# Suggestions for hats (not baseball caps)



## Shawn Mathis (Oct 17, 2011)

Hello,

I am interested in hats. Not baseball caps but fedoras, trilbys, etc. I am a neophyte and looking for advise. For now I am looking at both formal (for church), but not top hat fancy, and everyday casual (trilby maybe?). 

I have a Henschel Aussie oiled-leather hat. I purchased it in Georgetown CO and wear it for the fall/winter (three-inch brim!). Here are some pictures (I do not wear it clipped up):

View attachment 2375


View attachment 2376


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Oct 17, 2011)




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## Jack K (Oct 17, 2011)

I wear a cotton Tilley hat for casual outdoor stuff. They make somewhat more formal stuff, too, but I think their specialty is hats that are durable. Mine is not as stylin' as your Henschel. But I can say that I've washed mine often, worn it in all kinds of weather, packed it in my luggage and flown around the world with it... and it still looks good. An advantage for me, also a hat novice, was that their hats come with helpful instructions for first-time hat wearers.

A breathable hat with a brim is a good idea in sunny Colorado.

View attachment 2377


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## Andres (Oct 17, 2011)

Jack K said:


> their hats come with helpful instructions for first-time hat wearers.



I don't wear hats, so forgive my ignorance, but why would a hat need instructions? Is there something more than "put it on your head"?


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## reformedminister (Oct 17, 2011)

How about an Ivy Cap? That is my hat of choice.


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## Joseph Scibbe (Oct 17, 2011)

I like my drivers cap/ ivy cap. It is classy, simple, easy, and does the job. I am also looking for a winter hat.


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## py3ak (Oct 17, 2011)

Nothing has quite the joyful elan of an alpine hat, which also comes in a more staid but still unmistakeable German version.


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## LawrenceU (Oct 17, 2011)

I wear hats a lot. I have several felt fedoras, a few Panamas, and more. You really should check into the Fedora Lounge. You will find more than you knew existed about hats. The Fedora Lounge is a website. 

I could go on for pages, but I'll be very brief. Cheap hats are a waste of money. Good vintage hats are amazing. Felts come in all sorts of grades. Beaver can be very good. Nutria is amazing. Cheap felt hats are great for starting fires. I don't have much time right now, but if you need more information I'd be happy to fill you in. If you have some specific questions you can post them or PM me.


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## Shawn Mathis (Oct 17, 2011)

Outside hats.


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## Theogenes (Oct 17, 2011)

Try one of these ^


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Oct 17, 2011)

py3ak said:


> Nothing has quite the joyful elan of an alpine hat, which also comes in a more staid but still unmistakeable German version.



I may or may not have just purchased the German version.


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## py3ak (Oct 17, 2011)

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> py3ak said:
> 
> 
> > Nothing has quite the joyful elan of an alpine hat, which also comes in a more staid but still unmistakeable German version.
> ...



I can already picture you yodeling in lederhosen and your German alpine hat, and giving passing goats your death stare.


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## bookslover (Oct 17, 2011)

Per Joshua, I enjoy flat caps. The problem with fedoras, etc., it seems to me, is that they look to big on you if you're head's not large enough to be proportionally balanced with the size of the hat.


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## Todd King (Oct 17, 2011)

I guess I'm the only country boy here? For my taste, there is nothing quite like a good cowboy hat! Palm leaf for summer and beaver felt for winter. Of course, they come in many styles to fit every size and shape of head.


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## LawrenceU (Oct 17, 2011)

Todd King said:


> I guess I'm the only country boy here? For my taste, there is nothing quite like a good cowboy hat! Palm leaf for summer and beaver felt for winter. Of course, they come in many styles to fit every size and shape of head.



Oh, you are not alone there. I wear a 10x Beaver Stetson that I have had for a long, long time. I also have an Atwood hat that sees more than its share of wear in the summer.


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## GulfCoast Presbyterian (Oct 17, 2011)

I wear a Tilly hat with mesh sides when judging/working dogs. Its great for that sort of stuff, and very durable. It also makes me look sort of like a thumbtack, but who cares. My dome ain't getting sunburned anymore!


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## LawrenceU (Oct 17, 2011)

Mark, do you mean this one?View attachment 2380

I have one like that and on with snap up sides on the brim. They are great hats.


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## N. Eshelman (Oct 17, 2011)

Dr. Beeke always wore a Dutch Fisherman's hat. It is also known as a Greek Fisherman's hat. They are pretty cool... for a hat. 

Greek Fisherman's Cap


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## GulfCoast Presbyterian (Oct 17, 2011)

LawrenceU said:


> Mark, do you mean this one?View attachment 2380
> 
> I have one like that and on with snap up sides on the brim. They are great hats.



Yes! It is my go-to hat.


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## Edward (Oct 17, 2011)

Either a Panama or a straw western hat for most of the year; a boonie when it rains, a warm cap from REI for cold weather.


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## Jack K (Oct 17, 2011)

Andres said:


> Jack K said:
> 
> 
> > their hats come with helpful instructions for first-time hat wearers.
> ...



Funny. There's taking care of your hat. Picking the right size. Keeping it on your head in a windstorm. In short, there's more to hat wearing than I would have imagined.


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## Philip (Oct 17, 2011)

I have a nice brown wool felt fedora that I wear when it gets cold. I also have two tweed drivers caps, plus two cotton ones for summer (one khaki, one blackwatch madras).

I also have a mint condition antique fedora (inherited from relatives) that I need to get to a hat place to see if the fit can't be made just a bit more snug.


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## Jared (Oct 18, 2011)

I wear a cheap Michael Jackson style fedora that I bought at Wal-Mart for $10.


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## Shawn Mathis (Oct 19, 2011)

"Try one of these"...the pipe or the hat?


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## seajayrice (Oct 19, 2011)

View attachment 2384 Something more American


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## Shawn Mathis (Oct 20, 2011)

LawrenceU said:


> Cheap felt hats are great for starting fires.



Thanks for the idea to use the Fedora Lounge. As for cheap felts, being new to all this, what does that look like...the 30$ hat at Nordstrom? Or the 60$ Bailey?


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## LawrenceU (Oct 20, 2011)

Shawn, I would never by the $30 Nordstrom hat, unless it was a return of a higher ended hat. Some of the Baileys are decent hats some of them are not. One thing to look for in a Fedora is the smoothness and softness / "crumple-ability" of the felt. If you watch many Golden Era movies you know what I mean. Their hats are just buttery soft, yet will hold a shape when bashed. Another thing to look for is the thickness of the felt. Fedoras that are worth wearing are made of thin felt; about one-third to one-half the thickness of a felt cowboy hat. If you hang around on the Fedora Lounge much you will get a feel for some of the brands out there. Here is a fellow that ships hats all over: Meyer The Hatter -- The South's Largest Hat Store -- New Orleans, Louisiana I've bought a couple from him and he has reworked some vintage hats for me in the past. (I'm doing most of that myself now.) He is great to work with and carries good hats from a variety of price points. If you have the money and can wait Art Fawcett makes some of the finest hats in the world. They are the Allan Bibles of felt hats. I would love to have one some day.


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## cwjudyjr (Oct 20, 2011)

I for one, like a Houndstooth, ala Bear Bryant.


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