Suggestions on hats and bashes

[Trimen1000]

I've never owned any hats of my own (literally, not even baseball caps, the closest thing is a visor that I got for playing tennis in). I need to keep the skin cancer away so I decided a hat would be a good help to it. I would like some suggestions on what hats and bashes would look good for my head.

I like the homberg, trillby, fedora, cowboy, and Akubra's "country" style hats. The one thing that I consistently don't like in bashes is the second dent in the top indentation, the one that forms a mountain like feature in the middle (I suppose there's probably a better way to describe it).

There's my avatar and then here are some other photos of me. Also, my face is a little skinnier than it was in these pictures, and it's going to get a little more.

About the photos since I think I'm going to get some questions so I'm going to make a preemptive attack.

I dress in suits quite a lot. I wear shirt and tie even more. I play piano and percussion mainly, but also learned a little bit of violin, tenor sax, and trumpet because I was thinking about music education. I am a math major now. In the second picture, it is the same tie as I have on in the first picture. This was at a reception for my brother's wedding. On the third picture I am not counting my money, I was counting money that was for a bill at Buca de Bepo. These are just the first pictures that I could grab without wandering through my directories.

 

[Torpedo]

Hello Trimen, welcome to the Lounge.

My initial suggestion, based on the limited information you have provided, would be a fedora with about 2 1/2'' brim, maybe a little more, having in account you need it for a specific practical purpose. Such a category of hat would go well with your usual attire

You would do well to take a look at one of the stickies, the one on Important Forum Threads. There is one on hat creases, where those most usual in fedoras are illustrated.

I guess the one you describe that you not like is a "Montana Peak" - that found in Marine Drill Instructors or Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, to name two well-known users.

If you have not done yet, look at the "What Hat are you Wearing Today" thread, too, in order to get some familiarization with styles. This may help you in narrowing down your preferences - then you can ask new questions here, to finetune your decision.

No shortage of people to answer!

 

[avedwards]

I would advise an open crown hat, as you can bash it in such a way that it will suit you. Most Akubra fedoras are open crown, and it will specify on the vendor's website whether they are or not. Do not be afraid of bashing it yourself as it is easy and you cannot go wrong, and there are more than enough threads telling how it's done.

 

[MCrider]

Since you say you dress in suits and assuming that they are black or a darker color (from what you've worn in your pics) and that you are looking for something with a bit more coverage I would suggest looking at the Akubra Sydney. It has a wider brim and is a lighter weight felt. It is open crown so you can bash it any way you want. I tried several different styles before I settled on my way of wearing it. At that point I sprayed it with distilled water and set the bash in the way I liked it. Good luck!

 

[zetwal]

Welcome to the lounge.

As you note there are many distinct hat styles. In my opinion one doesn't look intrinsically better than another. It's a question of style. What sort of image do YOU want to project? And what sort of hat will be comfortable, functional, and work well for you in your own life and social setting? What sort of color and shape do YOU like? and what matches your own wordrobe?

Why not visit a good haberdashery wearing your normal apparel and try on a variety of styles? You may or may not buy something during your initial visit but the excursion will give you the opportunity to gauge your head size and shape, and to look at yourself in the mirror wearing different hats. Once you know with some hands on certainty the size and shape and characteristics you're looking for in your hat it's just a matter of narrowing it down to the preferred brand and age (new or old).

You will find that this forum is a wonderful place to learn about hats and the people that wear them. Keep your questions coming and you will find a nice group of people more than happy to help out. But remember that style is a personal matter and very much a part of your own life. Welcome aboard -

 

[Trimen1000]

Thanks for the help so far.

So when you get an open crown hat you can pretty much re-bash it until it gets wet, at which point the shape is pretty well set? How about changing it after it gets wet? How about changing ones that are not open crown?

Welcome to the lounge.

As you note there are many distinct hat styles. In my opinion one doesn't look intrinsically better than another. It's a question of style. What sort of image do YOU want to project? And what sort of hat will be comfortable, functional, and work well for you in your own life and social setting? What sort of color and shape do YOU like? and what matches your own wordrobe?

