Light Gray Homburgs

[athanasiuskircher]

For some time, I've been aiming to requisition for myself a light gray Homburg with a thick black band. This seems to have been quite a common thing in the 1930's (and following decades), and many instances of these hats show up online. I've read that Homburgs should mostly be worn with formal attire, either a dark day suit, or true formal attire such as a stroller suit or black tie ensemble.

Is there an argument to be made for wearing a Homburg, especially a light gray one, with a slightly less formal ensemble, such as a navy blazer and gray flannel slacks? I would wonder if this was sometimes done in the 1930s since there seems to have been such a preponderance of these hats at that time. Attached is an interesting picture of Edward G Robinson wearing a hat - maybe not a Homburg since the edge is not bound, but I'm not sure what else it would be since the brim is upturned. It seems to be probably light in color, and the same goes for the suit, which also looks like it could be textured and thus more casual.

Any thoughts on this are much appreciated.

 

[Rmccamey]

I wear light grey and Silverbelly homburgs regularly with casual clothes, sport jackets and dark jean's, and also with traditional dress suits. I'm of the age I don't get too hung up on what used to be the proper rules of attire.

Ps; a homburg without a brim binding is usually called a Lord's hat.

For some time, I've been aiming to requisition for myself a light gray Homburg with a thick black band. This seems to have been quite a common thing in the 1930's (and following decades), and many instances of these hats show up online. I've read that Homburgs should mostly be worn with formal attire, either a dark day suit, or true formal attire such as a stroller suit or black tie ensemble.

Is there an argument to be made for wearing a Homburg, especially a light gray one, with a slightly less formal ensemble, such as a navy blazer and gray flannel slacks? I would wonder if this was sometimes done in the 1930s since there seems to have been such a preponderance of these hats at that time. Attached is an interesting picture of Edward G Robinson wearing a hat - maybe not a Homburg since the edge is not bound, but I'm not sure what else it would be since the brim is upturned. It seems to be probably light in color, and the same goes for the suit, which also looks like it could be textured and thus more casual.

Any thoughts on this are much appreciated.

 

[athanasiuskircher]

View attachment 716043 View attachment 716044

I wear light grey and Silverbelly homburgs regularly with casual clothes, sport jackets and dark jean's, and also with traditional dress suits. I'm of the age I don't get too hung up on what used to be the proper rules of attire.

Ps; a homburg without a brim binding is usually called a Lord's hat.

Thanks for this. Looks like a million bucks! Yep, I think at the end of the day it's possible to wear this hat type in many different ways. The light gray color surely lends itself to more combinations than just dark suits. Since I'm a history buff, I'm going to look around and try to find some more old photos of Homburgs "dressed down," especially in combination with some of the more "sporty" tailoring of the 1930s, such as belt back jackets. If I find any I'll post them here. Cheers!

 

[jlee562]

TBH, as a practical matter, I don't really think the general public is knowledgeable enough about levels of formality from days past to be able to judge whether or not a Homburg looked 'out of place' with any given outfit.

I also have worn a Homburg with a patterned button up, so I think you'll be fine.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I had Agnoulita make me an "early 1900s homburg evolving into the fedora" a couple of years ago, which I wear with whatever. (Here, with my At The Front enlisted men's Ike jacket.) I never dress "formally" - I haven't worn a suit/tie in DECADES...



Come on, it's the twenty-first century and nobody but us nutjobs knows or cares which headgear is "appropriate" with which clothing any more. Wear what you want to!

 

[Rmccamey]

A lot of people will miss seeing them in the old western movies, but with the right brim treatment, a homburg can have a very "western" look.

Thanks for this. Looks like a million bucks! Yep, I think at the end of the day it's possible to wear this hat type in many different ways. The light gray color surely lends itself to more combinations than just dark suits. Since I'm a history buff, I'm going to look around and try to find some more old photos of Homburgs "dressed down," especially in combination with some of the more "sporty" tailoring of the 1930s, such as belt back jackets. If I find any I'll post them here. Cheers!

 

[svelte.boulevardier]

For some time, I've been aiming to requisition for myself a light gray Homburg with a thick black band. This seems to have been quite a common thing in the 1930's (and following decades), and many instances of these hats show up online. I've read that Homburgs should mostly be worn with formal attire, either a dark day suit, or true formal attire such as a stroller suit or black tie ensemble.

Is there an argument to be made for wearing a Homburg, especially a light gray one, with a slightly less formal ensemble, such as a navy blazer and gray flannel slacks? I would wonder if this was sometimes done in the 1930s since there seems to have been such a preponderance of these hats at that time. Attached is an interesting picture of Edward G Robinson wearing a hat - maybe not a Homburg since the edge is not bound, but I'm not sure what else it would be since the brim is upturned. It seems to be probably light in color, and the same goes for the suit, which also looks like it could be textured and thus more casual.

Any thoughts on this are much appreciated.

Here’s another photo of Robinson. Today, the hat would be identified as a Homburg; in his day in the U.S., it would likely have been called a fedora, as you can see in the US catalogue from the era. The hat he is wearing in the photo you attached is not a Homburg, imho.

I think that today, you can wear a Homburg casually too. Social standards are so relaxed that most people will not even know what to think of it.

This summer I had a Homburg custom-made by a Slovenian master hatmaker. You can find more photos and information about the making process here.

Here, a couple of photos of me with the hat.

 

[Edward]

I've owned a few homburgs over the years. Often worn them to events like weddings with a lounge suit, as well as with black tie. I actually rather enjoy them somewhat dressed down with a more workwear vibe. It's a look I've seen in old pictures somewhere, working men who bought homburgs likely second hand and wore them that way (satirised in some episodes of Steptoe and Son, Harold Steptoe of course having been of an age where he'd have been young when the homburg, or a Lord's hat, was a hat to aspire to among British men, before the American style fedora became more popular. I've quite often worn mine with a blazer and slacks as well, to the office. Worn casually, they have an echo of how bowlers started out, the obvious crown difference aside.

As others have noted, these days anything goes... you could wear one with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and doubtless it wouldn't be considered any odder than wearing a hat at all already might be.

FWIW, I've worn mine to the office in the past on days when it's just a little too breezy for a wide-brimmed fedora, yet somehow the curled brim on a homburg fends the breeze away without lifting.