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Hello- New to your lounge, from North Carolina... This place is GREAT!

Cousin Hepcat

Practically Family
Messages
774
Location
NC
Hi All, this is my first post. All I can say is... WOW! Man, this is Great! I've been doing web searches for others interested in the 1930s-40s in general, pretty extensive I thought, with no luck, then finally a coworker pointed me here... man this is such a great idea, who's idea was this?

I got home and have been browsing around here and there checking out pics, and... wow... You all sure know a lot about 30s-40s style hats, suits, cuffs, and reet pleats! Amazing. I want to learn EVERYTHING. Where do I start? Is there a Beginner's Guide FAQ to 30s-40s hats & suits? I have just one actual matched suit, which I got when I graduated for job interviews (had it on when I got home today, so snapped a shot), and I'm... (sniff)... HATLESS... I hope hats aren't required for admission at the lounge door- Come on, give a guy a break already...

my_id_03.jpg


You all sure are a sharp dressing sharp looking crowd from your avatar pics, like movie stars- hey, what you need is an ugly mug in there to make the rest of you look even betta, get me? :) Man, wish this was a real lounge and I could run down and hang out with everyone right now...

Me being from No'th Car-o-Lina, listening to swing band and jazz music and always talking about "This kinda thing wouldve never happened in the 40s..." (as coworkers roll there eyes, "Oh boy, here he goes again...") makes one "Kinda Different". But I've gotten quick with my response to one of the most-often phrases heard jokingly from coworkers & friends, "jazz sucks": "That's OK, just cause you've got NO CLASS, I ain't mad AT cha..." (unless it's a Sunday, then it's "Well, bless your soul, son, I'll pray for you"...)

Nice to see there's others out there with the same affliction too! :)

Where did it start for you all?? For me... The records. One time when I was up to visit my granddad (a bandleader in the 1920s), he gave me his brother's (a bass player in a swing band) Tommy Dorsey 78s and I was hooked. Started saving up milk money back home in elementary school & buying 78s at a thrift shop down the street. He'd help me out & get them from his friends when I came up; used to tell me, "if I believed in reincarnation..."

Can I just say, that if I could live in any one movie, it would have to be Its a Wonderful Life... (or To Have And To Have Not. Or, Bringing Up Baby, or most any of the Capra-corn movies, or...) and Whoa, the dressed-to-kill Ladies from that era! "MURDER!" All-REET man, take me there!

The axe (horn) in my pic, I can't really "play" her, but I'm getting there, "woodchopping" as they call it... teaching myself pretty much from scratch in free time, slow going, but fun. She's the same make, model & VINTAGE tenor sax used by my Very Biggest tenor sax idol ever! - Man I set out to buy a "cheap axe to learn on", and the guy at the shop said "we got one was in a staircase-related mishap, but rebuilt & refinished her real nice, lost the antique monetary value but a great bargain"... air-tight and just right, my prayers had come true! I told God, I owe him big time for this one, this never could happen by chance in a million years... named her Lauren, after Lauren Bacall; can't decide which Lauren is prettiest. Greatest tone ever, mechanics tighter than some new horns, though still have lots to learn. (But I can play the heck out of a radio :)

Anyone else out there from NC? maybe even the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area?

So glad to have found this place - Did I forget to mention, this place is GREAT?! Hope to hear back from you all about the hats and suits "starter info", Lots more to talk about sometime soon (- 40s recipies! - Anyone here ever decked out a house 30s-40s style? - Do y'all ever wear your 40s style clothes & hairdo's to work or in general public, or do you "keep it a secret" except for gatherings of folks & swing dances/concerts where you know people have same tastes?), Take it easy,

- Bobby
"Cousin Hepcat"
 

Solid Citizen

Practically Family
Messages
922
Location
Maryland
"Welcome Cousin Hepcat"

I'm pretty new to the lounge myself, it sounds like your really into the 1940's. you will need some threads & headgear. Head on over to Ebay suggested categories:

1. Fedora, Stetson Hat, Dobbs Hat, Mallory Hat, Knox Hat & Borsalino Hat to name a few search phrases

A. You will need to know your hat size?
B. Note 40's hats have fairly wide brims/tall crowns, those with 2" "stingy brims"
are not what you want to look for!

2. 40's Ties again on Ebay search words Swing Ties, Vintage Ties & 1940's Ties
will help. If in doubt on the condition of any vintage item if not stated email the seller well before bidding/auction ends.

3. Clothes on Ebay search Mens Clothing (Vintage) key search "1940's" in this category.

4. Strongly recommend the DVD "Tucker the Man & His Dream" this movie is non-stop 1940's clothing film good inspiration.

5. I do wear vintage ties, hats & clothing to my work but its not a 24-7 thing for me

Peter :cool2: PS I like the sax, record player & lamp in the photo
 

Sefton

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,132
Location
Somewhere among the owls in Maryland
Welcome 'cus

Glad to see another enthusiastic new member here! It really does sound like you've come to the right place...you're a natural for this here joint ;)

Solid Citizen's right on the money to get you started in your search for the right duds. There's a wealth of knowledge here if you search past postings...I learn something new all the time here. Once you start building your wardrobe feel free to post pictures. You'll get the straight dope on your threads.

