My first 2 fedora type of hats

[farmer]

Hello!

I have a flat cap that I like, and I wanted to expand my hat collection a bit.

Got one of these on an impulse.
http://www.dadshats.com/doacrouha.html
it looks brown in person.

I know its more of an outback style, but its inexpensive and looks cool, and i can wear it pretty much any weather type of deal.

Than I wanted to get more of a fedora and a grey one. I had a gift card to Lord and Taylor, so i got a grey Bailey Brandt.

But now I'm not so sure I can pull it off... Should I stick to the flat caps? I really need some input!

I live in the burbs on NJ. Do people in NYC wear these type of hats?

 

[RJR]

I think they look good on you.The biggest issue you face is getting hooked and into acquisition mode bigtime.

 

[farmer]

"face hooked and into acquisition mode"

What does that mean? I'm an immigrant, never heard that before lol.

 

[triple-d]

Looking good farmer....Congrats!!!!!

 

[bartcubb]

I live in the burbs on NJ. Do people in NYC wear these type of hats?

While most people in NYC do not wear these hats, I typically spot at least two or three men a day wearing them when the weather is cold. They tend to be older gentlemen or young, fashion forward types.

They are a common enough sight these days that no one would gawk at you for wearing one.

 

[mayserwegener]

"face hooked and into acquisition mode"

What does that mean? I'm an immigrant, never heard that before lol.

It means buying more hats.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I know its more of an outback style, but its inexpensive and looks cool, and i can wear it pretty much any weather type of deal...

I would be cautious about wearing them in "any weather". Both the Dorfman Pacific "All-Season Crushable Outback Hat" and the Bailey Brandt are made from wool felt--no matter how "water resistant" they claim to be, if the felt gets saturated with water in a strong rain it could shrink at least a little. A hat made from rabbit or beaver fur would be a better "any weather" hat; they're more expensive (much more, in some cases), but with proper care they'll last decades longer than a wool felt hat. To be clear, there's nothing wrong with wool felt hats, but fur felt hats are simply more durable and will hold their shape better over the years.

...I live in the burbs on NJ. Do people in NYC wear these type of hats?

I live in southern California, and I have no idea what people wear in New Jersey or New York City. But my suggestion is to wear the hats if you like them, and not to concern yourself with what other people are doing. You might hear an unkind comment now and then (as we all have at one time or another), but I'd bet you'll hear far more compliments.

I think the Bailey Brandt looks good on you, so wear it and enjoy it!

 

[miket5r]

Hello
Both hats looks very good.
And i agrre zombie... wear the hat if you like it ....no matter what the people said

 

[Aether]

I agree with the comments above.

I'm a recent convert to 'smart hats' and have recently bought my first fur-felt one (Akubra Campdraft). I had a couple of nice wool fedoras, but the Akubra is much, much nicer and far more weather resistant (which is important in the UK!). I'd suggest wearing an inexpensive hat for a while to build your confidence up and to get used to wearing a hat - as Zombie_61 says, you'll inevitably get a few negative, or jokey, comments along with all of the positive ones - and then get a fur-felt hat. Maybe go to a hat store and try a few styles on to see which suit you best.

I also live in the suburbs (of London) and the folks around here don't really wear hats, but when I go to the city nobody even bats an eyelid. I think the main thing is confidence - if you feel comfortable wearing it, you'll pull it off. Another tack is to just not care what other people think, and to wear what you like!

 

[Lt.hats]

Farmer, both hats look good on you. I started just as Aether recommended, an inexpensive wool hat led to another, then I moved up to fur felt hats. It quickly became second nature to me and I no longer feel comfortable outside without a hat on. There may be the occasional strange look or even funny comment, but in my experience, the overwhelming majority of comments are positive. The trick is to wear the hat with confidence!

 

[AMGbullitt]

Congrats and welcome. You wear the hat, don't let the hat wear you. ;-) Wear them with pride.
Wool felt in the rain is a little risky even if they claim them to be water resistant.

 

[tommyK]

Looks great! Was just in the city this past weekend and saw tons of fedoras. Granted there are a lot of stingy brim types but there is definately a growing bigger brim crowd. You'll fit right in.

 

[Frunobulax]

"face hooked and into acquisition mode"

What does that mean? I'm an immigrant, never heard that before lol.

From another newbie, this is what it means:

You finally buy a hat - a fedora, not a baseball cap or something like that and wear it occasionally (mine was a Panama I picked up and wore to festivals and outdoor concerts and the like). Then, after a while, you decide you look kinda good in it, and check out other hats. Then you go to a local hat store and pick out a nice fur felt fedora and decide you're going to wear it regularly. Then you join the Fedora Lounge (YOU ARE HERE).

Then, the next thing you know, you're looking on eBay and in vintage clothing stores for hats. You buy a couple and your wife starts saying things like, "I've created a monster." You have hat boxes stacked on your desk upstairs, a row of "everyday" hats lined up on the buffet in the dining room, and one hanging from the cuckoo clock. Your wife is desperately looking for a hat tree. You're now also collecting miniature hat boxes and shopping for vintage stretchers and hat blocks. You're re-bashing your hats for fun. You're looking at your smart phone to see when your next eBay hat arrives (Monday). You're inquiring about having a custom hat made online and shopping for vintage grosgrain on Etsy (I AM HERE).

I can stop any time I want.

