Huge Black Fedora

[athanasiuskircher]

I have recently come into possession of an incredible German-made, likely 1930s, black fedora with a very tall crown and very wide brim (5.5 inch crown, 3 inch brim). It's a fantastic piece, and I've been wearing it a fair bit with my 1930s tailoring. However, I've noticed recently that the hat bears some resemblance to the amply-proportioned Borsalino fedoras that many Orthodox Jewish men wear.

I myself am not Jewish, and I hadn't even thought of this association until just the other day, when someone asked me tentatively why I was wearing the hat. I usually get about five or six comments from strangers per day about my hats, and since switching to using this black hat about a month ago, I've received no remarks at all (!) bar the one aforementioned. This led me to realize that perhaps people are wondering if the hat has a religious purpose, and they are thus disinclined to comment about it.

Now, I don't care one way or the other about receiving comments from strangers on my attire, but I am wondering if perhaps I'm giving myself an odd look by wearing this huge hat. Does anyone else here wear large black fedoras, or black fedoras in general? Black is a rather severe color that I typically take care to avoid, but I was drawn to the Cagney-esque enormousness of this hat. Curious to hear what everyone thinks of all this. Pictures of the hat attached.

 

[jeffgarf]

I have recently come into possession of an incredible German-made, likely 1930s, black fedora with a very tall crown and very wide brim (5.5 inch crown, 3 inch brim). It's a fantastic piece, and I've been wearing it a fair bit with my 1930s tailoring. However, I've noticed recently that the hat bears some resemblance to the amply-proportioned Borsalino fedoras that many Orthodox Jewish men wear.

I myself am not Jewish, and I hadn't even thought of this association until just the other day, when someone asked me tentatively why I was wearing the hat. I usually get about five or six comments from strangers per day about my hats, and since switching to using this black hat about a month ago, I've received no remarks at all (!) bar the one aforementioned. This led me to realize that perhaps people are wondering if the hat has a religious purpose, and they are thus disinclined to comment about it.

Now, I don't care one way or the other about receiving comments from strangers on my attire, but I am wondering if perhaps I'm giving myself an odd look by wearing this huge hat. Does anyone else here wear large black fedoras, or black fedoras in general? Black is a rather severe color that I typically take care to avoid, but I was drawn to the Cagney-esque enormousness of this hat. Curious to hear what everyone thinks of all this. Pictures of the hat attached.

I am Jewish and do wear such hats (see my most recent post in the Borsalino Brotherhood). I would love to see more photos of the inside of the hat, including the sweatband, liner or crown tip. The style of the hats differ between eras and subgroups of Orthodox Jews, but that one does look like an older example of one worn by Jews from a Polish/Lithuanian background. There is no actual religious significance to the hats themselves, per se, and the current style is for smaller brims, especially among the younger set, but I'd have no problem wearing that to services at my synagogue today.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

I am Jewish and do wear such hats (see my most recent post in the Borsalino Brotherhood). I would love to see more photos of the inside of the hat, including the sweatband, liner or crown tip. The style of the hats differ between eras and subgroups of Orthodox Jews, but that one does look like an older example of one worn by Jews from a Polish/Lithuanian background. There is no actual religious significance to the hats themselves, per se, and the current style is for smaller brims, especially among the younger set, but I'd have no problem wearing that to services at my synagogue today.

Thanks much for this reply. The hat was made in Berlin, Muellerstrasse 164. The rather art deco sans serif font seems to suggest a Weimar-era origin to me. Pictures attached.

 

[jeffgarf]

We definitely want @mayserwegener to weigh in on the hat itself, but that is a nice fedora. German Orthodox Jews of that era, I believe, wore more formal hats than the fedoras of the era, likely top hats.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

We definitely want @mayserwegener to weigh in on the hat itself, but that is a nice fedora. German Orthodox Jews of that era, I believe, wore more formal hats than the fedoras of the era, likely top hats.

I see. I will look forward to his input. This had been my thought as well: from what little bit of reading I've done, it seems like the large black fedoras have only become commonplace somewhat more recently than the time from which this piece most likely dates.

 

[jeffgarf]

I see. I will look forward to his input. This had been my thought as well: from what little bit of reading I've done, it seems like the large black fedoras have only become commonplace somewhat more recently than the time from which this piece most likely dates.

They were becoming common in Eastern Europe at this time, not central and western.

 

[mayserwegener]

We definitely want @mayserwegener to weigh in on the hat itself, but that is a nice fedora. German Orthodox Jews of that era, I believe, wore more formal hats than the fedoras of the era, likely top hats.

I see. I will look forward to his input. This had been my thought as well: from what little bit of reading I've done, it seems like the large black fedoras have only become commonplace somewhat more recently than the time from which this piece most likely dates.

Super find! It appears to be Wool. The Sweatband Stamp is in English but that doesn't mean it's not of German origin. Is there a paper label behind the sweatband at the rear or rear sides? Does it have a Back Bow? May I ask where you found it. It appears that "Hut-Neubert" was a Hat Shop at Müllerstr. 164 Berlin N.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

Super find! It appears to be Wool. The Sweatband Stamp is in English but that doesn't mean it's not of German origin. Is there a paper label behind the sweatband at the rear or rear sides? Does it have a Back Bow? May I ask where you found it.

