How many hats do you own?

[DominusTecum]

I'm afraid y'all have given me the collector's bug!

I've got not a few hats, but they're all rather specialized, and so it feels like I need more, even for normal, everyday wear.

1. No-name "Fadero" black fur felt hat that I bought at the Burlington Coat Factory. My first fedora, and really not a bad hat, though it's made in China

2. Modern/semi-modern "Bee Hats" wool felt fedora, given me by an elderly local man

3. Akubra Adventurer in medium brown -honestly, it's my favorite hat, because it's both very good quality and something that I can wear around without feeling like I have to treat it with kid gloves.

4. Vintage "Beaver Hats" grey fedora

5. Vintage Knox brown stingy-brim

6. Vintage Biltmore Homburg -this hat is a beauty, and I got it for a bargain. It's grey and in absolutely mint condition, except that I bought it on ebay and the seller misrepresented it as a 7 1/2, when it's a 7 1/8 instead. Too small for me to wear, and I think stretching it to the required size would be a bad idea.

7. Vintage silk topper -stunning hat; of course, the only time I can wear it is in front of the mirror or to my wedding some time in the distant future, but hey, every man ought to have a top hat stowed away in his closet for formal occasions, right?

8. Vintage boater from "Long's"

9. Biltmore straw fedora, modern, blue-grey, with an upturned homburg-style brim

10. Stetson 5x quality straw western hat, modern

One of my problems is storage: Usually, the hats don't come in their orignal boxes, and so often times I'm as eagerly in the market for vintage hatboxes as I am for the hats themselves, at antique malls and the like. The boxes, oddly enough, are generally much easier to find.

 

[bolthead]

I just counted. As of today- I'm up to 22 with one more in the mail.

That's it? I figured you for at least doubled that DM.....

 

[Tomasso]

I have a dozen fedoras evenly divided between felt and straw; I didn't plan it so, it just happened. [huh]

 

[mingoslim]

I can see 22 from where I sit at my computer . . .

ANd I have one on order from AB . . . 1 winging its way to me that i bought from a fellow Lounger . . . and I am ordering a new VS Tropicaire as a New Years gift to myself.

Plus, there are probably another 20 I can't see from where I sit. . .
Gee . . . I got to sell some of these off . . .

 

[bolthead]

I have about 35 or so Fedoras that includes my straws (5), this don't include my caps, which I have a few cuffley's, newsboy's, etc.....and a slew of ball caps that I hardly wear anymore.

 

[Chas]

I don't collect, per se. But when I am "out and about" and I find something I like and if fits me (or will with minor alteration) I snag him. So far I have:

7 Fedoras
2 Straw Boaters
1 Homburg
1 Straw Fedora
4 Newsboys
1 Top Hat

 

[pgoat]

9 fedoras, including one cheapo cotton summer hat, one panama, four vintage and two customs. I should be adding another 3 or 4 this year.....

also: two fur winter hats (getting most of my wear these days)
about 10 ski caps (used for running in cold weather)
about 15 baseball caps (running in warm weather)
2 bicycle helmets and about 5 skull caps for winter
One straw cowboy hat

 

[EricH]

Well recently my wife opened my hat closet after counting a bunch I had already set out to brush. She wanted to know why I needed 50 hats. Lucky for me she hadn't counted all of them. Of course, more are on the way.

Eric
Always one hat short.

 

[pgoat]

If you're a 7.5 feel free to lighten your load and send 'em this way!

 

[KY Gentleman]

Before I began reading here in the Lounge I had maybe 5 good hats. Since discovering this place my collection has grown to 12! And I still want more....

 

[J.T.Marcus]

74, if I didn't miss any.

 

[Edward]

Let me think.... I've amassed quite a few hats i the last six months or so. Not counting a bunch of hats that have been picked up as souvenirs, costume pieces and other novelties (these include a tradition Mickey Mouse ears hat from Eurodisney), I think I must have approaching twenty hats, all of which I wear on a regular basis. About a dozen of these are caps - various yachting, flat and Gatsby designs, which get worn with leather jackets or when I'm otherwise gonig with a more casual-fifties look. Otherwise, I have:

-vintage silk opera hat (don't recall brand)

-modern Christy's of London top hat

-My original unlined, cloth-band Debenhams wool-felt fedora, bought new for GBP8.00 in 1991 (sale price - full price back then was GBP20). Not worn this one for a long time - I wore it out a lot at one time, then it was kept exclusively for black tie. Mostly now it lives in the wardrobe, but it's a useful beater hat to have around for costume use or clubbing in venues where it doesn't matter if a hat gets damaged or a drin kspilled on it or whatever. Walk on the wild side, and all that....

