First fedora(s)

[DerMann]

Well, after receiving a rather nice paycheck, I invested some serious cash into some proper head gear.

I have had a top hat, skimmer, and panama up until now, and I am quite familiar with fedoras.

Last week I placed an order at two separate stores, The Fedora Store and Miller Hats (my local hat shop). I decided I needed two strong, basic hats. I decided on a Beaver Brand centre dent in a dark grey from the Fedora Store and a Stetson Chatham in tawny (they even had them on sale for $108). At first I was going to get just going to get a couple of Bailey's wool hats, but I ditched the idea when none of their hats were in exact sizes. Plus it wasn't that much more for actual fur felt.

On Monday, I received the Beaver Brand fedora, and I was very impressed with it. The felt was smooth and quite thick. My only complaints were that the liner wasn't sewn in and the colour was more of a dark grey-blue. From what I could tell, the hat definitely worth the $99.

I received the Stetson on Wednesday, and it looked like ths out of the box:

From all the I have seen and read on the Lounge and the internet, the brim just looked outright weird and offensive to me. The Beaver Brand hat came with both ends turned down (I think that's the term for it), but the back snaps right up.

After handling it for a few minutes, I did manage to snap the front down. Only thing is that it is snapped down at too extreme of an angle (at least for me), and it seems too curved.

Is there a way I could make the brim snap in a more natural look?

I like the way the Chatham looks, but the details really aren't that pleasing. The felt is substantially thinner than the Beaver Brand. The bow and ribbon aren't anywhere near first rate (as shown by the first picture. The bow is so bad that I really might replace it. These points won't keep me from wearing it, not by a long shot. This is just what I've been reading on here. Seems that "sovereign" quality is not anywhere what it used to be :\

 

[Stoney]

Brim Snap

The degree of snap in the brim is directly related to the flange that was used to shape it. If you really can't get used to the brim on this one you can always send it out to a hatter to have it reflanged.

Another option is to iron the brim flat yourself. If you decide to iron the brim, be sure to use a pressing cloth between the felt and your steam iron( I just use a clean white t-shirt and that works well). If you want a brim that is down all the way around you could then steam the brim and shape it by hand.

Option three is to pickup a flange with less swoop and reflange it yourself.
This actually is a bit more practical than you might think at first. If you buy a flange that you like it can be used on any number of hats that you end up collecting. You can try searching e-bay , or contact Jimmy Pierce who may have just the flange you need.

If it were me I would probably reflange it and remove and reattach the bow, it was sewn on a bit sloppy. I really like the finish and the color on this hat.I think it a keeper.

 

[DerMann]

I think I may try and steam it to a more suitable shape. If that doesn't work, I'll just deal with it, as it is a really nice hat.

 

[Torpedo]

Hello,

I am tempted by that Stetson.
Would you say the fact the felt is thinner would make it more suitable for milder weather, or did you mean it as a reflection on lack of quality?
Regards,
Daniel

 

[DerMann]

I wouldn't say that the felt is thin due to lack of quality, and it's definitely not suited for warmer weather.

The felt is still very soft and yet stiff where it needs to be. I like the colour of the hat because it's brown but not the run of the mill dark brown or chocolate (may avoid some Indiana Jones remarks...). The felt doesn't feel ratty or anything, it's just thinner. Had I known that it was thinner, I probably still would have bought the hat.

Last time I checked, Miller Hats still has them on sale. I like it quite a bit, and it'll serve its purpose well. The angle at which the brim snaps down doesn't even bother me anymore - it keeps the sun out of my eyes when driving.

This hat really does look good. It's definitely more "low profile," as it has a 3 1/2" or so crown. But the crown looks really sharp.

*EDIT*

I should mention that Miller Hats only have the Chatham in Tawny on sale. The other one (in a grey colour) is the full $135 or so.