"Formal" Straw Hats

[hatsRme]

"FORMAL" Straw hats? Easy!! Here is one of the best Ready-to-Wear suppliers I know of.

These are some of their offerings...

I especially like the Black one for your events. Best of luck.

I once told a guidance counselor in school I wanted to work with people in my career. He recommended I become a mortician. Hmmm....

 

[RJR]

"FORMAL" Straw hats? Easy!! Here is one of the best Ready-to-Wear suppliers I know of.

These are some of their offerings...
View attachment 55936 View attachment 55937

I especially like the Black one for your events. Best of luck.

I once told a guidance counselor in school I wanted to work with people in my career. He recommended I become a mortician. Hmmm....

 

[deadlyhandsome]

RJR,
I checked out the Historical Emporium hats. Interesting. Most give the impression they were built for theatrical purposes; kind of a stage prop vibe. Have you owned any of these hats?

While they didn't have what I was looking for, I did see a Panama Boater that intrigued me.

 

[RJR]

RJR,
I checked out the Historical Emporium hats. Interesting. Most give the impression they were built for theatrical purposes; kind of a stage prop vibe. Have you owned any of these hats?

While they didn't have what I was looking for, I did see a Panama Boater that intrigued me.

No experience with them myself.

 

[GHT]

I'm looking at getting a straw hat for the summer (I'm in Australia so currently winter here). I'm a civil funeral celebrant and need a hat that's appropriately formal. From late spring to early autumn the day time temperatures rarely drop below 30 degrees and will be up in the low to mid 40's (probably more graveside) and my felt fedora is just too hot. Given the woeful standard of dress here I'm probably overthinking it, but wondering what would be acceptable widish-brim straw hats.

I could just go a panama but I really prefer a leather sweat band and a lot of panamas seem to have cloth. I've seen a couple of straw homburgs around the place but I think the brim might be too narrow for our strong sun, and I'm not sure if it would be considered eccentric and distracting (I've seen one homburg in the wild, ever). Would a gambler hat be considered acceptable? Otherwise I will just go for a safari or fedora style. Given the Australian familiarity with Akubra's, a safari or bush hat shape would probably be safe, but I would like to branch out a bit, as well as expanding my knowledge.

Having a preference, like the leather sweatband, is going to limit you in what is already a very limited choice. You explain that you are a funeral celebrant, great description, by the way, you need the gravitas that goes with your work. A dark coloured straw sounds perfect to me, a dark coloured straw fedora sounds just the job, if you will excuse the pun. If such a hat isn't available in Oz, try putting The Village Hat Shop into Google. Make sure though that the price you see includes shipping,

 

[carldelo]

If you need to go for a darker colour, I'd suggest the grey Akubra Capricorn - that's what I wear in hotter weather when I want a brimmed hat but something as flamboyant as the boater is not an option. Word of warning: The Capricorn has a pleather sweatband, not leather. Doesn't bother me, but just for full disclosure's sake.... I have four and find them excellent for hot weather, and being ploystraw there's no worries if they get caught in the occasional rain shower.

I'll second this advice - I have a gray Capricorn (the first one to be custom made in size 62!), and it is indeed a formal-looking straw. The color is dark graphite, a little darker than it looks on most websites. I use it almost exclusively during summer evenings, sometimes during the day if it's cloudy/rainy. If I was going to a funeral in the summer (knock wood), I would wear it without hesitation. I would not wear a boater to a funeral (seems too playful), nor a homburg or topper (seems 'costume-y'). In the end, your local customs are going to dictate what looks respectful without being attention-grabbing, which is important in your position.

 

[BillC]

Hi all. Summer is coming and I am looking for a high quality black or gray straw hat to wear with a suit. Milan would be ok also. I've seen a nice borsalino and a churchill. Do you have any other recommendations? Thanks.

 

[Just Daniel]

Hi Bill, welcome to the Lounge.

I don’t have direct experience with your question on straw hats with colors, but I do have a few classic Panama hats. That might interest you now or in the future. There are some seriously nice hats.

For what it’s worth, some of the guys here have reported good experiences with Panama Hats Direct. If you are going all out $$ you can look at Brent Black hats. I think both sites have information on Panama Hats that can be both interesting and informative.

It’s not exactly what you are looking for, but maybe you’ll find it an interesting option?

