Men's Hats: A Discussion Thread, Questions, Opinions, Suggestions...

[Dandy Wonka]

Mid December they say. I will put it up here when it arrives.

 

[mcarthur]



Mid December they say. I will put it up here when it arrives.

Since you are heading into summer, have you ordered any straw. the oxblood is not good for the summer heat

 

[Dandy Wonka]

Since you are heading into summer, have you ordered any straw. the oxblood is not good for the summer heat

We are heading into it full force. Yesterday was the hottest November for 75 years - it topped 40C. Luckily I live five minutes walk from the beach.

On summer hats I have a boater.

I also just received these (one in each colour) but have had to return them because they are too small:

http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/San_Remo-details.aspx

My Lock and Borsalino travelling hats aren't too heavy.

Also I had a really good Panama but I got rid of it once I realised that down here they are mostly worn by old men that hang around schools....

Are there straw options besides the Panama you recommend?

 

[ImTheGroom]

As I posted before, I picked up this camel coloured Magill fur felt stingy brim fedora at a thrift store.







I've been finding its shape pretty bland on me. The stingy brim isn't ideal, but I've been wanting a brown hat to wear with my tweeds, and such, and I'll take "just okay" for the $10 price tag of this hat. I can't do anything about the brim size, of course, but I am also not crazy about the crown. I've realized that the biggest problem with the crown, on me, is that it is higher in the back, than in the front. So, I now think the best thing is to reshape it back to front. My plan is to try to reshape it with no pinch or divot, and probably do this a few times, to obliterate the old shape, as much as possible, and then reshape it so that what was made as the back of the hat becomes the front of the hat, and vice versa.

I'm not crazy, am I? And, have I got, generally, the right idea, for how to go about this? Absent all of the tools of a hatter, I will do it the same way I reshaped my grey 2" brim high crown fedora, recently, as some of you may remember. @Tibor , any words of advice?

 

[Tried and True]



Are there straw options besides the Panama you recommend?

Milan straws by Optimo are sublime.

 

[Ianiceman]

@ IMG you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. What you are proposing sounds like some noobs who come on this board and buy a poorly fitting jacket from a thrift shop or eBay thinking they've got a huge bargain but even after money spent on alterations it's still not right, but they hang on to it cos it was such a bargain.

That trilby is way below the standard you have set yourself for your other lids (and I'm not gonna get into the other soggy thing you bought with it). I say cut your losses and let it go. Save up for something that is a lot closer to being 'right' from the start.

 

[Tried and True]



That trilby is way below the standard you have set yourself for your other lids (and I'm not gonna get into the other soggy thing you bought with it). I say cut your losses and let it go. Save up for something that is a lot closer to being 'right' from the start.

Gotta agree.

 

[mcarthur]



Milan straws by Optimo are sublime.

+1, highly recommend

 

[ImTheGroom]



@ IMG you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. What you are proposing sounds like some noobs who come on this board and buy a poorly fitting jacket from a thrift shop or eBay thinking they've got a huge bargain but even after money spent on alterations it's still not right, but they hang on to it cos it was such a bargain.

That trilby is way below the standard you have set yourself for your other lids (and I'm not gonna get into the other soggy thing you bought with it). I say cut your losses and let it go. Save up for something that is a lot closer to being 'right' from the start.

It's not the quite same, since I'm talking about rotating something that is virtually symmetrical, rather than trying to turn trousers into gloves.

And when did a tweed trilby, to wear in the rain and cold and muck, become the subject of such disdain?

Anyway,

Spoiler: here is the current state of it; I think this crown shape works much better.

 

[Dandy Wonka]

Thanks for the heads up on the Milan Straw.

I am onto them now.

 

[ImTheGroom]

Milan straws by Optimo are sublime.

If anyone would like to buy me this hat, and have it sent to me before leave for the tropics on Saturday, please go ahead. This is exactly the hat I want, but cannot afford now that a client stiffed me for $2K.

 

[Prince of Paisley]



On summer hats I have a boater.

Also I had a really good Panama but I got rid of it once I realised that down here they are mostly worn by old men that hang around schools....

Are there straw options besides the Panama you recommend?

Tbh I think you'd look more like a weirdo in a boater than in a Panama hat. Nobody wears the former outside of their Gatsby-themed Xmas party, whereas the latter is ubiquitous here in summer (on men and women), particularly if you live by the beach (well, Bondi at least, maybe not Maroubra...)

 

[ImTheGroom]

Going to the corner store for cream. It's improved, but how much?

 

[Tried and True]

A marked improvement to be sure but still substandard, IMO.

 

[ImTheGroom]

A marked improvement to be sure but still substandard, IMO.

Yes, I certainly prefer a wider brim, and in due time I'll have a brown and/or green hat. I have not reversed the hat; I could still do that - the back telescopes less. What do you say of the band? Should I change it for a ribbon?