Open Crown Wide Brim Fedora Help

[clintfisher]

Hey all, been lurking here for a bit and wanted to glean some info from you guys if I can.

I love wide brim, open crown felt fedoras and I'd like to see if any of you have some ideas for others I could look for. Here's my list of knowns:

Stetson
-
Stetsonian
Premiere Stratoliner

Akubra
-
Bushman
Campdraft

Borsalino
-
Alessandria

Dims: I'm looking in this area

Crown: 5" +
Brim: 2 3/4 +

 

[milliedog]

Take a look at the Akubra Squatter, Woomera and Sombero. The last two are way over 2 3/4 inch but have 6in open crowns. Also look at the Akubra Adventurer, but only the one David Morgan imports into the US. The Australian market one is not the same.

 

[clintfisher]

I like the squatter and that DM Adventurer is pretty nice

 

[milliedog]

If you get a squatter anywhere other than Hats Direct in Katoomba you have to specify open crown or it will come in a pork pie crease.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Akubra Squatter or Camp Draft from Everything Australian http://www.everythingaustralian.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=20

Just specify open crown when you contact Sam if you go for a Squatter.

Fed

 

[tuco1963]

akubra safari hat from everything australian 2 3/4 inch brim with 5 inch crown

 

[theoldnorthwest]

I would look for vintage hats rather than spend any serious money on a new hat. The Akubras are somewhat inexpensive but the Premiere Stratoliner and Borsalino are both rather expensive and you can find a much better vintage hat that anything you will find new. The only hard part with vintage is they can be hard to find in larger sizes but I wear a 7 1/2 and still have been able to find quite a few really nice vintage hats. I recently found a Dobbs 20 that has a 2 3/4" brim and just over 5" open crown, it is from the late 40s or early 50s and is far superior to any new mass produced hat. Even the new Borsalinos really aren't very nice and they cost over $300, if you are going to spend that much I would recommend a custom made hat. Most vintage hats on eBay end up selling for around $150 - $250 but they are worth every penny.

 

[clintfisher]

Thanks for this advice man. I've been looking around ebay lately at the vintage hats and I'm seeing some nice lids. I'm a 7 - 7 1/8 and you're right I've seen quite a few in my range.

A question on the typical vintage crown, is it usually just a matter of a steam job to uncrease a crown back to open?

I would look for vintage hats rather than spend any serious money on a new hat. The Akubras are somewhat inexpensive but the Premiere Stratoliner and Borsalino are both rather expensive and you can find a much better vintage hat that anything you will find new. The only hard part with vintage is they can be hard to find in larger sizes but I wear a 7 1/2 and still have been able to find quite a few really nice vintage hats. I recently found a Dobbs 20 that has a 2 3/4" brim and just over 5" open crown, it is from the late 40s or early 50s and is far superior to any new mass produced hat. Even the new Borsalinos really aren't very nice and they cost over $300, if you are going to spend that much I would recommend a custom made hat. Most vintage hats on eBay end up selling for around $150 - $250 but they are worth every penny.

 

[alanfgag]

A hat that has been creased, seen wear and storage over 60-80 years will likely require reblocking to restore a clean open crown. Some vintage hats saw little use and some might never have been creased or worn. At 7 - 7 1/8, the world is your oyster.

 

[theoldnorthwest]

Alan is correct. Most open crown vintage hats will have some creases in them if they have held a particular shape for a while and just steam alone will not restore the crown to its original state, you will see some lines etc. However, you can find vintage open crown hats that have not been creased, the Dobbs I mentioned is like new inside and out and I also have a vintage Stratoliner that is in near mint condition and shows no evidence of wear but even the ones that have some lines are still cool, I think it is part of what gives vintage hats character. At a size 7 - 7 1/8 there is no way you should buy a new hat, you should be able to find plenty of excellent vintage hats on eBay, etsy and at that size you can probably find some in vintage clothing stores and antique shops. If you are in LA try a store in North Hollywood called Playclothes, last time I was there they had quite a few great vintage hats (all too small for me) plus its a great store in general if you like real vintage attire.

