old movies and Fedoras etc

In-depth discussion of the Fedora of Indiana Jones and all other hats appearing in the Indiana Jones movies

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Dostacos
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old movies and Fedoras etc

Post by Dostacos »

I watched a Thin man movie yesterday, and MOST of the good guys wore hats with a Indy pinch, and top bash. Then they wore the hat tilted and the SIDE brim on the high side went down and the low side up, along with the back up and the front of course down. they all looked great, even the supposed bad guys wearing white versions of the lids.

and there was NO casual Friday always dressed up rather refreshing.

if wide ties change to narrow ties and back again, why can't HATS make a comeback?
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Post by Jens »

Just have a look through the picture posts in this board. I'd say hat are coming back ... at least among some circles. ;)

Serious, I know of several people wearing thier Fedora(s) not only with the rest of the gear but on a more regular basis. So do I.
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Post by Dostacos »

depending on the suit I wear, I plan on either wearing an Indy lid with my brown suit or buy a gray one for my blue suit for the Queen Mary :D
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Post by RobbyT43 »

I too have just now noticed how popular fedoras were back in the day! I didn't pay any attention to it before I got into Indy stuff, but most movies I watch have a lot of men wearing fedoras casually and formally.

Maybe they will become "in" again... :roll:
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Post by zeus36 »

I'm still getting folks used to seeing someone in the office with a suit (usually sans tie, but not always), before I start donning a Fedora.

Just gonna wait til the rainy weather starts then ease the hats in place.

Just think, if you start wearing a Fedora before the fourth IJ movie

comes out, you can say

"I was wearing a hat WAY before the film was out!"
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Post by indy89 »

Maybe they will become "in" again...
They say that history repeats itself. :wink:
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Post by Canada Jones »

I have a poster in my office of Grand Central Station from 1930. I love it. I am sure you have seen it its the one with the sun coming through the windows - http://www.bgcrisis.com/artwork/GrandCentral.jpg

but I love it because everyone is wearing a fedora. When did this trend end?
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Post by Gater »

I like watching Casablanca because, among other things, Rick's fedora has a very tight Raiders-esque pinch (well, I guess the Raiders hat has a Casablanca-esque pinch, really) but it shows that even 'back then', fedoras had the tight front pinch
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Post by IndyFan89 »

This is my replica "treasure of the sierra madre" fed:

Image
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Post by Canada Jones »

Did you make this hat? Looks like a hat I bought at the Discovery Channel store a number of years ago. The brim looks similar. Nice job. How did you tear it?
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Post by Gater »

ahhh....President's Choice "Memories of Freddy Kreuger" fedora!
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Post by IndyFan89 »

Canada Jones wrote:Did you make this hat? Looks like a hat I bought at the Discovery Channel store a number of years ago. The brim looks similar. Nice job. How did you tear it?
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I bought it then disstresed it!
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Post by Canada Jones »

Was it an expensive hat?
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Post by Canada Jones »

PS - I love Bogart movies. Casablanca is my favorite by far.
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Post by Tennessee Smith »

Canada Jones wrote:PS - I love Bogart movies. Casablanca is my favorite by far.
Yeah, I put it up there with Raiders. :D
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Post by Canada Jones »

So do I. I enjoy the terrible special effects in Casablanca as well and I love the overall look of the film. Something about it.
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Post by IndyFan89 »

Me tto. The hat was about $80.
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Post by Canada Jones »

thanks Indyfan. You would hate to do that to a hat that is a couple hundred bucks eh? Is it wool?
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Post by Dostacos »

Canada Jones wrote:I have a poster in my office of Grand Central Station from 1930. I love it. I am sure you have seen it its the one with the sun coming through the windows - http://www.bgcrisis.com/artwork/GrandCentral.jpg

but I love it because everyone is wearing a fedora. When did this trend end?
Canada
JFK refused to wear a hat when he was inaugurated and that has been said to be the downfall of mens hats [well except baseball caps, a VERY poor substitute] it may have been coming anyway but that surely put the bullet in it.
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Post by Canada Jones »

Dostacos wrote:
Canada Jones wrote:I have a poster in my office of Grand Central Station from 1930. I love it. I am sure you have seen it its the one with the sun coming through the windows - http://www.bgcrisis.com/artwork/GrandCentral.jpg

but I love it because everyone is wearing a fedora. When did this trend end?
Canada
JFK refused to wear a hat when he was inaugurated and that has been said to be the downfall of mens hats [well except baseball caps, a VERY poor substitute] it may have been coming anyway but that surely put the bullet in it.
Dostacos:
I would love to read about this. Is this somethign you heard or read somewhere. Anyone know any books on the history of the hat?
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Post by Nameless »

Well I don't have a Indy fedora YET, I always wear my black fur felt fedora. I wear it with a suits or just in casual clothes and it fits with everything.