 

[tommyK]

From another newbie, this is what it means:

You finally buy a hat - a fedora, not a baseball cap or something like that and wear it occasionally (mine was a Panama I picked up and wore to festivals and outdoor concerts and the like). Then, after a while, you decide you look kinda good in it, and check out other hats. Then you go to a local hat store and pick out a nice fur felt fedora and decide you're going to wear it regularly. Then you join the Fedora Lounge (YOU ARE HERE).

Then, the next thing you know, you're looking on eBay and in vintage clothing stores for hats. You buy a couple and your wife starts saying things like, "I've created a monster." You have hat boxes stacked on your desk upstairs, a row of "everyday" hats lined up on the buffet in the dining room, and one hanging from the cuckoo clock. Your wife is desperately looking for a hat tree. You're now also collecting miniature hat boxes and shopping for vintage stretchers and hat blocks. You're re-bashing your hats for fun. You're looking at your smart phone to see when your next eBay hat arrives (Monday). You're inquiring about having a custom hat made online and shopping for vintage grosgrain on Etsy (I AM HERE).

I can stop any time I want.

+1

(I AM HERE ALSO) Except my next hat arrives today from the Lounge Classifieds

 

[Zombie_61]

...I started just as Aether recommended, an inexpensive wool hat led to another, then I moved up to fur felt hats. It quickly became second nature to me and I no longer feel comfortable outside without a hat on...

Funny how that works, isn't it? We start out being uncomfortable because we're wearing a hat, and end up being uncomfortable because we're not. lol

...You finally buy a hat - a fedora, not a baseball cap or something like that and wear it occasionally (mine was a Panama I picked up and wore to festivals and outdoor concerts and the like). Then, after a while, you decide you look kinda good in it, and check out other hats. Then you go to a local hat store and pick out a nice fur felt fedora and decide you're going to wear it regularly. Then you join the Fedora Lounge (YOU ARE HERE).

Then, the next thing you know, you're looking on eBay and in vintage clothing stores for hats. You buy a couple and your wife starts saying things like, "I've created a monster." You have hat boxes stacked on your desk upstairs, a row of "everyday" hats lined up on the buffet in the dining room, and one hanging from the cuckoo clock. Your wife is desperately looking for a hat tree. You're now also collecting miniature hat boxes and shopping for vintage stretchers and hat blocks. You're re-bashing your hats for fun. You're looking at your smart phone to see when your next eBay hat arrives (Monday). You're inquiring about having a custom hat made online and shopping for vintage grosgrain on Etsy (I AM HERE).

I can stop any time I want.

ound: :thumb:

 

[farmer]

Haha now i get it! Funny guys. I think I'm starting to really like this forum.

Now to the question of what to wear with the hat hehehe. I think I'm going to post it in the more appropriate attire section.

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Genuine Classic Gangster]

end up being uncomfortable because we're not.

Yup, that's the story of my life. If ever I am gallivanting around for any reason, if a hat is not on my head, I feel as if I am naked. I kid you not.

Thankfully, I almost never have any reason which compels me to go hatless, so I almost always remain hatted.

@farmer: Welcome. Yes, you can pull it off, and the longer you wear fedoras, the better you will become at doing so. Your first step is to believe in your mind you can and are pulling it off. I encourage you to take that step right now.

At present, I've been wearing fedoras for about 16 years, and everyone who sees them on me can sense instantly that I'm not wearing them to try and put on an act, nor to go out of my way to try and look cool (people who do those things are the ones who fail to pull them off).

Granted, I do think that fedoras help me to look cool, but that arises as a side benefit, one that stems from my congruence with them based on my love for them and my experience wearing them.

I need not even utter a word in order for those who see me to understand that I wear fedoras because I sincerely love to do so, and in turn, that causes them to look great on me.

Once, when I first entered one my teacher's classrooms, and before that moment, he was a man whom I'd never met or even seen before, he immediately said to me: "I've been admiring your hat all week. Very impressive. It's very 'you." That was the best hat-related compliment I've ever gotten.

I usually get hundreds of hat-related compliments per season; most of them are along the lines of "nice hat!" or "great hat!" or "I like your hat!" or "that's a beautiful hat!"

I also had one other fairly unique compliment when a woman I used to work with told me: "I usually don't like when men wear hats, because hats don't look good on most men. Most men can't pull them off...but you can, and they really suit you. I can't imagine you without one."

I believe that cultivating love for fedoras is the key for you as well, and also for anyone else who wears fedoras: if you sincerely love to wear them for their own sake (not to impress others, nor to imitate celebrities in an attempt to be 'cool'), you will pull them off well, and as an added bonus, you will end up impressing others automatically even though that was not your intention. :thumb: Your OP shows that your heart is in the right place in that regard, so you have nothing to worry about. You need only to start to believe in yourself in terms of your fedora-wearing prowess.

See you next time, farmer, when your love grows, and impels you to upgrade to some rabbit or beaver felt fedoras. Woe to your bank account! Brace yourself financially. You've been warned.

 

[farmer]

Thanks for the advice, Classic Gangster!

I was wondering. What do you guys do with your hats when you are indoors? Say a museum, or a convention center or the like? Coat check seems a bit a bit excessive.

Normally I can just put a flat cap in my pocket, (or another hat I might be wearing) but I don't see that happening with these.

Thanks!