Rattlin' Bones
New in Town
- Messages
- 3
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
Please Help Me Identify This Hat
Greetings, patrons. You have a marvellous looking forum, here.
Let me come directly to my point: I am in dire need of your assistance. My dear girlfriend has gifted me with a hat for Christmas. It is my first hat, and I've wanted one for years. Her giving it to me is so, so special to me. Sadly, it's considerably small for my head size. I'm hoping to acquire an identical hat in my actual size. Not to deceive her, because I trust her implicitly--but because I fear shattering her heart with the news, as I know she was extremely apprehensive over whether or not I would appreciate her present. And even if we do wind up discussing it, I'd want to locate one that I can wear in her honour, anyway.
Here's what I know: it's a Dobbs. A wonderful, chestnut-coloured, Dobbs fedora-type hat. Here are some photos:
What I don't know its official style, the accurate name of its shade, and whether it's currently commercially available. My best guess from searching around the web and petitioning the denizens of Style Forum is that it's either the Hunter Mountain Hat or the Huntoon. The two appear similar to each other, in fact... yet, I can't tell for certain whether either is a match for my hat. They don't appear to be offered (nor pictured) in my colour at these sites. So my first question to you is, what is this hat, and where, if anywhere, could I purchase it?
Second is the issue of size. My hat is a mere 7-1/4. Using the guide found here, I have determined that, under ideal circumstances, I would require a size 7-7/8 or an 8. This is a problem. The Dobbs hats that I've found come in 7-5/8 tops--occasionally 7-3/4. I wonder, could I squeeze one of these down onto my noggin without it looking ludicrous, or its giving me a headache? Ideally, I know I want a comfortable fit. But if I could at least get the thing on my head, I would be so, so happy. Any fellow fatheads around my size? What happens when you try to top your crown with a 7-5/8 size cap? Is it passable, or completely unacceptable?
Hat stretching has been suggested to me. Either by my self (which I'm not sure that I'd feel comfortable attempting), or by the hat shop I wind up purchasing from. (I of course refer to the stretching of a 7-5/8 hat--I know I'm not going to get the 7-1/4 around my head no matter what I attempt.) Is it at all possible to stretch a 7-5/8 out an inch?
My last resort, that has been presented to me, is to have a custom craftsman duplicate the hat for me in my exact size. I'm open to this, but am fearful of what it would cost me. While I couldn't possibly put a price-tag on pleasing my wonderful girlfriend, I'm not exactly a monetarily wealthy man at the moment. But were I to go down this road, who might you recommend? I'd be hoping for as exact a match as possible. That might be impossible when it comes to the branding of the lining, but I'd at least require the cording and feather to match. Fortunately, I could send the hatmaker the hat I already have to use as a reference. I'm really hoping I'll be able to find an authentic Dobbs, though.
Your help is so, so appreciated. I'd do anything to put a smile on my girlfriend's face. I thank you.
Greetings, patrons. You have a marvellous looking forum, here.
Let me come directly to my point: I am in dire need of your assistance. My dear girlfriend has gifted me with a hat for Christmas. It is my first hat, and I've wanted one for years. Her giving it to me is so, so special to me. Sadly, it's considerably small for my head size. I'm hoping to acquire an identical hat in my actual size. Not to deceive her, because I trust her implicitly--but because I fear shattering her heart with the news, as I know she was extremely apprehensive over whether or not I would appreciate her present. And even if we do wind up discussing it, I'd want to locate one that I can wear in her honour, anyway.
Here's what I know: it's a Dobbs. A wonderful, chestnut-coloured, Dobbs fedora-type hat. Here are some photos:
What I don't know its official style, the accurate name of its shade, and whether it's currently commercially available. My best guess from searching around the web and petitioning the denizens of Style Forum is that it's either the Hunter Mountain Hat or the Huntoon. The two appear similar to each other, in fact... yet, I can't tell for certain whether either is a match for my hat. They don't appear to be offered (nor pictured) in my colour at these sites. So my first question to you is, what is this hat, and where, if anywhere, could I purchase it?
Second is the issue of size. My hat is a mere 7-1/4. Using the guide found here, I have determined that, under ideal circumstances, I would require a size 7-7/8 or an 8. This is a problem. The Dobbs hats that I've found come in 7-5/8 tops--occasionally 7-3/4. I wonder, could I squeeze one of these down onto my noggin without it looking ludicrous, or its giving me a headache? Ideally, I know I want a comfortable fit. But if I could at least get the thing on my head, I would be so, so happy. Any fellow fatheads around my size? What happens when you try to top your crown with a 7-5/8 size cap? Is it passable, or completely unacceptable?
Hat stretching has been suggested to me. Either by my self (which I'm not sure that I'd feel comfortable attempting), or by the hat shop I wind up purchasing from. (I of course refer to the stretching of a 7-5/8 hat--I know I'm not going to get the 7-1/4 around my head no matter what I attempt.) Is it at all possible to stretch a 7-5/8 out an inch?
My last resort, that has been presented to me, is to have a custom craftsman duplicate the hat for me in my exact size. I'm open to this, but am fearful of what it would cost me. While I couldn't possibly put a price-tag on pleasing my wonderful girlfriend, I'm not exactly a monetarily wealthy man at the moment. But were I to go down this road, who might you recommend? I'd be hoping for as exact a match as possible. That might be impossible when it comes to the branding of the lining, but I'd at least require the cording and feather to match. Fortunately, I could send the hatmaker the hat I already have to use as a reference. I'm really hoping I'll be able to find an authentic Dobbs, though.
Your help is so, so appreciated. I'd do anything to put a smile on my girlfriend's face. I thank you.