It feels like fur felt to me, though what kind exactly I couldn't say. It is rather intriguing that the sweatband label is English! I think it definitely hails from Germany, though I bought it from an eBay seller based in Florida. I wonder if perhaps the current sweatband was added somewhat later, and in the US. It does have a small bow at the back of the sweatband.

 

[mayserwegener]

It feels like fur felt to me, though what kind exactly I couldn't say. It is rather intriguing that the sweatband label is English! I think it definitely hails from Germany, though I bought it from an eBay seller based in Florida. I wonder if perhaps the current sweatband was added somewhat later, and in the US. It does have a small bow at the back of the sweatband.

It could be Fur Felt. I can't see it very well. Is there a paper label behind the sweatband? Can you please post it here for follow up?

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/german-austrian-hutmachers.32103/page-528#post-3223047

Now I can see the full images and it does look like Fur Felt. Please check for a paper label behind the sweatband. Also for follow up please repost the hat at the link posted above.

 

[Thundercolt]

I have recently come into possession of an incredible German-made, likely 1930s, black fedora with a very tall crown and very wide brim (5.5 inch crown, 3 inch brim). It's a fantastic piece, and I've been wearing it a fair bit with my 1930s tailoring. However, I've noticed recently that the hat bears some resemblance to the amply-proportioned Borsalino fedoras that many Orthodox Jewish men wear.

I myself am not Jewish, and I hadn't even thought of this association until just the other day, when someone asked me tentatively why I was wearing the hat. I usually get about five or six comments from strangers per day about my hats, and since switching to using this black hat about a month ago, I've received no remarks at all (!) bar the one aforementioned. This led me to realize that perhaps people are wondering if the hat has a religious purpose, and they are thus disinclined to comment about it.

Now, I don't care one way or the other about receiving comments from strangers on my attire, but I am wondering if perhaps I'm giving myself an odd look by wearing this huge hat. Does anyone else here wear large black fedoras, or black fedoras in general? Black is a rather severe color that I typically take care to avoid, but I was drawn to the Cagney-esque enormousness of this hat. Curious to hear what everyone thinks of all this. Pictures of the hat attached. View attachment 751275

"Does anyone else here wear large black fedoras?"
I do, 5 1/2" crown with a 2 3/4" brim, custom made for me by T. Jones from the Lounge.

 

[Frunobulax]

"Does anyone else here wear large black fedoras?"
I do, 5 1/2" crown with a 2 3/4" brim, custom made for me by T. Jones from the Lounge. View attachment 751774

Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider those dimensions "large."

 

[belfastboy]

I have recently come into possession of an incredible German-made, likely 1930s, black fedora with a very tall crown and very wide brim (5.5 inch crown, 3 inch brim). It's a fantastic piece, and I've been wearing it a fair bit with my 1930s tailoring. However, I've noticed recently that the hat bears some resemblance to the amply-proportioned Borsalino fedoras that many Orthodox Jewish men wear.

I myself am not Jewish, and I hadn't even thought of this association until just the other day, when someone asked me tentatively why I was wearing the hat. I usually get about five or six comments from strangers per day about my hats, and since switching to using this black hat about a month ago, I've received no remarks at all (!) bar the one aforementioned. This led me to realize that perhaps people are wondering if the hat has a religious purpose, and they are thus disinclined to comment about it.

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Now, I don't care one way or the other about receiving comments from strangers on my attire, but I am wondering if perhaps I'm giving myself an odd look by wearing this huge hat. Does anyone else here wear large black fedoras, or black fedoras in general? Black is a rather severe color that I typically take care to avoid, but I was drawn to the Cagney-esque enormousness of this hat. Curious to hear what everyone thinks of all this. Pictures of the hat attached. View attachment 751275

Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider those dimensions "large."

You said what I was going to say.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

You said what I was going to say.

In the realm of pre-1960's dress hats for city wear/wear with tailoring, I think they're rather large dimensions.

 

[belfastboy]

In the realm of pre-1960's dress hats for city wear/wear with tailoring, I think they're rather large dimensions.

I disagree. Hats prior to 1960's had wider brims. The 1960's ushered in the "Rat Pack" stingy brim look that persisted for much of the decade. Think Frank Sinatra, James Bond as fashion icons of the era. Then into the 1970's hat wearing fell off the map. 1940's dress hats could be quite tall, boxy crowns and also wider brims. Into the late 50's brims began to narrow.

 

[GHT]

"Does anyone else here wear large black fedoras?"
I do, 5 1/2" crown with a 2 3/4" brim, custom made for me by T. Jones from the Lounge. View attachment 751774

Hat size can be ambiguous. Is it the overall dimensions, or the internal hatband that sits on the head? Hat size is the one time when I prefer metric, a hat from the US will be one eighth of an inch different to a UK hat showing the same size.

Like others have commented, the overall size doesn't seem any bigger than most fedoras.

 

[Edward]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider those dimensions "large."

