Tom Hardy's Fedora in Lawless

[Lean'n'mean]

I understand the point of allowing a hat to 'age' naturally & also tweaking a movie based hat to suit one's own tastes & physique but that is a pittful that many folk fall into when inspired by a movie hat & then try to create something similar but end up altering it so much, that what is left is a rather ordinary headpiece which bears little or no resemblance to the original & certainly doesn't have the wow factor that made it noticeable in the first place.
Of course if someone wishes to put an orange ribbon on a perfectly creased,narrow brimmed,sand coloured fedora & pretend that it's a Tom Hardy Lawless hat, that's fine but if you'll allow me to use a rather poor analogy,......... when you've removed the meat, salad & relish from a hamburger, all you're left with is bread.

 

[bowlerman]

...if the objective is to make a reproduction. Nothing is wrong about using a specific or iconic hat as inspiration for your own. It's ok.

In my case-- I originally wanted mine to be exact, but it's not, and I still like it a whole bunch, and it was still inspired by and reminds me of Hardy's hat.

 

[TheDane]

[...] what is left is a rather ordinary headpiece which bears little or no resemblance to the original & certainly doesn't have the wow factor that made it noticeable in the first place.

With movie hats, I think, the wow-factor often is caused as much by the actor. A perfect copy of a hat, that looks really good on an actor, who looks very different from me, would probably miss the wow-factor on my head ... maybe even look completely wrong.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

A hat doesn't have to be 100% screen accurate to evoke a particular movie hat but one should never lose sight of why such a hat attracted them in the first place.
That is the problem with movie hats in that they're created by talented people to enhance a particular character & although they look stunning up on the big screen, in artificial circumstances & worn by strong characters, they may lose their superb in real life on an ordinary guy but I think even if the actors themselves were to wear their movie hats in real life, (which none do) they would look just as out of place as the rest of us.
Since we're discussing the Tom Hardy hat, what made it so special ? If hardy's character came onto the screen wearing a bog standard fedora straight outta the box, even with an orange ribbon, would anyone have noticed his hat ? the other hats in the movie don't seem to attract such interest as this one, so what is it that sets it apart ? .......the answer I think is character & drama, take them away & you're left with just another hat.

Of course if one is a clean cut city slicker then it's understandable they don't want to be seen wearing a 'bum's' hat but prehaps we should reserve our movie hats for private wearing & not remove their charm & dramatic impact by watering them down to make acceptable everyday ones.

I realise not everyone is as discerning as some when it comes to movie hats & 'loosly based on' or even 'vaguely similar to' is good enough for them, after all, some folks even believe the Dorfman Pacific Indy hat is close to the real thing.

 

[bowlerman]

I hear ya, but I think it'll be ok for many to simply be "inspired by."

On another note-- I pretty much wanted every single hat in that movie! I honestly loved them all.

 

[tommyK]

What appeals to me about the "Hardy" hat is it's lived in character. i wouldn't want to artificially age a hat but I have hats I wear in bad weather and for outdoor work that I hope to develop that kind of character.

case in point esteban68's recent aquisition;

 

[Playdablues]

Well, here's to all the ordinary guys and their hats too. :cheers1::deadhorse:beer:

 

[Lean'n'mean]

that I hope to develop that kind of character.

It will as long as you don't hit it with steam whenever the creases soften or the brim waves or dips a little

 

[Lean'n'mean]

but I think it'll be ok for many to simply be "inspired by."

Absolutely but inspiration is a fragile thing & often smothered by conventionality

 

[Playdablues]

I hear ya, but I think it'll be ok for many to simply be "inspired by."

On another note-- I pretty much wanted every single hat in that movie! I honestly loved them all.

Yes I liked all the hats too! Now I'm hooked on custom made hats. Next a gray or black vintage styled fedora with another 2 3/4 - 3 inch brim. I think maybe a little wider on the band ribbon this time and perhaps just a raw edge.

 

[Playdablues]

Really like that take on the hat. I sometimes wonder if I should have gone for a 'normal' bow. Perhaps one day I'll get another hat in a similar colour scheme with a traditional hat bow.

I think your bow looks great. My next hat is going to have one like that but it'll be gray with a black ribbon. I should have used a wider ribbon on this one, probably should have paid a bit extra for a taller crown too. Live and learn...

 

[Zombie_61]

I understand the point of allowing a hat to 'age' naturally & also tweaking a movie based hat to suit one's own tastes & physique but that is a pittful that many folk fall into when inspired by a movie hat & then try to create something similar but end up altering it so much, that what is left is a rather ordinary headpiece which bears little or no resemblance to the original & certainly doesn't have the wow factor that made it noticeable in the first place...

I don't disagree with this--it's like walking into a hatter's place of business and telling him or her, "I want a hat exactly like this, but completely different." And while I still believe there's something to making a hat "your own", sometimes the end result is so far removed from the inspiration that it's difficult to see how it got from "A" to "B".

Another thing to consider is the fact that we (the members of this forum) live in the real world. Movie wardrobes are created for a specific purpose, and are often only intended to last for the duration of filming. Artificially "weathering" and/or "aging" a hat to resemble Hardy's hat in Lawless--fraying edges, cutting holes in the crown or brim, applying chemicals to give it a stained appearance, etc.--will lessen it's longevity and practicality. I can't imagine too many members here have spent their hard-earned money on a hat expecting it to last less than 10 years.

