My new Federation Deluxe arrived!...uh, yay?

[HamletJSD]

The flash washed these out a bit and I have no time to fix, but here are a couple of quick shots:

It's not that I hate the hat (trust me, I wear it all the time), but simply that I feel so much more self conscious wearing it. Something about it doesn't suit me as well as my other hats. The only differences (between this and the others) are the slightly wider brim and slightly wider ribbon ...

Maybe the problem is that I am a thin ribbon guy without knowing it

 

[HamletJSD]

I'm really hesitant to cut it, even though I have done so successfully on other hats.

It first occured to me that I could be disliking the larger ribbon size (compared to my "Fedora") just this morning. Maybe I can get my hands on some thinner ribbon before any brim trimming and see how that changes the look ...

 

[Spellflower]

A lot of people (myself included) find the Federation to be a very large hat, which makes one feel a bit more self conscious than in other hats. It really verges on cowboy hat proportions, which certainly makes you stand out on the east coast.

Still, I've decided to keep my Federation intact. Why? Well, while it's not the hat I choose for a night out on the town, it is the perfect thing for a hike in the mountains. I am unlikely to ever buy another hat with a 3" brim, as I've learned that I look best in under 2.5". But I'm glad to have a Fed for when I need the extra sun protection, or don't want to wear something irreplaceable.

I was more inclined to cut my Fed a year ago, before I'd found any vintage hats in proportions that suited me. Now that I have some hats that really fit the bill, I'm more content to let the Fed stay as it is. It's never going to be a top of the line hat, but it's an excellent beater.

 

[Bassman]

I'm really hesitant to cut it, even though I have done so successfully on other hats.

It first occured to me that I could be disliking the larger ribbon size (compared to my "Fedora") just this morning. Maybe I can get my hands on some thinner ribbon before any brim trimming and see how that changes the look ...

I think that changing the ribbon to a narrower one will make the crown appear taller.
Is that correct?
If that isn't an issue, give it a shot.

 

[citRon]

The flash washed these out a bit and I have no time to fix, but here are a couple of quick shots:

It's not that I hate the hat (trust me, I wear it all the time), but simply that I feel so much more self conscious wearing it. Something about it doesn't suit me as well as my other hats. The only differences (between this and the others) are the slightly wider brim and slightly wider ribbon ...

Maybe the problem is that I am a thin ribbon guy without knowing it

Wow- that's a beautiful hat!!

 

[jkingrph]

The flash washed these out a bit and I have no time to fix, but here are a couple of quick shots:

It's not that I hate the hat (trust me, I wear it all the time), but simply that I feel so much more self conscious wearing it. Something about it doesn't suit me as well as my other hats. The only differences (between this and the others) are the slightly wider brim and slightly wider ribbon ...

Maybe the problem is that I am a thin ribbon guy without knowing it

I would wear it and not worry. I worried at first about how I looked and what others thought, but now do not care. I wear what I like, and I do like that one. I do like the thin ribbions, my first VS is a thin ribbon, and I think the third will be one also, maybe that's because that is the kind I remember dad wearing most of the time when I was much younger. Maybe what goes around comes around!

 

[HamletJSD]

I agree, Bassman, you'd think it would make it appear taller ... Yet I have this crown creased to look almost identical to my Fedora and I like the other hat more. The only appreciable difference is brim size and ribbon size.

So far I have mostly taken the same approach as Spellflower. I like the hat exactly as is for all manner of uses and have left it alone for almost a year now. It'd just be cool if it could be adapted to a style that was bit more "me."

I should probably focus my efforts into getting some more hats (that are already the 2.5" brims that suit me) and leave this one alone.

Thanks everyone!!!

(editted to change "bashed" to "creased")

 

[Spellflower]

I should probably focus my efforts into getting some more hats (that are already the 2.5" brims that suit me) and leave this one alone.

That's what I'd recommend. It's kind of like when I was a teenager and bought my first guitar. When I got it, I didn't really know enough about guitars to pick the best one for me. As I learned, I wished mine sounded more like a different model, and I considered all manner of modifications before finally deciding to just trade it in for what I really wanted.