Anyone have pictures of trimmed Federation IV?

[ariahokas]

Hey all!

I'm planning on picking up another Fed IV in brown soon. But I really am not into the Indy look associated. I have a carbon Fed now and love it, but would like to trim the brim of the brown down to 2"-2.25" to give it a slightly stingier, summer-ish look. Also I am thinking of swapping the ribbon for an electric blue one instead. Sounds weird I assume, but Finn Andrews wore his brown with a blue ribbon—looked great.

Any one have pictures of a trimmed brim Fed? Also how difficult is it to pull off a ribbon change?

Thank!

—Ari

 

[TheDane]

I've seen a video with him where he's wearing a brown fedora with a cobalt blue ribbon. The combination is not pleasing to me, but "different strokes for different folks"

The ribbon job on the hat in video is not hard to do. It looked pretty homemade. There are a couple of threads about the subject on the lounge. A place to start is: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/step-by-step-how-to-replace-a-hat-ribbon.22209/ - and in it you'll find links to more threads.

To do a proper job, you'll need the right ribbon. You want some edge woven grosgrain ribbon made from a cotton/rayon mix (appr. 50/50) - if you're good, you can also use silk. You also want vintage ribbon from before the 60s where rayon made from synthetic fibres was introduced.

The hardest job is to find the right ribbon quality. That can be quite a quest, and blue is absolutely in the rare end of the spectrum.

The easiest would be to send it to a hatter for brim and ribbon work. But then you could just as well order a custom made hat

 

[ariahokas]

Yeah that's the one. I do like it though, feels fresh and summery. But I'd probably go a few shades darker. Either way, it does look homemade and a tad wonky .

Thanks for the link! Looks like it will be what I need. Any idea where to start to find a place to buy decent ribbons?

That's true, we're getting into custom hat territory. But still the price of Fed is right for me. I'm not sure I'm ready to drop $300 yet, especially on a more novel hat.

 

[TheDane]

We have a couple of loungers, who are custom hatters in the making. Try to check the Gannon Hat Co. thread. His work looks really nice, and his prices are still very low - especially if you choose a rabbit.

I believe most of us buy vintage ribbon on eBay and/or Etsy. It is sometimes like navigating blindfolded through a maze, though! "Vintage" is such an elastic word, and you have to know what you're looking for

 

[Benzadmiral]

Hey all!

I'm planning on picking up another Fed IV in brown soon. But I really am not into the Indy look associated. I have a carbon Fed now and love it, but would like to trim the brim of the brown down to 2"-2.25" to give it a slightly stingier, summer-ish look. Also I am thinking of swapping the ribbon for an electric blue one instead. Sounds weird I assume, but Finn Andrews wore his brown with a blue ribbon—looked great.

Any one have pictures of a trimmed brim Fed? Also how difficult is it to pull off a ribbon change?

Thank!

—Ari

Ari,

As it happens I do have a pic or two of my trimmed gray Fed. I sent it to Henry the Hatter in Detroit to have a brim trim and a narrower ribbon put on. They did the ribbon fine; but on the brim trim, somebody got overzealous and cut it back not to 2.5" but 2.25". At first I didn't like it. But after I wore it a little I changed my mind. Here:

 

[ariahokas]

Thanks so much for posting this! Looks really good. I think I will probably trim mine back to 2.25 and customer order a brown from MC Gannon What did it cost you?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Benzadmiral]

Thanks so much for posting this! Looks really good. I think I will probably trim mine back to 2.25 and customer order a brown from MC Gannon What did it cost you?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

It was a few years ago, so I don't recall. I did call them and complain about the brim trim, so they didn't charge me for that, just for the ribbon. It wasn't exorbitant, as I recall -- shipping was just as much.

I don't wear this one as much as I'd like. When I was visiting Meyer the Hatter here in town one day, I was wearing this hat before it was trimmed. I took it off, commenting that it was a little loose on me, to look at some straws. When I turned back, Mr. Sam, the head of the family, had inserted foam tape all around under the sweatband. He'd removed the tape backing, too, so the foam is in there to stay. Now the Fed is a little tight. If I want to wear it, I need to stretch it overnight.

This hat has had adventures. Unfortunately none of them were with me!

 

[ariahokas]

Hahaha that's funny. I actually have the tape in mine, but not stuck. I'm thinking of replacing it with a strip of leather or the like to allow it to shrink more. I really would prefer the hat without "foam" in it. Just the thought is unsettling. But without it bike winds blow it right off.

But 50% of the time, I like a casual Fedora with the brim up, and I like a slightly shorter brim for that. I sometimes get the Amish / Orthodox Jew comments sometimes ha-ha. A stingier brim might remedy that.





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[Blackthorn]

Here's my trimmed Fed IV with a new ribbon:

This was done by John Galt, a fellow lounger. He does great work but he may take a year to get your hat back to you.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Very nice, Blackthorn. I like the narrower ribbon.

 

[Blackthorn]

Very nice, Blackthorn. I like the narrower ribbon.

Thank you, sir, I love how it looks now.

 

[TheDane]

I sometimes get the Amish / Orthodox Jew comments sometimes ha-ha. A stingier brim might remedy that.

Amish and Jews are the ones wearing hats today ... oh yeah, and a few nutty members of TFL. You'll never get rid of those comments - along with the "Indy", "cowboy" and "gangster" comments. Think of them as clumsy attempts to compliment. I believe most of them to be just that

 

[Blackthorn]

Amish and Jews are the ones wearing hats today ... oh yeah, and a few nutty members of TFL. You'll never get rid of those comments - along with the "Indy", "cowboy" and "gangster" comments. Think of them as clumsy attempts to compliment. I believe most of them to be just that

Since I just happen to like black hats, I've always wondered if I'm channeling "Hassidic Gentile" or "California Amish."

 

[RJR]

Very nice, Blackthorn. I like the narrower ribbon.

+1

 

[Frunobulax]

Since I just happen to like black hats, I've always wondered if I'm channeling "Hassidic Gentile" or "California Amish."

Those would be great names for alt-rock bands.

 

[tropicalbob]

Fellows, with all due respect, whenever I've seen threads like this I've always asked myself. "Wouldn't it be easier just to get a new hat?" Stingies these days far outnumber the bigger brims; in fact, other than Akubra and the custom folks,there aren't many larger-brimmed styles available. Is it the FedIV style?

 

[TheDane]

Fellows, with all due respect, whenever I've seen threads like this I've always asked myself. "Wouldn't it be easier just to get a new hat?" Stingies these days far outnumber the bigger brims; in fact, other than Akubra and the custom folks,there aren't many larger-brimmed styles available. Is it the FedIV style?

Easier? I don't get your point

 

[tropicalbob]

Trimming down the brim, changing the ribbon, etc. I would think that trimming down a brim would be a somewhat hazardous and risky operation. Wouldn't it be simpler just to get a smaller-brimmed hat?

 

[TheDane]

Sorry Bob, now I understand - and I totally agree