Just got back from a vintage clothing store...

[driven_247]

and I saw a hat, now I have a few questions.

The hat that was the closest to what I was looking for looks like it was from Saks 5th Avenue. I don't know the names of the styles yet, but I like ones that have a smaller brim (I guess maybe 2" or so) that can be turned up in back and down in front. This one had a depression in the crown all the way from front to back. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be pinched or not... I could pinch it and it would stay, but I could also take the pinch out and you couldn't tell it was there.

Here are my questions:

1. The outside of the hat had a black fur or similiar material. It was very soft and the hairs were about 1/4" long or a little less. It almost looked a little shaggy... but not in a comical way. Does this description give any indication of what the material was?

2. The band was about 1" or so tall and made from the same material as that hat. I think this may have made the crown appear taller on my head. I would like to change the band to something taller and with some subdued color... maybe graphite or so. Would this make that crown appear a little shorter? Are there any good places to order bands and are they easy to change?

3. The lining had a slight yellow tinge to it... it was pretty even so as to not look like a stain so much, but I assume it has most likely changed color over time. Is this typical? Also the lining was clinging to the inside of the crown as I would have expected... or maybe there just loose sometimes?

Thanks for any info. I may go get it depending on what input I get.

Shawn

 

[tonyb]

How much does the seller want for the hat, Shawn? Those narrower brims don't look so good on me, but other guys here (those with narrower faces and builds) swear by 'em. Use the search function. Type in "stingy."
I don't know what the protocol is where you live, but out here it is common for secondhand dealers to mark their offerings at twice what they will actually take for them. I've found that the dealer will usually move on the price if the item has been languishing in the shop for more than a few weeks. The tendency is to split the difference between the buyer's offer and the seller's asking price, so I generally offer low. I respect the seller's need to make a living, though, so I try to settle on a price that's fair to all concerned.

 

[driven_247]

Thanks for the reply, tonyb. Every hat I picked up in this place (including the one I'm interested in) was priced $25.

I was planning on offering $15 and seeing how that went over.

 

[tonyb]

Could be that $25 is a very reasonable price and a customer would be glad to pay it. I don't know what sort of hats he has at that price, but if they were at all "vintage," in decent enough shape and of a size and style that suits me (or even came close), I'd buy 'em all and be out the door before he came to his senses.
Is that hat you have your eye on a real fur felt, and not wool? Does it fit? Do you like the way it looks on you? If so, I'd call it a bargain at $25. The sort of negotiation I mentioned earlier in this thread is typically something like getting a hat marked at $75 for $40. While I of course would rather pay less than more, and while I do indeed take pleasure in scoring bargains, I don't object to parting with three or four Jacksons in exchange for an old hat in nice shape. Can't get a decent new one for even twice that much, and what you can get new usually can't compare anyway.

 

[driven_247]

I'm not sure if it's real fur felt or not. Like I said above, it was kind of "shaggy" for lack of a better word... not like any woll I had ever seen, so I suppose it could be some kind of fur. It was also from Saks 5th Avenue... I'm not sure if that makes it more likely to be real or not.

It was in decent shape... the lines seemed a little dingy and yellow. Maybe it's vintage, maybe it's just old.

 

[tonyb]

Get thee to a retailer that stocks a selection of men's hats, provided there is one nearby. Compare the fur felts to the wools. The difference will become obvious to you. BTW, Shawn, it's amazing how little some secondhand sellers, whether online or in a storefront, know about hats. During a recent visit to a vintage shop, where you would think the staff would know a thing or two, I saw a wool Dorfman-Pacific (sp?) piece of junk priced the same as a nice old fur felt. It's not at all unusual to see eBay sellers describe as wool what is really fur felt.

 

[driven_247]

I believe I saw both fur-felt and wool at this same store. This one hat just seems, well, different. Doesn't feel or look like wool. I've seen many wool hats, and it appears that the wool hats are obvious once you have them in your hand... they just feel like wool.

Is it a safe assumtion to make that if it doesn't feel like wool, it's some sort of fur-felt?... or are there other materials to be aware of?

 

[tonyb]

I believe I saw both fur-felt and wool at this same store. This one hat just seems, well, different. Doesn't feel or look like wool. I've seen many wool hats, and it appears that the wool hats are obvious once you have them in your hand... they just feel like wool.

Is it a safe assumtion to make that if it doesn't feel like wool, it's some sort of fur-felt?... or are there other materials to be aware of?

That's probably a safe assumption, Shawn. I, too, have never encountered a wool hat that didn't feel like a wool hat.
There are indeed "shaggy" fur felts. Others here have far greater expertise on such things, but you can find a brief overview on the various finishes at the Hat Life website. I've seen those sorts of finishes at hat shops and, while they have a distinctive and even "pretty" appearance, I've never bought one because I would rarely have occasion to wear it and would rather spend my dough on something I'd actually use. However, if I found a nice one for 25 bucks ...