And there's the "looking like a bum" factor that you mentioned, but that's just a matter of personal taste.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Another thing to consider is the fact that we (the members of this forum) live in the real world. Movie wardrobes are created for a specific purpose, and are often only intended to last for the duration of filming. Artificially "weathering" and/or "aging" a hat to resemble Hardy's hat in Lawless--fraying edges, cutting holes in the crown or brim, applying chemicals to give it a stained appearance, etc.--will lessen it's longevity and practicality. I can't imagine too many members here have spent their hard-earned money on a hat expecting it to last less than 10 years.

Arhhh but you're mixing fantasy with down to earth reality.....why are so many movie hats inspirational ? prehaps because they represent something unusual, extraordinary even & are often characters in themselves but alas, impossible to get away with in real life. I personally think it is better to create a hat which really captures the spirit of the original, however ridiculous it looks on you & then only wear it for fun, in which case it will last a lifetime, what ever treatments have been used to give it that ' original flavour'.
Besides one can get pretty bored with such hats & a new movie will come along & you'll be inspired by another titfer & the poor old lid, so lusted after will be left on the hat rack while a different one takes it place.............so you see longevity isn't nessecarily a real issue.

And there's the "looking like a bum" factor that you mentioned, but that's just a matter of personal taste.

That is an interesting point.......if someone doesn't like the 'bum look' why are they attracted to a 'bum's' hat ?.....if someone wants a nice clean, crisp everyday hat why don't they just get one instead of transforming a characterful unique hat into a nice shiny & new, crisp eveyday hat..:cry:

I think we all have an underlying conception of what a hat should be & that permiates through our choices. We can be attracted to or inspired by a movie hat which can be the complete opposite of what we would normally wear & on trying to recreate it, we unconsiously apply our own limitations & end up with more or less the usual style we are comfortable with.
We need to free ourselves of these shackles & liberate the free baller that sleeps in us all if we really want to take that yellow brick road to movie hatland:eusa_clap

 

[Garrett]

re-railing this thread with a hat that is damn close to the actual hat Hardy wore:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dob...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[Playdablues]

re-railing this thread with a hat that is damn close to the actual hat Hardy wore:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dob...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

That's what I love about this era's hats the transition from western/cowboy to city. If you will, horse to car. Just small enough of a brim to wear in a car and large enough to be functional from most of the elements. Not to mention they look good. The best way to achieve that is a picture of a movie hat or a vintage hat advertisement as a baseline for the hatter to reference. I think that is what simply being inspired by a movie hat is all about. It's not that easy to find an actual relic in 7 5/8 or 7 3/4! I don't see people running out to have custom Donny Wahlburger trilby hats made.

 

[bowlerman]

Yowsah! Nice one. What size would that have translated to? 7? 6 7/8?

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

 

[Lean'n'mean]

re-railing this thread with a hat that is damn close to the actual hat Hardy wore:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dob...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Great find, snap down the front brim & curl up the rear & that would be a very passable lookalike.
So Tom Hardy's hat could have been an off the shelf just like the original Raiders hat. Amazing what a bit of creasing can do.

 

[Playdablues]

Great find, snap down the front brim & curl up the rear & that would be a very passable lookalike.
So Tom Hardy's hat could have been an off the shelf just like the original Raiders hat. Amazing what a bit of creasing can do.

Then all we would have to do is find Tom Hardy, hope he's a 7 or 6 7/8, wearing the rest of his costume and stick it on him :faint:

 

[Zombie_61]

Arhhh but you're mixing fantasy with down to earth reality.....why are so many movie hats inspirational ? prehaps because they represent something unusual, extraordinary even & are often characters in themselves but alas, impossible to get away with in real life. I personally think it is better to create a hat which really captures the spirit of the original, however ridiculous it looks on you & then only wear it for fun, in which case it will last a lifetime, what ever treatments have been used to give it that ' original flavour'.
Besides one can get pretty bored with such hats & a new movie will come along & you'll be inspired by another titfer & the poor old lid, so lusted after will be left on the hat rack while a different one takes it place.............so you see longevity isn't nessecarily a real issue...

I suppose that was the "practical" side of me talking. I'm not a wealthy man, so when I buy a hat for myself I want it to be something I'll wear regularly for many years (hopefully decades) to come, if for no other reason than to feel as though I've "gotten my money's worth" out of it.

...That is an interesting point.......if someone doesn't like the 'bum look' why are they attracted to a 'bum's' hat ?.....if someone wants a nice clean, crisp everyday hat why don't they just get one instead of transforming a characterful unique hat into a nice shiny & new, crisp eveyday hat..:cry:...

I can see it now: "Yes, I like the fashions from the 30s and 40s, and I have to wear suits every day because of my career, but deep down I'd really rather dress like a bum." ound: Perhaps we have a few "closeted vagrants" in our midst?

I dress very casually on a day-to-day basis--tee shirts and jeans are my usual "uniform"--so I would have no qualms about wearing a hat like the one in the link Garrett posted above as-is. In fact, if I could find a nice "beater" hat like that in my size I'd be in hog heaven! But that hasn't happened yet, so for now I'll just have to wait until my current hats achieve that "character" on their own. [huh]

 

[1mach1]

This one for sale by lounger bond is not an exact match, but is similar.....

https://www.etsy.com/listing/205682895/vintage-stetson-royal-de-luxe-fedora-7?ref=shop_home_active_6