think it's time for me to say hello to all of you incredibly interesting folks, and thank you all for sharing your information and interests with me.

I dress vintage from time to time, but am still working on building the wardrobe I'd like. My huge interests are things like the cultural markers of the forties and early fifties, more specifically the way we did things domestically. That translates in actuality to things like my Victory Garden, my gradual rehab of my home to something typical of the mid to late forties, and the whole philosophy of "fix it, make it do, wear it out, live without".

I'll be posting here and there, when I feel like I might actually have something to add to a conversation. Thanks to all of you for sharing here.

Thanks especially to the admins and bartenders for creating such an incredible place.

Justaktty