The Bowler or Derby Hat

[undertaker]

This thread got me to thinking about this Bowler I bought on Ebay a few years ago. I am not sure of the age, seems Art thought it could be from the 30's. It is made by G.A. Dunn & Co. Ltd. in London in a UK 7 3/8 Long Oval. I usally take a 7.5 in US size but this one was so close I went ahead and bought and it is a good fit. I don't think I have ever worn it in public. I am not sure it suits me and therefore I lack confidence I suppose.

Regards,
J.S.

 

[undertaker]

For those who wear a bowler, How often do you wear it? What kind of reaction does it evoke?

Thanks,
J.S.

 

[Brad Bowers]

For those who wear a bowler, How often do you wear it? What kind of reaction does it evoke?

Thanks,
J.S.

I wear a Derby several times a week and get nothing but compliments. I usually get more compliments on my Derbies than on my soft felt hats.

Brad

 

[Viseguy]

I regularly wear my Christy's bowler and my Bollman derby. On the busy streets of NYC, they barely draw a look. But they can also be conversation-starters. The comments I get are always favorable.

PS: undertaker, you look great in your bowler!

 

[mercuryfelt76]

Undertaker, it does suit you. I wear a bowler in London quite often and I get a lot of compliments.

 

[bowlerman]

suits you fine, at least from the outside. only you can decide how it really suits you.

But I wear mine a lot, in very casual attire. I'm pretty much a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy unless I'm in my tux. Any bowlers, any homburgs, any fedoras, anytime. I do tend to reserve my 1928 Kaufman derby for special occasions.

A shot from around September (?) in my... not dressy... attire. "Bat Masterson" hat by Knudsen Hats (golden gate western wear).

 

[Chepstow]

Jeff, that looks fine.

 

[undertaker]

Well, I think I am going to give it a try. I almost exclusively wear a Homburg. I have them in black, grey, and brown, but I think I will break this bowler out. It is a great hat and I just hate leaving it in the closet and not getting any use out of it. It seems if you give any consideration to the way you look and how your clothes fit you are far from normal these days anyway so I guess the bowler, or any other hat for that matter, will make very little difference. Besides the bowler and the mustache really seem to go together. Thanks for the help.

Regards,
J.S.

 

[mercuryfelt76]

Well, I think I am going to give it a try. I almost exclusively wear a Homburg. I have them in black, grey, and brown, but I think I will break this bowler out. It is a great hat and I just hate leaving it in the closet and not getting any use out of it. It seems if you give any consideration to the way you look and how your clothes fit you are far from normal these days anyway so I guess the bowler, or any other hat for that matter, will make very little difference. Besides the bowler and the mustache really seem to go together. Thanks for the help.

Regards,
J.S.

I wear a homburg most of the time in either grey, black or brown. But I wear it with a 3 piece suit, bow tie etc. But I think the bowler works well too. And I love the moustache, I'm just growing one myself but haven't decided if it works yet.

I think I have an almost identical (except for liner colour) G A Dunn & Co bowler but mine's not in anything like as good condition as yours. Don't you just love the brim shape, quite a sharp curl on the sides but an overall subtle curve. Is that type of brim curl still called a pencil roll even when it's so sharp?

I take it I will find all your homburgs on the Homburg Nation thread Undertaker?

 

[undertaker]

"I take it I will find all your homburgs on the Homburg Nation thread Undertaker? "

Sorry, I must have missed that thread along the way. I will look it up. I too, wear my homburgs with a suit and I always wear a bow tie. Last summer I bought a straw homburg but I have not been as pleased with it as I thought I would be. The mustache is still fairly new, but I think it's a keeper.

Regards,
J.S.

 

[mercuryfelt76]

Undertaker: fantastic, I take it you tie your own. I will never wear a clip on and I find it's a conversation starter. So is the bowler hat or even the homburg. People ask about a bowler and where they can buy one. With regards the bow tie, I'm learning the art of resisting being a perfectionist and allowing it to look self-tied and not too perfect. Are you on any of the bow tie or moustache threads?

 

[undertaker]

Undertaker: fantastic, I take it you tie your own. I will never wear a clip on and I find it's a conversation starter. So is the bowler hat or even the homburg. People ask about a bowler and where they can buy one. With regards the bow tie, I'm learning the art of resisting being a perfectionist and allowing it to look self-tied and not too perfect. Are you on any of the bow tie or moustache threads?

Absolutely, I always tie my own, however I am a perfectionist and prefer that it looks "almost" pretied. I guess I like to keep them guessing. I have posted on some of the mustache threads here on the Lounge recently but lately I have only looked at the posts on the bow tie thread here and not posted. I have worn strictly bow ties now for several years, they, with my wire rimmed glasses, have become sort of a trade mark. I visited with a man whose wife had recently passed away and when I began to introduce myself to him he stopped me midway and said "I know who you are". It startled me some so and i asked if we had met before and he siad "no, but we have all heard about the preacher who wears a bow tie and wire rimmed glasses" .......so now I have to always be on my best behavior.

Regards,
J.S.

 

[randooch]

Hey, Gents! Here's a bowler that I wish could talk; I'm sure it would have some stories to relate. The brand is Snyder's, from a store chain called Snyder's Leader. Any of you familiar with the name? (An advanced title search yielded one query from back in 2006, with no responses.) I'm thinking it's 1920's to 30's:

It has a taped, unreeded sweat:

Nice, deep embossing:

And an amusing slogan on the reorder tag:

Solid union sticker:

I dig the aggressive brim curl (d'orsay?):

The brim binding is a little roughed up fore and aft, but not too badly.

Alas, it's too tight for me. Does it speak to any of you? If so, it can be in Monday's mail.

[EDIT:] Now in Classifieds for $55. Denton, you don't have access, so email me: randooch@gmail.com

 

[Denton]

Randall, this bowler of Snyder's interests me. Maybe it is talking to me. I have been wanting a nice wearable bowler from this period. What price are you asking?

 

[undertaker]

That slogan reminds me of one from "Are You Being Served".

"If you want to get ahead get a Hat"

Very interesting hat indeed.

Regards,
J.S.

 

[bowlerman]

a funpic of western bowler from last year sometime. you can really see the texture of the wool. If only I knew then what I know now... The brim form and curl is truly exemplary, and I dream about what it would look/feel like in fur felt.

 

[dhermann1]

I was watching Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondant" last night on TCM. Great flick, much fun. I was struck by the scenes in London showing workers in The City wearing bowler hats with trenchcoats. Very cool look. I wish I had some screen grabs. But obviously, in London between the wars, there were thousands of men who wore bowlers with their trenchcoats. I'm gonna try it tomorrow.

 

[newturnofphrase]

I was watching Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondant" last night on TCM. Great flick, much fun. I was struck by the scenes in London showing workers in The City wearing bowler hats with trenchcoats. Very cool look. I wish I had some screen grabs. But obviously, in London between the wars, there were thousands of men who wore bowlers with their trenchcoats. I'm gonna try it tomorrow.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[SilastheCartoonist]

Here's me and my old man---me with my Stetson Derby, he with his VS Choco.

 

[SilastheCartoonist]

a funpic of western bowler from last year sometime. you can really see the texture of the wool. If only I knew then what I know now... The brim form and curl is truly exemplary, and I dream about what it would look/feel like in fur felt.

Love it! Beautiful color too.