Is it possible to wear a brown Fed 4 without looking Indy?

[Classified00]

The title pretty much says it all. I'm thinking of ordering a brown Fed 4 and I'm curious about your thoughts.

Thanks!
[huh]

 

[theinterchange]

It all has to do with how you've styled it. Take a look through the Akubra Overload thread, there are plenty of non-Indy looking Federations out there. While the Fed IS technically an "Indy" hat, it's also a classically styled fedora that can take on most any look you want to give it. Some of the best looking Feds I've seen weren't Indyesque.

That being said, wearing a brown hat period makes some folks think Indiana Jones.

Randy

 

[Mr E Train]

Yep, be prepared to hear comments like "Hey Indy!" from the average Joe on the street, no matter how you bash it. Unless you get a black one, then it would be "Hey, Blues Brothers!"

 

[jlee562]

Well, I would take a small issue with the Fed IV being "technically" an "Indy Hat," it's a 30's style, un-tapered Fedora. But that's just me being picky on labeling.

Heck, I get "Indy" comments when wearing my black Penman with maroon ribbon....I got an Indy comment in my carbon grey Fed IV as well.

It happens, oh well, c'est la vie!

 

[Classified00]

I'm torn between brown and tawny fawn ... decisions, decisions [huh]

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Frankly, there area lot of dumb people out there ready to call anything with a wide brim an Indy hat. So, forget the possible comments - they are irrelevant to the hat choice.

In terms of those who know the difference, it it all in how you bash it. So, quite simply, the answer is a big YES. Buy it. Enjoy it.

 

[The Good]

As an owner of a brown Federation IV, I can say with certainty that I, at least, am almost never referred to as "Indiana Jones" outside of my own family. I usually just get "Nice hat," "Awesome hat," or "Cool hat" comments. Works for me. It can work for you too.

P.S. It even is styled after the Last Crusade bash, for that matter...

 

[fenris]

Actually, any wide-brimmed hat would most probably be called either; Indy, cowboy, Dick Tracy, etc...

A brown hat would most probably get more Indy comments. Believe me, it's better than Freddy Krueger.

 

[Bassman]

Just recently I got my first "Indy" remark while wearing my brown Fed III, so it probably won't happen to you in a brown Fed IV.
That doesn't stop me from wearing any of my Federations.

 

[ScionPI2005]

That being said, wearing a brown hat period makes some folks think Indiana Jones. Randy

Strangely enough, sometimes you don't even need a brown fedora for an "Indy Comment". I was wearing a gray Stetson Whippet at work the other day, and a coworker called after me and made an Indy comment.

 

[theinterchange]

Well, I would take a small issue with the Fed IV being "technically" an "Indy Hat," it's a 30's style, un-tapered Fedora. But that's just me being picky on labeling

Ummm... the hat was designed AS an Indy hat by several of the old guard members of Indy Gear's Club Obi Wan in cooperation with HatsDirect. Steve Delk from Adventurebilt sent them [Akubra] one of his Indy blocks for reference when they set out to design the 4th [and current] incarnation.

So, more than technically, it WAS designed as an Indy hat. [huh] It just so happens that Indy's hat [thankfully!] was a 30's style untapered fedora.

Randy

 

[Zombie_61]

I've been wearing my brown Fed IV for a couple of years now (sometimes with my Wested Raiders jacket) and I've never heard one comment outside of family and friends, positive or negative. But then, with my shoulder length hair and beard, maybe I remind people of Charles Manson more than Indiana Jones.

 

[jimmy the lid]

In my view, the ROTLA Indy hat was a caricature of a fedora -- with a crease that was exaggerted to fit the bigger than life storyboard persona of Indiana Jones. It made for a great movie hat. I don't think it makes for a particularly compelling real life hat. [This comment not offered in a negative way -- to each his own...]

So, yes -- it is absolutely possible to take the basic building block of a brown fedora and make it your own in a non-Indy way. Go for it!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[jlee562]

Ummm... the hat was designed AS an Indy hat by several of the old guard members of Indy Gear's Club Obi Wan in cooperation with HatsDirect. Steve Delk from Adventurebilt sent them [Akubra] one of his Indy blocks for reference when they set out to design the 4th [and current] incarnation.

So, more than technically, it WAS designed as an Indy hat. [huh] It just so happens that Indy's hat [thankfully!] was a 30's style untapered fedora.

Randy

Actually, Steve has said that the Fed IV was a vintage Akubra block, he sent them a hat, not a block.

see: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42072&p=602294&hilit=Akubra#p602294

 

[Not-Bogart13]

In my view, the ROTLA Indy hat was a caricature of a fedora -- with a crease that was exaggerted to fit the bigger than life storyboard persona of Indiana Jones. It made for a great movie hat. I don't think it makes for a particularly compelling real life hat. [This comment not offered in a negative way -- to each his own...]

I used to think it was not an accurate hat design, but I have since seen many hats in old movies and photos with the same front crease, the same brim, same top dent. Generally not all on the same hat, but the Raiders hat was not a caricature at all. The block is even thought to have been an old, retired block dug out for the occasion.

More over, jlee is right. The Fed 4 is a vintage Akubra block. So, in the specific case of the Fed 4, it's a hat that is of vintage design, but with a block and dimensions chosen to best approximate the Indy hat.

As for what hats can draw a "Indy" comment from strangers and those who don't know I'm an Indy fan, this is the ONLY hat that has ever drawn them. lol Nuts, huh?

 

[AlterEgo]

I'm repeating what's already been said here, but any felt hat, no matter how it's bashed, in any color, with over a two-inch brim, will definitely be called "Indiana Jones" anywhere in the USA. Get used to it. It will happen. All the time. It's usually meant as a compliment, so just smile as you mutter "freakin' idiot" under your breath.

My Fed IV Deluxe is moonstone, but if you've narrowed it down to the brown or tawny fawn, I think you'll get more wear out of the lighter color, as it's a more versatile shade and can be worn comfortably further into Spring and earlier in Autumn there in the warm climate where you live.

 

[kaosharper1]

Showcase of Non-Indy Federations

Check out this thread from a while ago:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=36593&highlight=non-indy+federations

 

[gtdean48]

I don't own an Indy hat, only 1 close is a cut down Squatter but it is grey, not brown. I get asked "where's your whip" quite often & I am almost exclusively a thin or mid-ribbon wearer! If you are going to wear a fedora of any style except stingy brimmed porkpies, then be prepared for the Indy comments. Just saying...

 

[hatflick1]

I have worn fedoras, gray, black, brown, and have had such references thrown my way as, "HEY": "Little House On The Prairie", Indiana Jones, Freddie Kruger, Private Eye, etc. It seems some folks are as free chucking remarks to a stranger as they are tossing litter from their car.

The ignorant comments bother me less than the freedom people feel to do it. We are, I suppose, all moving targets of something thee days.

What I have noticed is the off-handed jibes are not quite as provoked if the ribbon treatment and finished brim have been customized with a contrasting color. For example, I have a Resistol Open Road-style hat that I bashed into a fedora and replaced the thin ribbon and brim binding, which matched the silver belly felt, with black. This contrast makes the hat look very classy and unique. And it has never garnered some drive by remark.

Yet...

 

[ryang]

I bought my Fed IV as an "Indy" hat but then did not really try to style it too much like the movies. I also make and crack whips, but I usually feel akward wearing my Fed while using my whips. I have a black Penman (like the one in my avatar) and I find that it occasionally gets "Indy" comments, yes, even from complete strangers.[huh] I just like my fedoras and wear them with confidence.