As for myself I wear vintage or golden era look clothes all the time. Can't stand modern clothes,sloppy appearance and the bad attitude that usually goes with the look of "modern man". Welcome to the sanctuary that is known as The Fedora Lounge! :cheers1:

Best regards, Sefton
 

Chad Sanborn

A-List Customer
Messages
428
Location
Atlanta, Ga
Welcome!

Another Carolinian here! Us sutherners ar takin over.

Used to live in Raleigh, now in Asheville. Glad to have you aboard!

Chad
 

Zemke Fan

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,690
Location
On Hiatus. Really. Or Not.
Hey, neighbor...

Welcome aboard. Lots of kind and interesting people here and a FEW old curmudgeons (like me)! Of course, EVERYONE has an opinion, and occasionally they're even the RIGHT opinion. But, as I said, it's a fun and entertaining place. (As we used to say at my alma mater -- a small technical school in Beantown -- "It's quite a time sink.")

I'm just up I-95 a bit, working in Washington, D.C. -- a place we like to refer to as the nation's largest theme park. My work is fun (most days), but my real interest is the WWII era and I have an obsessive collection of U.S. Army Air Force uniforms and memorabilia. Hence the screen name.

Anyway... As I was saying, Welcome aboard!

PS: Not all of us in real life resemble our avatar... Take that tough guy Biltmore Bob for example... There's even a photo of him around here petting dogs...
 

Mycroft

One Too Many
Messages
1,993
Location
Florida, U.S.A. for now
Zemke Fan said:
Welcome aboard. Lots of kind and interesting people here and a FEW old curmudgeons (like me)! Of course, EVERYONE has an opinion, and occasionally they're even the RIGHT opinion. But, as I said, it's a fun and entertaining place. (As we used to say at my alma mater -- a small technical school in Beantown -- "It's quite a time sink.")

I'm just up I-95 a bit, working in Washington, D.C. -- a place we like to refer to as the nation's largest theme park. My work is fun (most days), but my real interest is the WWII era and I have an obsessive collection of U.S. Army Air Force uniforms and memorabilia. Hence the screen name.

Anyway... As I was saying, Welcome aboard!

PS: Not all of us in real life resemble our avatar... Take that tough guy Biltmore Bob for example... There's even a photo of him around here petting dogs...

I look exactly like my Avitar, and welcome to the lounge Cousin Hepcat. Good luck with the hurricane up there ( I am in the Florida).
 

Johnnysan

One Too Many
Messages
1,171
Location
Central Illinois
Welcome to the Lounge, Hepcat! We'll have to save your intro photo to the archives so that we can document your transformation after a few months among us! These guys will have you buyin' vintage in no time!! :cool:

Now, let's see, we need something to go with that sax...

<img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/Johnnysan/Lounge%20Photos/porkpie.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">
 

Cousin Hepcat

Practically Family
Messages
774
Location
NC
Thanks all

Thanks all for the welcomes :)

MK - man I saw those pics, wish I could make the cruise!! Maybe next time.

Solid Citizen, love the double-meaning of the handle - man you've got me taking notes. Will look up pics of those. (Can you reccomend if the legwork's already been done & theres a website (book, whatever) with a centralized source of pics of 30s-40s popular hats?) someone here posted pics of two large hatracks full of them, the Stetsons looked especially sweet. And thanks for the other info on threads & ties.

Biltmore - takes a lot to run me off (grew up as "the white guy" in my old neighborhood straight up till age 18; learned how to handle some really rough kidding, as well as being the "pink poodle" white-boy-who-raps center of attention, doubt you could match it but youre welcome to try)

Sefton, Mr. Retro 24-7, hats off to you for it! Bet you don't like it either when "new guy" announces movies on Turner Classic Movies (mr. Not-Robert-Osborne) with the "slacker" look denim shirt untucked...

Chad - another N. Carolinian, cool! Give a shout if you're ever headed out towards Raleigh, I'll do the same if Asheville (used to go out there occasionally as a kid for vacations to the NC Mountains area, not so much now)

Zemke Fan, from DC - Duke Ellington's old stomping ground!- read an article today that immigrants from Cambodia, Africa have the highest concentration of African immigrants to the US in that area of DC, and are looking to rename streets named after figures of the African-American rennaisance with names like "Ethiopia Way", and native DC'ans getting mad that "they're trying to erase us"... intense.

Mycroft, looks like we were lucky with hurricane Wilma, hope you made it through ok in FL. Just like your pic, huh... what size SUIT is that, man?! like, "mattress size"...

Johnnysan, hippest avatar ever. Now that's a cool suit you posted. Here's my tenor sax idol Dexter Gordon from 1949:

gordon.jpg


Flitcraft, anyone told you you look just like Robert Mitchum...

Man who said "timesink" you werent lyin'. Take it easy & Good Night
 

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