-Josh
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Post by Tennessee Smith »

Dostacos:
I would love to read about this. Is this somethign you heard or read somewhere. Anyone know any books on the history of the hat?
Canada

We've had a few threads about the topic. There's a book called "Hatless Jack" that talks about it. If you run a search in the forums on ; "Book "Hatless Jack" - Required Reading" you'll get a better understanding of the history. Hope that helps Canada. :D
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Post by binkmeisterRick »

Nameless wrote:Well I don't have a Indy fedora YET, I always wear my black fur felt fedora. I wear it with a suits or just in casual clothes and it fits with everything.

-Josh
Sounds like we got another hat wearer here, folks! :wink:
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Post by Canada Jones »

Erin Jones wrote:
Dostacos:
I would love to read about this. Is this somethign you heard or read somewhere. Anyone know any books on the history of the hat?
Canada

We've had a few threads about the topic. There's a book called "Hatless Jack" that talks about it. If you run a search in the forums on ; "Book "Hatless Jack" - Required Reading" you'll get a better understanding of the history. Hope that helps Canada. :D
That is very helpful Erin Jones. I am going to order that book. And thanks
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Post by Dostacos »

Canada Jones wrote:
Dostacos wrote:
Canada Jones wrote:I have a poster in my office of Grand Central Station from 1930. I love it. I am sure you have seen it its the one with the sun coming through the windows - http://www.bgcrisis.com/artwork/GrandCentral.jpg

but I love it because everyone is wearing a fedora. When did this trend end?
Canada
JFK refused to wear a hat when he was inaugurated and that has been said to be the downfall of mens hats [well except baseball caps, a VERY poor substitute] it may have been coming anyway but that surely put the bullet in it.
Dostacos:
I would love to read about this. Is this somethign you heard or read somewhere. Anyone know any books on the history of the hat?
Canada
I have no idea where I heard/read it. I am sure it was a passing comment on one of the "Camelot" stories regarding his time in office. The same time he was not wearing hats, the first lady set fashion by WEARING hats.

was he the leader of the fashion statement OR just the forefront I could not say. We do know that Ike wore hats, and Kennedy did not [I am sure Nixon stopped wearing one as he ran against him for president because of his advisers' advice]
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Post by Canada Jones »

Funny to think that one person could so powerfully influence a fashion trend that had been in place for so many years. I wonder what would happen if George Bush started wearing hats...
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Post by RobbyT43 »

Canada Jones wrote:Funny to think that one person could so powerfully influence a fashion trend that had been in place for so many years. I wonder what would happen if George Bush started wearing hats...
My guess is that nobody would want to wear one. The poor fool, anything he does seems to turn out badly. :(
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Post by Renderking Fisk »

I was inspired to write this rant because of this thread and a recient death of a pastor this weekend, who had a profound effect on my life. I'm not finished yet...

I've been wearing fedora's off and on since 1982 - 25 years! (I just turned 38...) and I became addicted to Vintage Culture when I saw Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Big Sleep, Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon and a few other Classics in a relatively short period of time. Since then I've been trying to recapture that Retro-Vibe I had, which is a sense of euphoria you get when you're immersed in all things of that period. You can also call it "Vintage Nervina."

I've had the Retro-Vibe at several different occasions, only to lose it and get it back again. Used to be that if I bought a new fedora, I would have the Retro-Vibe for a long time, almost months. Now I have to find other sources like Vintage Movies, Authentic Vintage Clothes.

I've started to collect and request music from talented artists like Janet Klein to review for our music page, music made by people who "get it" and why being retro can be so cool, like belonging to a fraternity that few people know about but would want to join if they knew more about it.

On the one hand, I would like to see fedoras and retro-wear become main-stream again and have Vintage-style items become easily excessible (which they are now, thanks to The Internet, and it's everywhere if you know how to look.) Yet on the other hand, I don't want it to become "In" just so that it would become "out" as quickly as the seasons change. I've seen Vintage Revival come and go... I'm sometime releaved when it goes just so that I can go back to feeling as if this style choice is mine and nobody assumes I'm doing it to be like everyone else.

Indiana Jones and IndyGear (before there was ever even a site called IndyGear or the forum...) really inspired me to get into the hearts and minds of The Greatest Generation, the legion of heroes who were once ordanary men who did something extraordary to save the world. There are countless stories that need to be told, ours and theres. Keeping it Retro is just a part of it.

Keep wearing your fedoras, the Indy Screen Accurate ones, The Maltese Falcon/Casablanca ones, The Nick Charles/Thin Man ones... all of them. Keep Vintage alive.
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Post by Dostacos »

Renderking Fisk wrote:I was inspired to write this rant because of this thread and a recient death of a pastor this weekend, who had a profound effect on my life. I'm not finished yet...

