New to hats, would like some advice

[Historyteach24]

Jerry nice to have you! It is hard to answer what type of hat because it depends on body and facial dementions to some extent. If you are a bigger guy I would shy away from the smaller brims. I am a bigger guy and my first brim was only around 1 1/5 inches and I thought it looked silly on me. After talking with multiple people on here I found that the reason for being uncomfortable in my hats was that I need a bigger one! I have now found my wheel-house for brim size to be between 2 1/4 to 2 1/2. Also I have flirted with other styles like porkpies and found that they were hard to find in the right dementions for my tastes. Becoming a hat wearer/lover is really trial and error. I am sure Mr. Fawcett and other pros on here can give you great advice on hat types if they had a photo. I hope you enjoy the ride because it is sure fun! I have been into proper hats for around two years now and trust me every day is a new learning experience. Also what hat size are you? Depending on your size hats can be easily aquired on ebay.

 

[bowlerman]

Becoming a hat wearer/lover is really trial and error.

with emphasis on the error!
(at least in my case. Though I'm somewhat versatile, I've made a lot of naive and uninformed choices, and still take risks from time to time!)

Part of it is confidence, part of it is getting used to it.

Welcome, and good luck!

 

[Txmason]

@Historyteach24

I wear a 7 3/8 hat. I have two cowboy hats one felt and one straw and one Shriner Fez. How can I determine the right size brim and hat shape for me? I'll post a photo of my hat that I have. Is there a place I can go to in Houston, TX like miller hats or a place on FM 1960?

 

[Historyteach24]

I am not familiar with Texas hatters but if there is a hatter in your area they can help you pick out the right hat for your figure. From the sound of it you are comfortable in cowboy hats? If so go for it man! There are tons to be had in your size but the vintage ones are a tad scarce in sizes like ours (I'm a 7 1/2). They can be had though with just some browsing through ebay.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Though I've never bought from them, I've read here that Miller Hats is a good source of different models of hat, from Western to fedora.

 

[DavidJ]

There's a sticky thread that has a lot of different hatters and hat stores in it. There are sure to some stores down there. Play around with different hats if you can. That should help.

 

[jlee562]

Maybe it's just me, but $65 seems a lot to sink into a wool hat. That's almost the price of a new good wool hat and about half the price of a decent fur felt. Or could pay for a good vintage lid on ebay if you get a good deal.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Is there a place I can go to in Houston, TX like miller hats or a place on FM 1960?

The best place I know of in Houston is Shudde Bros. The old man used to make and maintain Gene Autry's hats back in the 40s and I was fortunate enough to talk to him in the late '90s. Don't know how they are faring now but certainly worth a call if you are that close.
I'm afraid I don't know anything about Miller other than they sell other makers hats.

 

[RBH]

Welcome Brother!

 

[monbla256]

@Historyteach24

I wear a 7 3/8 hat. I have two cowboy hats one felt and one straw and one Shriner Fez. How can I determine the right size brim and hat shape for me? I'll post a photo of my hat that I have. Is there a place I can go to in Houston, TX like miller hats or a place on FM 1960?

Here's a link to their website. They are now in Brookeshire, Texas which should be close to you. They say they still do hat renovation.
http://www.shudde.com/

 

[wgiceman]

Here's a link to their website. They are now in Brookeshire, Texas which should be close to you. They say they still do hat renovation.
http://www.shudde.com/

When you contact Shudde Brothers, ask for Neal Shudde. He's a great guy and will help you any way he can. He's also a member of the FL under the user name of ShuddeBrosHats.

 

[Spats McGee]

Welcome to the Lounge, Txmason!

Howdy!

I have a question for you concerning hats since you are quite knowledgeable about hats. I have the hat that was given me by a friend. It is a grey/wool tribly hat that the inner lining says Adams Hats New York, New York *the hat *needs to have the lining replaced, cleaned etc. where is a good place to get that done? I found a place in college station called cattlena hatters that will completely clean and replace the lining for around $65.00 if I bring it to them. $85.00 if I ship it to them. It is only about an hour away.*

I would have to agree with an earlier poster that said $65 seems high to sink into a wool felt hat. For that money, you could also be well on your way to a decent fur felt. With that said, if you do want to keep & renovate that trilby, I suggest that you at least do a little shopping around. For that matter, check with your local western stores. They may offer those services for cowboy hats already.

Also, what about wearing a hat like the fedora daily or are hats made to be worn with just suits? I think it is very stylish and would like to start wearing a hat everyday and would appreciate any advice you can give on the matter. What style of hat should I get? I can post a picture of the hat if needed. I also like how a Derby hat looks too. What kind of hat would you suggest for winter and then summer?*

Here's a good link for helping you decide on a lid: http://www.millerhats.com/hatcare_index/hatfaces.html

As for suits/jeans, etc., I wear fedoras with suits, jeans, button-down shirts . . . pretty much my entire wardrobe. Stick around here very long, and you'll see that it's not hard to match a fedora with almost anything.

