A good starter hat....

[FinalVestige79]

What would be a good hat / hat company for a beginner?

 

[johnnycanuck]

Akubra.

http://www.hatsdirect.com/

Price and quality you can't beat.

If you would like to tell us a price range/style of hat you are looking for we can give you a better/more specific recomendation.

Johnny

 

[FinalVestige79]

Well price range wise...nothing above $250 ish. I am looking for a hat that goes with my suits, which are black with white pinstripe, and navy / blue pinstripe. Something casual I guess. This is all new to me, I used to play around with my Gramps' Fedora's and I didn't know if it was a good math or not. Ill take any advice I can get!

Thanks and best regards,
Dylan

 

[St.Ignatz]

GG617, Go to a hat store and try on all you care to. Most haberdashers will pull out nearly every hat they have in your size. Try them, make notes, then go the the next store. Even if you don't buy any of those you try on you get a real good feel for what you want in crown, brim, felt, color etc. It's not just about the kill, it's the hunt.

 

[FinalVestige79]

Thanks for that, I just found the Hatters in Southern California Thread!!! Thanks!! What company would you suggest?

 

[St.Ignatz]

I like Stetson. Lots of our fellow loungers aren't as enthusiastic as I am but the crown height and brim width suits me well. Akubra is about the best deal for a quality hat with the favorable exchange rate. Hats direct and Everything Australian are both very reliable with a faster shipping from HatsDirect from what I've been reading here. Mine,a Camp Draft, arrived in about eight days from HatsDirect. I payed under $100.00 including shipping for a hat that would cost easily 1 1/2 times as much. At that rate you can get a couple and still come out way ahead. Check out the FedIV and Camp Draft posts to get a good look and great analysis. EBay, I've found is better entered into sober with a bit more background to avoid over paying as I have on occasion.

 

[KY Gentleman]

I like Stetson. Lots of our fellow loungers aren't as enthusiastic as I am but the crown height and brim width suits me well. Akubra is about the best deal for a quality hat with the favorable exchange rate. Hats direct and Everything Australian are both very reliable with a faster shipping from HatsDirect from what I've been reading here. Mine,a Camp Draft, arrived in about eight days from HatsDirect. I payed under $100.00 including shipping for a hat that would cost easily 1 1/2 times as much. At that rate you can get a couple and still come out way ahead. Check out the FedIV and Camp Draft posts to get a good look and great analysis. EBay, I've found is better entered into sober with a bit more background to avoid over paying as I have on occasion.

Good advice here. Good luck and let us know what you get! (and post some pics, too!).

 

[Mike in Seattle]

What company would you suggest?

What hat would we suggest? The one that fits you best and looks best on you, of course.

For some, it's a brand new Akubra; for others, it's a classic vintage Stetson or Dobbs; for some, it's a custom lid from Art Fawcett or Optimo or another custom hatter.

My suggestion, since you're not used to wearing hats - find the style you think you like and get something in the lower-cost end of the price range and wear it for awhile. You may find, once you've worn a hat for awhile, that what you at first think is "you" changes.

You'll initially think it's great, but after awhile, you start thinking a wider brim or taller crown might be more to your liking. What you think is the right fit on the first hat, you may find is really a little too loose or rides a little high or low on your head.

No sense in putting a lot of money into your "training" hat.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

I would second Mike's opinion. I have several hats that I no longer wear because as I tried different styles I determined what worked for me and what didn't. $250 is more than I would spend on my first hat; especially if I wasn't 100% sure about the best style for me.

 

[FinalVestige79]

Thanks for the advice guys! I am kinda used to wearing hats, I wear a modern driving / newsboy cap just about everywhere I go. I wanna graduate to the Fedoras - I'm a big kid now! lol. I'm looking on ebay as I type this....theres a couple for under $50 in my size (7 3/8). I'm gonna go looking for hatters in OC as well, since Sir Wickets is gone I have no where to go.

