Choosing My First Fedora

[wsmontana]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I didn’t expect there to be quite so much to consider with a first fedora, especially when it comes to sizing and choosing between new and vintage.

I’m definitely going to take my time before buying anything. The advice about trying different styles and getting the size right first makes a lot of sense. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experience.

Welcome!

At the end of the day, it is just a hat.

You didn’t mention your application or your environment but that is an important factor in your decision. You’ll want to tailor your decision to best fit the use case (e.g., hiking, horseback riding, wade fishing, bbq dinner, wedding, etc) and weather conditions (rain, snow, sun, heat, humidity, etc).

Finding a hat (fedora or otherwise) is like picking a pair of boots. You might have several pairs of boots to cover different use cases and weather conditions — it is the same for a hat.

If you provide more information I’m sure someone here can help narrow your choices.

 

[Frunobulax]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I didn’t expect there to be quite so much to consider with a first fedora, especially when it comes to sizing and choosing between new and vintage.

I’m definitely going to take my time before buying anything. The advice about trying different styles and getting the size right first makes a lot of sense. I really appreciate everyone sharing their experience.

Well, we tend to make it more than it is around here. As you can see, we're kinda fanatics.

If you can find a decent hat shop near you where you can sample different styles, that would help. Otherwise maybe look at the What Hat are you Wearing Today thread for a few weeks to get exposed to the various styles and go from there.

 

[Clossonrr1]

A fur hat in silverbelly can serve you well if you have a casual style. Look at Johnny Depp, the man will wear a fedora with anything, and looks great in my opinion.

 

[Edward]

A fur hat in silverbelly can serve you well if you have a casual style. Look at Johnny Depp, the man will wear a fedora with anything, and looks great in my opinion.

Agreed. I wouldn't (for daily wear, at least) copy a celeb's look note for note, but observing somebody who dresses well and their general style and how they wear it can be a really helpful way of learning what works about certain outfit choices.

 

[GHT]

Agreed. I wouldn't (for daily wear, at least) copy a celeb's look note for note, but observing somebody who dresses well and their general style and how they wear it can be a really helpful way of learning what works about certain outfit choices.

So true, as the Hawaiian Shirt & Fedoras thread attests: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/hawaiian-shirts-and-fedoras.36948/page-145

 

[Who me?]

I’m thinking about getting my first fedora but I’m not sure where to start. I usually wear casual clothes and jackets. Any advice on a good style, color, or material for a first hat?

Hi bozak. Late to the party, but two months later you’re still a hat newb so I thought I would share my experience in hat newbery.
Two years in and I’m still a newbie. Even fifty years into the hobby you can probably still learn something new almost daily.

First and most importantly is do the research, then do more research.
Look at lots of pictures. Round faces don’t look the same in a hat as lean faces.

Different activities require different hats. There is no, one hat for every situation, but it’s nice to have a go to hat. Something in a silver belly seems to please a lot of people, myself included.

I started off with a cheap wool hat. Fedora type, Outback kind of brim. Just needed something to keep my head warm and ball caps weren’t cutting it anymore, on a number of levels. Got a lot of compliments wearing that cheap thing, which is one way to know if a hat looks good on you. If a hat looks good on you people will tell you.

Try on as many hats as possible. This can be difficult if there aren’t any hat shops close by. A good hat shop can be of great help. Let them help you. They do this for a living. Ask a lot of questions and you’ll see who knows what there talking about and who doesn’t. I travel about 45 minutes to get to a good hat shop. If it were two hours away I would do that too. Well worth it.

Ask a lot of questions here on the FL, but be respectful, do your research first.

Im drifting. I’ll add some things later when I’ve had more sleep. (Smiley face)