No, me neither. In so far as there's any uniformity in the vagaries of fashion, while 3" would be at the wider end of what I've seen and handled for a 30s/40s era hat, it's not a brim I would consider 'very' big. For that, I'd be thinking 4" or more, I suspect.

I do like a black fedora myself. The Jewish community is vastly smaller here in the UK, so perhaps the black fedora association here is less commonly people's go-to thought (frankly, my experience is that people are more likely to think 'gangster' or even, often as not, 'cowboy' with a fedora over here these days). The only time I've experienced any reference to that, via an antisemitic comment aimed my way (clearly the hat association, as I'm not actually Jewish), I was wearing a carbon grey Federation with a long, military overcoat. Ironically on the same day as another genius shouted "Germany's WWII-era leadership c***' out of a van at me. Only time it's ever happened, but it seemed very bizarre to receive both comments within an hour of each other. People, huh?

The one in the OP is very similar to a Borsalino I picked up on eBay a few months ago. It's one of three black fedoras I own, the other two having slightly smaller dimensions (Laird and Miller hats, not what I'd call stingy brims as such, but a slightly smaller, more 50s style crown, with a 2.5" brim). Nice hat. Black was the first colour of any brimmed hat I wore, still one I enjoy, though probably a mid-grey in a warm rather than blue-based shade goes with more.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

I disagree. Hats prior to 1960's had wider brims. The 1960's ushered in the "Rat Pack" stingy brim look that persisted for much of the decade. Think Frank Sinatra, James Bond as fashion icons of the era. Then into the 1970's hat wearing fell off the map. 1940's dress hats could be quite tall, boxy crowns and also wider brims. Into the late 50's brims began to narrow.

You're absolutely right, but this hat that I've posted has a three inch brim. Even this seems to have been on the wider side for the time. Many 1940s hats I've seen have a 2.5 inch brim at most, and in the '30s, it seems like a lot of hats had 2 to 3 inch brims and quite tall crowns. I almost never come across pre-1950 hats with brims above 2.5 inches, even though these were ostensibly more common at that point.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

No, me neither. In so far as there's any uniformity in the vagaries of fashion, while 3" would be at the wider end of what I've seen and handled for a 30s/40s era hat, it's not a brim I would consider 'very' big. For that, I'd be thinking 4" or more, I suspect.

I do like a black fedora myself. The Jewish community is vastly smaller here in the UK, so perhaps the black fedora association here is less commonly people's go-to thought (frankly, my experience is that people are more likely to think 'gangster' or even, often as not, 'cowboy' with a fedora over here these days). The only time I've experienced any reference to that, via an antisemitic comment aimed my way (clearly the hat association, as I'm not actually Jewish), I was wearing a carbon grey Federation with a long, military overcoat. Ironically on the same day as another genius shouted "Germany's WWII-era leadership c***' out of a van at me. Only time it's ever happened, but it seemed very bizarre to receive both comments within an hour of each other. People, huh?

The one in the OP is very similar to a Borsalino I picked up on eBay a few months ago. It's one of three black fedoras I own, the other two having slightly smaller dimensions (Laird and Miller hats, not what I'd call stingy brims as such, but a slightly smaller, more 50s style crown, with a 2.5" brim). Nice hat. Black was the first colour of any brimmed hat I wore, still one I enjoy, though probably a mid-grey in a warm rather than blue-based shade goes with more.

I would agree that it's not truly "huge" if we look at the bigger picture. I view it as "huge" in the context of it being a pre-1950s dress hat, as it's a good half inch larger than most other hats I see from this time, both in its brim width and its crown height.

People say the strangest things. It's an interesting and puzzling look into the general zeitgeist of our time, when we see what sorts of things people say about our attire. I have certain garments in my 1930s-40s wardrobe that, time and again, each receive the same comments, in a kind of pattern. A gray pinstriped suit that always makes people say "Gomez Addams," a 1930s dark navy suit that makes people say "Barron Trump" (likely due to combination with my slicked back hair), etc etc.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

View attachment 751940

Hat size can be ambiguous. Is it the overall dimensions, or the internal hatband that sits on the head? Hat size is the one time when I prefer metric, a hat from the US will be one eighth of an inch different to a UK hat showing the same size.

Like others have commented, the overall size doesn't seem any bigger than most fedoras.

The "hugeness" that I refer to is the large dimensions of the hat. I suppose I've exaggerated somewhat, as it's really only slightly above average in terms of what often comes up for sale in the category of 1930s-40s hats. But, I was struck by its proportions. It's so far the largest hat in my small collection, and it creates quite an effect when I put it on.

Thanks much for this picture. The black hat is a compelling pairing with the dark stripe of the boating blazer and the dark trousers. I often wear mine with a 1933 dated dark navy blazer and dark gray slacks.

 

[belfastboy]

You're absolutely right, but this hat that I've posted has a three inch brim. Even this seems to have been on the wider side for the time. Many 1940s hats I've seen have a 2.5 inch brim at most, and in the '30s, it seems like a lot of hats had 2 to 3 inch brims and quite tall crowns. I almost never come across pre-1950 hats with brims above 2.5 inches, even though these were ostensibly more common at that point.

I have some in my modest collection.