 

[theoldnorthwest]

Here is a page that I find useful in tracking down some of the better hats currently on eBay.
Collectors Weekly

 

[H Weinstein]

I really like the David Morgan Adventurer. Although I got mine for less $$ from a website called culturedcowboy.com.

It's a sturdy but light open crown that falls into your dimensional ballpark. Very easy to shape with a little steam or water. It's a nice medium-dark brown -- I did replace the standard brown ribbon (seen in the pic) with a black one. Very comfortable to wear!

 

[Lotsahats]

At 7 - 7 1/8, the world is your oyster.

This is so true. Not only will you find great vintage hats to wear, you can collect them, if you want, at a far better price point than any new hat will offer. Heck, even I have two hats in this size that I'm about ready to unload.

A

 

[hatophile]

As mentioned, there are a plethora of vintage hats in sizes 7-71/8. You can get some of the vintage cowboy hats, Stetsons, Adam, Resistol, etc that can be reblocked to give the open crown. If you stay away from highly desired models like Whippet or Strats, you can get good prices. Many ORs are very reasonable, and occasionally I've seen some never creased.

 

[clintfisher]

Awesome thanks Alan. What's a fair price for reblocking?

A hat that has been creased, seen wear and storage over 60-80 years will likely require reblocking to restore a clean open crown. Some vintage hats saw little use and some might never have been creased or worn. At 7 - 7 1/8, the world is your oyster.

 

[clintfisher]

Man, thanks for all the info so far it's really changing my approach in favor of vintage now. Also thanks for the shop tip, I stopped by there today, cool spot, will need to check back again in a month or so all they had was derbies and top hats. I did score a pretty rad 60's paisley tie.

Alan is correct. Most open crown vintage hats will have some creases in them if they have held a particular shape for a while and just steam alone will not restore the crown to its original state, you will see some lines etc. However, you can find vintage open crown hats that have not been creased, the Dobbs I mentioned is like new inside and out and I also have a vintage Stratoliner that is in near mint condition and shows no evidence of wear but even the ones that have some lines are still cool, I think it is part of what gives vintage hats character. At a size 7 - 7 1/8 there is no way you should buy a new hat, you should be able to find plenty of excellent vintage hats on eBay, etsy and at that size you can probably find some in vintage clothing stores and antique shops. If you are in LA try a store in North Hollywood called Playclothes, last time I was there they had quite a few great vintage hats (all too small for me) plus its a great store in general if you like real vintage attire.

 

[clintfisher]

I've seen a good number of OR's, love that Stetson silverbelly.

As mentioned, there are a plethora of vintage hats in sizes 7-71/8. You can get some of the vintage cowboy hats, Stetsons, Adam, Resistol, etc that can be reblocked to give the open crown. If you stay away from highly desired models like Whippet or Strats, you can get good prices. Many ORs are very reasonable, and occasionally I've seen some never creased.

 

[clintfisher]

Sweet! Any preview of what's coming?

This is so true. Not only will you find great vintage hats to wear, you can collect them, if you want, at a far better price point than any new hat will offer. Heck, even I have two hats in this size that I'm about ready to unload.

A

 

[clintfisher]

Great color on that lid.

I really like the David Morgan Adventurer. Although I got mine for less $$ from a website called culturedcowboy.com.

It's a sturdy but light open crown that falls into your dimensional ballpark. Very easy to shape with a little steam or water. It's a nice medium-dark brown -- I did replace the standard brown ribbon (seen in the pic) with a black one. Very comfortable to wear!

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

That is a very nice hat, but the brim is a bit smaller than originally requested. This is why I went for another Camp Draft over the Feds/Adventurer hats. Wider brim with edge binding for the about same price.

Here is a photo of a pair of Camp Drafts being shaped:


The crown is open; the brim is wider and the edge is nicely bound.

Fed