I've been wearing fedora's off and on since 1982 - 25 years! (I just turned 38...) and I became addicted to Vintage Culture when I saw Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Big Sleep, Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon and a few other Classics in a relatively short period of time. Since then I've been trying to recapture that Retro-Vibe I had, which is a sense of euphoria you get when you're immersed in all things of that period. You can also call it "Vintage Nervina."

I've had the Retro-Vibe at several different occasions, only to lose it and get it back again. Used to be that if I bought a new fedora, I would have the Retro-Vibe for a long time, almost months. Now I have to find other sources like Vintage Movies, Authentic Vintage Clothes.

I've started to collect and request music from talented artists like Janet Klein to review for our music page, music made by people who "get it" and why being retro can be so cool, like belonging to a fraternity that few people know about but would want to join if they knew more about it.

On the one hand, I would like to see fedoras and retro-wear become main-stream again and have Vintage-style items become easily excessible (which they are now, thanks to The Internet, and it's everywhere if you know how to look.) Yet on the other hand, I don't want it to become "In" just so that it would become "out" as quickly as the seasons change. I've seen Vintage Revival come and go... I'm sometime releaved when it goes just so that I can go back to feeling as if this style choice is mine and nobody assumes I'm doing it to be like everyone else.

Indiana Jones and IndyGear (before there was ever even a site called IndyGear or the forum...) really inspired me to get into the hearts and minds of The Greatest Generation, the legion of heroes who were once ordanary men who did something extraordary to save the world. There are countless stories that need to be told, ours and theres. Keeping it Retro is just a part of it.

Keep wearing your fedoras, the Indy Screen Accurate ones, The Maltese Falcon/Casablanca ones, The Nick Charles/Thin Man ones... all of them. Keep Vintage alive.
can you wear a Nick Charles style when you are built like Sidney Greenstreet?
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Post by Renderking Fisk »

can you wear a Nick Charles style when you are built like Sidney Greenstreet?
I'm a Harrison Ford trapped in a John Turturro body and a Gary Oldman face.
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Post by Tennessee Smith »

and a Gary Oldman face

Well, at least at one time you could get Winona Ryder while she was still hot and free of a shop lifting record. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Last edited by Tennessee Smith on Sun Aug 05, 2007 10:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Dostacos »

Renderking Fisk wrote:
can you wear a Nick Charles style when you are built like Sidney Greenstreet?
I'm a Harrison Ford trapped in a John Turturro body and a Gary Oldman face.
I will trade you my sidney greenstreet body with a Ernest Hemingway beard for a Tururro body and an Oldman face anyday
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Post by Renderking Fisk »

Not a chance, I have me a bride that likes the way I am now.
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Post by Castor Dioscuri »

Speaking of old movies, what material do you think was the material of choice when it came to fedoras back in the Golden Age of Hollywood? I'm guessing that it wouldn't be beaver felt, since those fedoras on the screen certainly look very, very soft.
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Post by binkmeisterRick »

They'd pretty much be the same as now. I have vintage fedoras made from rabbit, beaver, nutria, or a mixture. And as far as soft goes, beaver felt is some of the softest hat felt I've seen. Like anything, it also depends on how it's pounced.
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Post by jbbowers »

Castor Dioscuri wrote:Speaking of old movies, what material do you think was the material of choice when it came to fedoras back in the Golden Age of Hollywood? I'm guessing that it wouldn't be beaver felt, since those fedoras on the screen certainly look very, very soft.
The majority of the hats made by the U.S. hat industry were rabbit. The fur was imported from France, Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and other Central European countries. By 1941 only England and Russia were supplying us with rabbit fur.

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Post by Nameless »

binkmeisterRick wrote:
Nameless wrote:Well I don't have a Indy fedora YET, I always wear my black fur felt fedora. I wear it with a suits or just in casual clothes and it fits with everything.

-Josh
Sounds like we got another hat wearer here, folks! :wink:
Yep I always wear a hat. Not so much in summer though because all my hats are black and my leather cowboy is well... leather. Now when it's hot in Florida, IT'S HOT IN FLORIDA! I absolutely can't wear hats in the summer or I would probably die :lol:.

-Josh
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Post by binkmeisterRick »

Josh, just get a good straw panama and you'll be set for summer! :wink:
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Post by Alan »

binkmeisterRick wrote:Josh, just get a good straw panama and you'll be set for summer! :wink:
No doubt. I couldn't live without a Panama.
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Post by Nameless »

Alright I'll check to see if I can get a straw panama then :D There isn't any hat shops around though so it'll be hard tracking one down for a cheap price.

-Josh
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Post by binkmeisterRick »

You might want to check the classifieds section if you wear a 7 1/4. :wink:
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