 

[kaosharper1]

There's Hat World in Pasadena on Colorado Ave. They have a good selection of Stetsons, but the people who run the store aren't that helpful.

I started with Akubra, and I think they're a much better deal than modern Stetsons, but going into a store like that will tell you something about the style you would like.

 

[tinmanzzz]

SCALA FUR FELT HATS

Scala Hats are Great starter Hats at $50 or less.
Fur Felt, Soft, and many styles :eusa_clap
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/buddy-n-patches__W0QQ_sidZ792158781?_nkw=fur

 

[RBH]

Welcome to the Lounge and good Luck!

 

[Spats McGee]

Welcome to the Lounge, CanadaGuy617!

You've gotten some great advice already. Mike in Seattle makes some great points. If you've got hat shops in your area, go try some on, preferably lots of 'em. That'll give you some ideas as to what you like and what looks good on you. But Mike's right: that first hat that you pick out may not be the same as what you're looking for in 6 months or a year.

For $250, you can get a lot of hat. You should be able to get a starter hat for considerably less than that.

Good luck on the hunt.

 

[St.Ignatz]

I wore my first e-bay hat yesterday as a matter of fact purchased about three years ago.. A khaki Scala for under $50.00. Fur felt and more than people have come to expect for the price.
Not a bad suggestion at all Tinmanzz.

Scala Hats are Great starter Hats at $50 or less.
Fur Felt, Soft, and many styles :eusa_clap
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/buddy-n-patches__W0QQ_sidZ792158781?_nkw=fur

 

[dhermann1]

Stetson Chatham

My first fedora (the one I left in the cab!!!) was a Stetson Chatham. It's a nice fur felt hat, moderately priced (about $70), with a good variety of colors. The more you wear a fedora, the less conservative your tastes will become. In other words you'll feel more comfortable with a bolder style, high crown, wide brim, etc. The Chatham is a nice middle of the road in all dimensions.
You gotta post some pics when you make your choice!

 

[FinalVestige79]

by the way, anyone know where I can get a good 8 paneled Newsboy cap?

 

[KY Gentleman]

My first fedora (the one I left in the cab!!!) was a Stetson Chatham. It's a nice fur felt hat, moderately priced (about $70)

Where can I get a Chatham for $70? I have one and really like it, I would buy another quickly at $70.

 

[jazzncocktails]

Thanks for the advice guys! I am kinda used to wearing hats, I wear a modern driving / newsboy cap just about everywhere I go. I wanna graduate to the Fedoras - I'm a big kid now! lol. I'm looking on ebay as I type this....theres a couple for under $50 in my size (7 3/8). I'm gonna go looking for hatters in OC as well, since Sir Wickets is gone I have no where to go.

Sorry to hear that Sir Wickets is gone, GG617! The Orange traffic circle must seem empty without it.

There's a Village Hat Shop in Long Beach, at the Shoreline Village complex just up the way from the Yard House. It's a good place to try on hats. I started there...but unfortunately jumped the gun and on two visits walked away with two modern Stetsons for a total of about $300. Good hats, but I really don't wear them anymore...I've discovered the great Akubra hats from Hats Direct, and now pretty much exclusively wear a Campdraft and a Federation IV. Both very good hats, and fantastic starter hats if you want an open crown (shape it yourself), broad brimmed fedora. You can get one shipped from Australia for about $100, including shipping...and they have a variety of styles, from the broad brimmed to the pre-formed, somewhat slimmer brimmed like the Stylemaster. Check out their website at http://www.hatsdirect.com.

Have fun--and congrats at graduating to the fedora ranks!
Steve

 

[Dewhurst]

Geez, a "starter" hat?!?! I guess you could try a Dynafelt wool/fur mix. Maybe some low end Stetsons? Bailey of Hollywood would be a good place to start, they have a lot of styles for low prices.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Country Gentleman. They make decent quality, but very inexpensive hats in many styles. You may like one. Hats.com has a good selection.

For quality hats, I recommend Biltmore.