Godfather specials

[rippy444]

I am new to the hat scene, but am catching on fast. I reciently purchased both a gray and a camel, Godfather hat. What are the limits to :cool2: what I can wear with these bad boys. Thanks. Rippy444

 

[StylinLA]

Presuming you mean a couple of Homburgs, they're pretty dressy hats to me.
Suit at very least.

Some can pull off the look with a variety of clothes though.

 

[avedwards]

I agree that suits are a what you should be looking at. Maybe trousers and a sports coat if you're feeling casual, but a three piece suit or a double breasted suit would look very classy.

Of course in today's world no one will fault you for wearing a homburg with jeans and a T-shirt, but it will certainly not look as good as a nicely cut suit would look.

 

[Scotus]

As these others have said the "Godfather" is a Homburg, a more formal hat. I wear one nearly every day since I dress formally every day, but most in our society don't.

 

[Big_e]

Metropd pulls off a great look with his Homburg. Look at the "What are you wearing" thread, post# 19916.
Ernest

 

[rippy444]

Presuming you mean a couple of Homburgs, they're pretty dressy hats to me.
Suit at very least.

Some can pull off the look with a variety of clothes though.

You were right. I bought a sharp suit-shirt and tie. I wore a camel Homburg
with black wing tips to finish it all off. Man the complements were rolling. I have since bought two more suits and shirts and ties. Going for dress up from jeans and tee shirts. Smoking some great cigars too. The Forum is great and the ideas and helpful hints make it great to be a new member. Thanks.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Well done, rippy444! Homburgs are great hats and I too only wear them with a suit, to dress occasions. I love them! Show us some pics when you get a chance.

 

[djgo-cat-go]

A photographer-friend of mine pulls off a kind of hillbilly-hybrid-look (selvedge buckleback jeans, with big turnups , suspenders, IronRangers, shadow-plaid-shirt, bandana round his neck, wearing a brown homburg on the back of his head, feather and all.. He looks very cool in that getup, I admit, the homburg he wears is a nice little beater, so, not formal at all..

 

[Big_e]

You were right. I bought a sharp suit-shirt and tie. I wore a camel Homburg
with black wing tips to finish it all off. Man the complements were rolling. I have since bought two more suits and shirts and ties. Going for dress up from jeans and tee shirts. Smoking some great cigars too. The Forum is great and the ideas and helpful hints make it great to be a new member. Thanks.

Yeah, the people on this forum are a bad (good) influence on me. I used to always wear jeans and t-shirts. Now I haven't wore a pair of jeans since the new year. I went bargain hunting and ebaying. I bought some nice but inexpensive dress shirts, slacks and a couple of sportcoats to go with my hats. My short brim fedoras unintentionally give me a blues bros look.
One thing, when you get dressed, wherever you go, you can't be denied and people notice you.
Ernest

 

[Yeps]

I tend to wear my homburg whenever I wear a tie, and never with jeans. I am not really sure why, because I think it would probably look fine with more casual stuff. It just is such a sharp hat that I tend to use it for sharp clothes.

 

[Edward]

I'm a fan of Hombergs. Originally I bought a black one for wearing with black tie; like it so much I have two further (one dark, one light grey). I tend to wear them for formal occasions, with black tie or even a loung suit - graduations, weddings, and the likes. A slightly more formal hat than a bowler (a style for which I never cared), I would wear them anywhere one might otherwise consider a bowler to be proper. I'm hoping that funds will soon allow for me to pick up a couple of homberg-styled Milano straws for more formal occasions in the Summer.

Sometimes I do also think they look great for a sort of Tom Waits, ragamuffin grandeur effect, with tweeds and thirties style workwear.... heh. You can, of course, bash the crown with front dents to look a bit more fedora-like if it looks a bit formal to your eyes otherwise. It seems to me that it was only really into the thirties that they came to be considered more formal hats in the UK and Ireland, probably with the increased popularity, as I understand it, of the American-style fedora among hat-wearers in that decade. Back in the twenties, hombergs wre pretty standard; pretty much any photo of Michael Collins in civilian clothing (pre his becoming General Collins of the Free State Army in 1922), if he's wearing a hat, it's a Homberg. My understanding is that this is pretty typical of middle class men of the era.

The big bonus for the vintage buyer is that as Hombergs are much less popular than fedoras, they tend to be cheaper. My three cumulatively cost less than many of my fedoras individually.

For what it may be worth, I've also seen an inreasing number of nicely shaped Hombergs on the high street. Though wool, which wouln't be my preference, a lot of them do look nice, sit well on the head. For this, we have the hip hop community to thank..... and a lot of them are probably hearkening back to on Corleone and his ilk with that look.

 

[The Good]

I should get myself a homburg eventually, but I do have a question regarding color and event suitability. I know an all-black homburg is acceptable for black tie/formal events (not worn indoors of course), but is a grey homburg (think of the light grey one Michael Corleone wears in The Godfather) acceptable with such attire, or is it only suitable for day formal wear (morning coat)? Which would you say is a better investment? I am, unfortunately, on a rather steep budget, yet I want to acquire quality hats at reasonable prices.

 

[Lokar]

A grey homburg isn't appropriate with morning dress, that would be a top hat.

My understanding with black tie is that all black or midnight blue are the appropriate colours for a hat.

Of course, nobody nowadays would even know what a homburg is, never mind what colours are appropriate (but I do believe it looks much better with a dark hat with black tie).

 

[Edward]

For fully formal daywear, with morning or frock coat, a top hat is appropriate. Black is always correct, though grey is also just fine with a grey morning coat (acceptable at less formal gatherings, Royal Ascot, or - for the Groom and Father of the Bride only - at weddings). A homberg is correct with semi-formal daywear - stroller. I would stick to a black one, as a stroller, traditionally, is always black. A light grey Homberg can look superb with a loung suit as an accessory to formalise it a touch (my default option at weddings).

 

[rippy444]

I am down to a black-grey-brown and camel homburg, I would like a blue and a red some day. Never tried them with jeans either. I have enough fedoras for that.