 

[jwalls]

Welcome aboard, fellow lounger.

 

[Historyteach24]

I forgot to touch base on what to wear a fedora with. I struggled with this when I first brought them into my wardrobe but never fear. Honest to goodness a fedora goes with almost anything other than sweatpants lol. I wear a fedora with jeans and a t-shirt regularly. Now I wouldn't wear a super fancy one with that outfit but that is personal preference. Every day work attire such as dress slacks and a shirt/tie always calls for a fedora.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Yeah, I'm still wrestling with some of the attire questions. My dressier fedoras seem to insist on a sport coat or at least a button-down shirt with khakis or good slacks; some are fine with a good collared shirt and jeans; my Open Roads and other thin ribbons can go either way. I like a contrast between hat and shirt, dark hat/light shirt and vice versa, but that's just me, and I can't always manage it.

 

[hatophile]

Remember, gents in the good ole days of hat-wearing wore their fedoras with work and dress clothes alike.

 

[Undertow]

Welcome Txmason!

Like some others have said, I would hesitate on the $65 cost in replacing a liner and cleaning.

In my experience, wool felt fedoras/trilbies don't typically have liners. Are you certain this is wool felt? Supposing it is, and supposing you're a little handy, you can purchase a liner online for next to nothing and sew it in yourself. There are a few threads on Hat Cleaning which detail the removal and resewing of liners. Suffice to say, it's about $5 for an acetate liner, and takes 5-6 anchors (20 minutes) to hold the liner in. Fairly simple, even for the beginner. You might also looking into cleaning it yourself as there's really not much to that process either.

Otherwise, perhaps wear this without a liner? Or consider purchasing a fur felt new around $120, or vintage in an antique store around $60. If you're really stuck on the hat, you might shop around at western stores, or other hatters. It's not that $65 is out of bounds for a cleaning, reblocking, ribbon/liner replacement on a fur felt, but perhaps a little high when we're talking about a wool felt.

 

[Jedwbpm]

Welcome TXMason. Have a great time here. It is a great bunch of guys. Plus there are a lot of Traveling men here.

Jeff
PM
KT
AAONMS

 

[Txmason]

It turns out that after I sent the hat to Cattelena Hatters in Bryan, they called me and informed me that they could not refurbish my hat so they sent it back along with my check, hat etc. I have been talking to the CEO of Hatbox in Austin, TX and they have some beautiful hats but I could only afford to buy one and am not sure whether I should get a fedora with only two months left until Easter. Or buy one for summer.
I have been told I should look for a hat with s 2 1/2 inch brim. That's why I like the fedoras. I am not sure about the straw or summer hats. What about a low crown? Any help is appreciated.

Jerry

 

[Undertow]

Well Txmason, although those are great questions, the answers are very much dependent on your preferences.

1. Why not wear a fedora after Easter? A Fedora is suitable for any time of year. The only thing I would consider is the weight of the felt. I'm sure a thicker, heavier felt would be cumbersome during a hot Texas summer. Look for lighter felts. You can tell felt is lighter simply by handling the hat - if it's light in your hand and pliable (and fur felt!), you should be fine. Some vintage fedoras also had ventilation already cut into the crown - you might look for that feature when shopping.

2. If you're buying your first felt hat, stick with a fur felt that you can wear year-round. Granted, you're in TX and a panama would be pretty darn useful, but I think it would be to your advantage to own at least one suitable felt hat before moving to a straw, if at least for the sake of durability (more bang for your buck). If you expect to purchase a straw regardless, try to stick in the $35-80 range. These aren't the finest hats by any means, but should give you an idea of how to handle a panama. Our own Panama Bob has a great selection of straws, if you're interested.

3. 2.5" brims are pretty standard on modern fedoras, and even most straws. You could move up to 2.75" or down to 2.25" without much noticable difference. Try some on and see how they look. A smaller brim typically draws the eyes to the face, where a bigger brim draws attention to the hat. There's an entire thread on that, if you're interested.

4. Crown sizes are pretty standard on modern hats, but can vary as you go back to vintage. Modern hats typically come precreased and tapered, as opposed to some vintage hats which could be open-crown and straight. I'd say there's nothing wrong with a 4.5" tapered crown creased down to 4". Again, it's what you prefer on your head. Personally, I like taller, non-tapered open-crowns with a teardrop crease.

5. Just curious, why couldn't they refurbish your hat? Any specifics?