Out of Africa

[DnSchlng]

Can anyone tell me anything about Robert Redford's hat from Out of Africa?
Does anyone, besides me, like it? Where can I get one like it?

 

[Mark G]

That's what I patterned my hat after. Also the hat Val Kilmer wore in "The Ghost and the Darkness" was in this British style with a pinched telescope and a pugaree. I love this hat and if you send me an e-mail or a private message I'd be glad to tell you how I did mine. While I can't comment on the quality of the Baron hats, I do think they are a bit overpriced.

 

[fatwoul]

Hey, DnSchlng, are you trying to compile a database of hats from movies or something? lol

 

[Barb]

I liked it too

I think you can get close with the Akubra squatter (?)

http://www.everythingaustralian.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=20&ccode=1200&cat_id=2

David Morgan sells it but it is styled differently on his site.

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=82

Can anyone tell me anything about Robert Redford's hat from Out of Africa?
Does anyone, besides me, like it? Where can I get one like it?

 

[Russ]

I've always loved that hat (the one that first appears in the scene where he is loading tusks into the train car).

I think the Akubra Colly or Territory would come very close (you would need to supply the puggaree). Baron Hats has produced a hat that is supposedly identical to this hat.

 

[Rooster]

Looks pretty close to Akubra's military slouch or "Digger" hat to me. I have one that is bashed a bit different than the one pictured, but is otherwise about the same, except of course for the hardware that is used to flip up the side, which I never do.

 

[DnSchlng]

actually i am trying to collect them

 

[Russ]

They actually did use a modified military slouch type hat on another character in the movie.

If you look closely you can see the holes in the crown and brim where the hardware once was. I assume that is the explanation for the holes since they correspond.

I've seriously considered ordering an Akubra military slouch hat but I wouldn't want the holes...

 

[vintage68]

David Morgan offers this hat as well which is as close as you're likely to get domestically:

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info.php?products_id=80

I think it almost perfect. Hmnnn...maybe I should pick one up next time I go on safari....

 

[vintage68]

See, this is why we all love the FL, someone went out and made a hat from the movie just for the fans! Gotta love the lounge for finding the exact link...

 

[Matt Deckard]

Looks like they both could be modified Akubra Slouch hats. I have an old Eddie Bauer Akubra Slouch that has "Digger" for the name of the hat rather than "slouch". I wonder how long Akubra referred to the hat as that?

 

[Saint-Just]

I've seriously considered ordering an Akubra military slouch hat but I wouldn't want the holes...

I am sure Jenny at the Hattery would be happy to send you one without the hardware - and without the holes.

 

[Mike K.]

Anybody remember these threads about the Africa hat?

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...at-Restyling-From-a-Stetson-with-Pugaree-Link

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?17338-Home-made-safari-hat

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?24930-Akubra-Riverina-safari-ized

 

[Doc Glockster]

They actually did use a modified military slouch type hat on another character in the movie.

If you look closely you can see the holes in the crown and brim where the hardware once was. I assume that is the explanation for the holes since they correspond.

I've seriously considered ordering an Akubra military slouch hat but I wouldn't want the holes...

I've converted two slouch hats now, and removing the hardware is not that big a deal.

First, if you carefully snip the threads holding the brass clip to the crown, you can carefully remove the clip. You end up with very tiny holes which fill in quickly with a drop of water on each one (this causes the hat to "felt" a little concealing the holes). One hole took repeated wettings, but they are invisible now except for one hole on the "used" hat I converted. More about this in a minute.

Second, the brass clip on the brim can be removed by snipping the clip itself with a good pair of steel wire cutters. The brass is soft and with a little hand strength you can cut the clip easily. Cut it at both ends as close to the brim as possible, then slide the remaining piece carefully out of the thread loop. Yes, this leaves a small lump of threads where the clip was, but it's less noticeable than holes.

I should emphasize that you are better off doing this conversion when the hat is new and the holes have not been stretched by wear. The older hat I converted looks less natural than the new hat I converted. On the older hat you can still see a tiny hole where the crown's clip was, and the brim's threads were stretched a bit so they are not as inconspcuous as on the new hat. Converting a new hat leaves just the brim threads and if not stretched out by wear they blend in pretty well with the brim. On the new hat you cannot even tell there was ever anything sewn onto the crown.

I wear one of the two converted hats literally every day, and I have not had even one person ask "What are those threads on the left hand brim?"

(Sorry I can't post pics, but I would need a camera with high resolution to show the difference and I just don't have a digital camera or a smart phone).