Hat Liners

[michael78]

Hi Guys, A Question about the plastic cover on the liner of a hat, would like to know when it came into the manufacturing process and can you date a hat buy this.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Frunobulax]

CW has it that they were introduced in the early to mid 50s, as a response to men beginning to use hair treatments (pomade, etc.). Prior to that - late 40s or so, you'll begin to see oilskin liners. The plastic was introduced later.

Also, as a newer member, you may not know this, but we have a thread "Ask a Question, Get an Answer," which is designed to help cut down on extraneous, single subject threads, such as this.

 

[michael78]

OHHH!... Of course!, Thats great a great help
Cheers Bud

 

[Frunobulax]

OHHH!... Of course!, Thats great a great help
Cheers Bud

And a late (27 posts in) welcome to the FL.

 

[Redfokker]

Welcome to another Brit to our family. Yeah, what Jim said about the liner material. Depending on the brand of the hat in question, there is probably a dedicated thread you can learn from. The search engine is your friend. Read and learn Grasshopper!

 

[alanfgag]

A nice thread for liners:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/lovely-liners.76615/

You won't find much plastic in the early pages but will see the transition in some of the later posts. Paper and cellophane (a cellulose material) generally preceded the heavier clear vinyl slipcovers of the mid to late 1950s. Seems like the shift was a period love affair with plastic as much as a response to hair pomades, which were popular in the 1920s and 1930s. In my experience handling these earlier hats I find very little damage to the liner (often silk) from contact with hair products.

 

[Frunobulax]

Thanks for the insight, Alan.