Here is a link to google search results on the Fedora Lounge for Panama Hats

https://www.google.com/search?q=site:thefedoralounge.com+panama+hats

Here is Panama Hats Direct and Brent Black.

https://www.panamahatsdirect.com/
https://www.brentblack.com/

 

[Scooterz]

Check One Two Mini Ranch, https://www.one2miniranch.com/ He is an FL member and may give you a discount on shipping, not sure if he is still doing that. He also sells on ebay as monaville-cowboy. He sells Stetsons and Biltmores and maybe a few other straw hats and some come in black or gray. I lean towards the hemp hats as they are natural fiber and can take a little moisture. Stetson has a line of hats that are called Stetson Stratoliner Milan Straw hats but they are not real milan instead they are a synthetic straw. Some people like them and they come in black and gray but I have never had one so I cannot say what they are like.

 

[Tukwila]

A high quality natural or white Panama hat with a black crown ribbon is often worn with a dress suit. Unless you are going to a funeral I don't get the need for a dark straw hat in the heat of summer.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I’m not sure what your budget is, but Optimo of Chicago makes some great Panama hats and arguably the nicest Milan weave hats available today. My pockets aren’t so deep so I’ve only owned them secondhand. I don’t even dream of owning a Brent Black Panama hat.

You could look at Peters Brothers too. They make a Milan wave using hemp that several members here speak highly of.

I think that a summer hat, even with darker tropical weight wool suits, should be a lighter color. I have some navy blue and dark brown straw hats and they don’t get much wear. Personally, I think a traditional natural or even bleached, Panama hat would be a great choice. I like Milan weave hats better than Panama hats and the natural wheat straw colors are a favorite.

https://optimo.com/collection


https://www.pbhats.com/

 

[Edward]

Quite similar to my Brunetto:
View attachment 55896

Milano weave? Does this one have the stiffness associated with a traditional boater, or is it more like an Amish hat? (I've considered looking out for a few more Amish pieces since I recently bought a couple of very nice leather belts that are Amish made - obviously from a reseller, as I got them on Etsy. Outstanding quality for a very reasonable price.)

 

[fabiovenhorst]

Milano weave? Does this one have the stiffness associated with a traditional boater, or is it more like an Amish hat? (I've considered looking out for a few more Amish pieces since I recently bought a couple of very nice leather belts that are Amish made - obviously from a reseller, as I got them on Etsy. Outstanding quality for a very reasonable price.)

This is a traditional boater, so it's stiff. Boaters used to come in plenty of different weaves back in the day

 

[Edward]

This is a traditional boater, so it's stiff. Boaters used to come in plenty of different weaves back in the day

Interesting - that's the first one I've seen in this weave. They're a rare beast over here as vintage, though (I supposed the fragility, and that at one time they were seen as quasi disposable), so mostly you only see the modern ones. Not many of them about here these days, sadly.

 

[GHT]

Interesting - that's the first one I've seen in this weave. They're a rare beast over here as vintage, though (I supposed the fragility, and that at one time they were seen as quasi disposable), so mostly you only see the modern ones. Not many of them about here these days, sadly.

That is so true, but back in the day when men played tennis in long trousers...................

 

[fabiovenhorst]

Interesting - that's the first one I've seen in this weave. They're a rare beast over here as vintage, though (I supposed the fragility, and that at one time they were seen as quasi disposable), so mostly you only see the modern ones. Not many of them about here these days, sadly.

Actually my post was in answer to a previous one from Alan who posted a very similar one...

 

[Edward]

View attachment 324888

That is so true, but back in the day when men played tennis in long trousers...................

Ah, dear Fred Perry and those of his ilk proving short trousers an unnecessary affectation...

Actually my post was in answer to a previous one from Alan who posted a very similar one...

Yip, sorry, I meant 'here' geographically, as in the UK (I'm one of about six people I'm aware of who wear a boater on occasion in a non-fancy dress context), rather than 'here' as in TFL.

 

[FedoraRedHat]

Ah, dear Fred Perry and those of his ilk proving short trousers an unnecessary affectation...



Yip, sorry, I meant 'here' geographically, as in the UK (I'm one of about six people I'm aware of who wear a boater on occasion in a non-fancy dress context), rather than 'here' as in TFL.

I also wear a boater in formal/semi-formal occasions. Most modern boaters out there are "skimmers," with a brim of 2" or less, with a braided weave and a club-striped band. I managed to find one more suited to its vintage counterparts, with a pilated straw weave and a 2 1/2" brim. This is the Lock & Co. Classic Boater:

Hey, if the Marx Brothers wore boaters while trying to pass themselves off as "Maurice Chevalier," you can't get any less formal than that.