Why not visit a good haberdashery wearing your normal apparel and try on a variety of styles? You may or may not buy something during your initial visit but the excursion will give you the opportunity to gauge your head size and shape, and to look at yourself in the mirror wearing different hats. Once you know with some hands on certainty the size and shape and characteristics you're looking for in your hat it's just a matter of narrowing it down to the preferred brand and age (new or old).

You will find that this forum is a wonderful place to learn about hats and the people that wear them. Keep your questions coming and you will find a nice group of people more than happy to help out. But remember that style is a personal matter and very much a part of your own life. Welcome aboard -

Basically my intention was to get a general idea, then to choose from there. I don't personally like making a whole bunch of stabs in the dark, so some help is useful. Then with the help I intend on going and picking out the stuff that I like.

Ya. I think there's a hat shop in downtown Long Beach so I want to go by there sometime.

Thanks for the welcome.

 

[warmentrout]

I was thinking about music education. I am a math major now.

You are a wise young man

 

[tortswon]

Welcome and a thought

As a newbie myself, I am still learning about what hats I like. My tastes are constantly changing. I suspect the first hat you acquire will be far from your last. Keep an open mind. Some hats that are now at the top of my rotation are ones I would never have thought about wearing a year ago. One of the great things about the Lounge is you can trade away your "mistakes."

As far as the last photo goes, I would view it as predictive of the future when something you really want shows up in the Classifieds here.

Welcome to the Lounge. Glad you have joined us! Best, Sam

 

[Daoud]

Thanks for the help so far.

So when you get an open crown hat you can pretty much re-bash it until it gets wet, at which point the shape is pretty well set? How about changing it after it gets wet? How about changing ones that are not open crown?

Some hats are open-crown, and some are pre-creased (or pre-bashed, if you like)-the pre-creased hat is one in which a particular kind of crease is already "installed" on the hat when you buy it. There is some degree of difficulty involved in re-creasing such a hat if you happen not to like the way it comes as sold.

Far better, I think, you should get an open-crown hat.

An open-crown hat is a tabula rasa upon which you can work your will, limited by your imagination and hopefully some sense of taste.
Some of these hats are very amenable to being shaped by hand without water or steam. Some of us (myself included) prefer.....damper methods. These range from a light spritz with a spray bottle to actually immersing the hat in a tub of water. Basically, the softening of the felt resulting from the application of water- liquid or vapor- allows the hat to be very easily shaped, and when it dries, it will retain the shape.

In no case will the shape of the hat be "pretty well set." Simply re-wetting or re-steaming the hat will allow it to be re-shaped again and again.
A few caveats- Hats can and will shrink as they dry. If your hat gets wet, whether intentionally or no, and you don't want it to shrink, you'll need to put it on a hat-jack or block as it dries.
DO NOT accelerate the drying process, or at least unduly. Some use a hairdryer on "low" with good results- I prefer to let the hat dry naturally- overnight usually does it.
DO NOT dry the hat in the sun.
There are many threads on this forum giving advice on this sort of thing and much more, as you perhaps have already noticed. Read a lot and ask questions! Have fun!

 

[Spats McGee]

. . . . Basically my intention was to get a general idea, then to choose from there. I don't personally like making a whole bunch of stabs in the dark, so some help is useful. Then with the help I intend on going and picking out the stuff that I like.

Ya. I think there's a hat shop in downtown Long Beach so I want to go by there sometime.

Thanks for the welcome.

As others have said, welcome to the Lounge!

As others have also said, if you can get to a hat shop, go visit. Try on lots of hats. If possible, I'd suggest taking someone along who can give you an honest opinion of how the various styles look on you.

Also dig around in the "Post New Hats" and "What hat are you wearing today?" threads. You should be able to find some fellow Loungers with roughly the same build and face type that you have and you can see how their hats look.

Finally, Miller Hats has a page on deciding what kind of hat to wear. Perhaps you'll find that page helpful: http://www.millerhats.com/hatcare_index/hatfaces.html