- a wool felt Western hat in black, vaugley similar in shape to the Akubra Cattleman. Bought in mid 2006 for a Yul Brynner costume (Magnificent Seven / Westworld black gunslinger costume). I quickly adopted wearing this one regularly, and it was this hat that led to all my other fedoras. I still have it hanging on the back of my front door - I like how it looks there. It'll still be my go-to if ever I need to dress cowboy again. I've also worn it once or twice to places I wanted a wide brimmed hat at but didn't want to risk a nice fur felt. This hat is totally crushable....

- Miller by Biltmore black furfelt fedora. My first fur felt, an ebay bargain. I suspect it had never been worn - it's since had the most wear of all my fedoras. For now, this is the daily wearer. Wind trolley has been especially useful last few days!

- Panama - bought new from a dealer who imports them from Ecuador. Came via eBay. worn a lot last Summer - for all intents and purposes, this hat has repalced the old Vietnam-style GI boonie hats that were my default hot weather hats for years.

- Vintage black homberg - can't remember the brand offhand

- Vintage grey Homberg, Herbert Johnson for Brooks Brothers, seems to have been made (or at least originally sold) circa 1970. Beautiful hat. Teeny weeny bit tighter than all my other 57s, but I'm sure it'll stretch a bit over time.

- Dark Brown Akubra Federation Deluxe - I love this hat, it has really given me the buzz to do my own bashes.

- A steel grey regular Federation is on its way to me - can't wait for it to arrive!

I have a further list of at least a couple of dozen hats I'd like to have, and I continue to scan eBay for further bargains. I'd shy away from thinking of myself as a collector, as all my hats are now bought with the express purpose of being worn regularly. I'm sure I'll end up with more than I strictly need, though. The original idea was to have a top hat for formal wear, homberg for semi formal and one fedora in each of the colours, but that went out the window long ago when I got into the detail, discovered different bashes, high crown and low crown, formal and casual looks..... and so on. Nevertheless, all my hats will be bought with regular wearing in mind. I have my eye on a wide range of Akubras...

 

[Boodles]

How many hats...

Although I'm exposing my flanks to say so, I probably have more hats than my wife has pairs of shoes. Counting the Stratoliner, misc Stetson and Dobbs fedoras, bowler, homburg, panamas, boater, bucket, piths, soviet era ushankas, leather 8 panel, and the 15 tweedy 8 panel and/or flat hats, I can count 37. Copying the tactic my grandson uses of spreading the peas around on his plate so it appears he's leaving less, I've scattered the hats around the house. I'm happy we're not counting all the baseball caps from marinas, tackle shops, bars, from Key West to Baltimore.

 

[Al]

Before I began reading here in the Lounge I had maybe 5 good hats. Since discovering this place my collection has grown to 12! And I still want more....

Sounds like you have a case of OCLD (Obsessive Compulsive Lid Disorder), I know the feeling well!
-Al

 

[indycop]

Copying the tactic my grandson uses of spreading the peas around on his plate so it appears he's leaving less, I've scattered the hats around the house.

lol lol lol lol

 

[Lamont Cranston]

Fedoras

I have twenty Fedoras that are fur felt .
One is a Clear Nutria, quite old and worn but still a great hat.
Two Panamas and two campaign hats, both Stetson.
One of the campaign hats is "Nutria quality" with the old Philadelphia stamp.

I am now working with Art to have him make my first custom hat!

It may take a wile because he has been hammered by the Hurricane and has a lot of storm damage to deal with.

My favorite hat is an early lightweight Stratoliner in a hickory brown color.

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

I am a mere piker amongst ya'll. I need a couple more to round out my very small collection.

 

[Spellflower]

I currently have 10 fur fedoras in my house, and one on the way form the seller. However, several of those fedoras are not really the right size or style, and were purchased to tide me over until I found the right thing, and to help me rule things out and learn more about hats. One of these days, I'm gonna get around to selling them in the classifieds, but things keep happening that are more pressing.

I also have other various hats that I don't wear, but are funny, such as my $3 Stetson cowboy hat with the HUGE crown, and my terrific "tourist" hat which has a red and white striped band with a pipecleaner monkey sculpture on it.

Then there are the hats that don't really count as hats: my fleece cap that I wear around the house in the winter and my red baseball cap that I wear under my bike helmet to provide a visor.

 

[barrowjh]

I have 20 ~ 23 fur felt fedoras right now; at least a couple destined for gifts (too lazy to go make an exact count). In addition, probably a half-dozen or so of the newsboy type caps; most of those with the fold-in ear flaps, two with matching scarves. I'm counting thin-ribbons, hombergs, one bowler in with the fur felt number. Quite a few 'roid caps, some cotton, and some synthetic 'running' 'roids.

 

[BigHairyFinn]

And I thought I was weird having a couple dozen... *phew*

Do baseball caps count?

PS. This is a pic from 1920-1930...railroad foundry workers ... notice the headwear. and imagine a similar pic taken today. Wouldn't see so many berets and PrintzEugens