Brown Derby

[hatflick1]

Okay, for whatever reason...impulse, a desire to expand my collection beyond fedoras and beat up cowboy hats, the fact that I live in Hollywood and my house is maybe ten minutes from where the original Brown Derby once hosted the stars...I sprung for the Chaplin Hat offered by Miller Hats (closeouts selections).

http://www.millerhats.com/closeout_index/best8.html

Here's my question. What to wear it with??? Any suggestions??? I often wear a vintage Dobbs or Stetson with a dress shirt and khakis/ jeans. But a derby???

I look forward to any and all responses.

 

[Brad Bowers]

A brown Derby was always considered dressier than a black one. Go with a brown suit.

Brad

 

[FRANKIE]

A brown suit will definitely work, but the nice thing about living in the oughts is there aren't really rules about how to wear your hats. These days you can wear a formal hat like a derby with casual dress as easily as you can wear it with a suit. Back in high school I used to wear one daily with work pants (like Dickies or Carhartts) and a t-shirt or a workshirt. These days I think my face has rounded out too much for me to want to wear a derby at all, but if it works on you in general it will work in anything, as long as you wear it with confidence.

 

[hatflick1]

i agree re hat rules. Formal dress in America has been become somewhat
extinct, unless you may be heading to a business meeting on a corporate level
or attend a church where a coat and tie is still considered a Thou Shalt. Vintage photos from the thirties and forties suggest that a fedora was generally accompanied by lapels and white collar. Dust Bowl snapshots capture desperate farmers wearing fedoras... and suit coats over their overalls.

What's interesting about derbies is the number of historical photos I have seen where day laborers, bar tenders and street corner layabouts sport these bowlers despite the fact that they are dressed in denim work clothes, greasy aprons or long underwear henleys. This suggests the derby may nave been the equivalent of today's baseball cap. Derbies were also, along with homburgs, a much-worn hat in the Old West. I believe Doc Holiday was known for his.

 

[Rachael]

I'm unsure where to post this question, and a search led me here..

The Mister is looking for a bowler/derby but very much does not want to end up with a cheap felt 'costume' piece. His fedoras are both Stetsons if that is helpful to indicate his tastes. Any thoughts? I would love to pick one up for him but not sure I could afford a custom made.