A few of my favorite hats; HJ, Fed III, Downtowner

[DeWayne]

I took a few pics of my favorite hats. I used a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens, as it's well-known for having little distortion. Of course, there's going to be a little as with any pics.

This my HJ that I got in June of 1999. I love this hat because I actually talked to Mr. Swales on the phone when I ordered it. After hearing some other stories.... I must have caught him on a good day, he was extremley pleasant and ended the call with "I'm going to get to work on this straight away". It may have been because he knew it was a B-day present from my folks to me. My Mom had gotten on the phone to give him her cc number. In any case, he wasn't kidding. I had the hat less than a week-and-a-half later.

Is it a perfect Indy hat? No, but I love it for what it is.



This is my Fed III that I got from eBay a couple of years ago.



My Downtowner I got just before Halloween. It's still covered in a pretty layer of concrete dust. With a darker ribbon, this hat could be nearly perfect.



There's some larger versions of the pics in this album;
http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e252/ ... /Indygear/

Thanks for looking!

[DeWayne]

Ya know. I wanted to! The problem is focus and the self-timer. One of these days I'll have to have someone operate the camera on the tripod for me. Once I get some I'm happy with, I'll glady post pics of my hats on my noggin.

[jasonalun]

Those are some nice hats, DeWayne, especially the HJ! That's very interesting, too - the front of your bow is kicked up just like whipwarrior's Swales-made HJ from the same approximate time. I wonder what the thing was with Swales and that front bow. I've never seen any fedora's with that before whipwarrior's.

[Indiana Bugs]

I took a few pics of my favorite hats. I used a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens, as it's well-known for having little distortion. Of course, there's going to be a little as with any pics.

My Downtowner I got just before Halloween. It's still covered in a pretty layer of concrete dust. With a darker ribbon, this hat could be nearly perfect.



Thanks for looking!

Please tell me more about this Downtowner. Ive never heard of it, and its a very cool hat. Is there a site where I can see these for purchase? Thanks.

[Insomniac]

Please tell me more about this Downtowner. Ive never heard of it, and its a very cool hat. Is there a site where I can see these for purchase? Thanks.

Todd's
http://www.toddscostumes.com/

[Indiana Bugs]

Please tell me more about this Downtowner. Ive never heard of it, and its a very cool hat. Is there a site where I can see these for purchase? Thanks.

Todd's
http://www.toddscostumes.com/

Thank you.

[davidd]

As I mentioned in one of the Downtowner threads, I saw DeWayne's photo with the Downtowner in the 2009 Gear topic last week and immediately went to the Todd's Costumes site and ordered one! It should be here in a few more days!

Glad you posted more hat shots. I've had a terrible time trying to take hat photos -- getting the right background and lighting is more difficult than it would seem -- so I appreciate having these pics to study as hat photography examples.

[hoose55]

Those are some great lids. I really dig the Downtowner, particularly. It appears to have a stiffness to it that I like, is that true? Again great hats!
J-

[DR Ulloa]

How much for the HJ?

...No, seriously. I want it. How much.

Dave

[jasonalun]

How much for the HJ?

...No, seriously. I want it. How much.

Dave

Seriously, Dave? Your gonna ask this guy to sell you his Swales-made HJ he got for his birthday?

[DR Ulloa]

It was just a question. I'm not forcing him to sell it. I wouldn't sell it even if it wasn't a birthday gift. But, it doesn't hurt to ask, right?

Dave

[DeWayne]

Hoose 55, Yes the Downtowner is a very stiff hat. It's a nice contrast to the other hats, which are very soft.

DR Ulloa, I think the price for me to sell the HJ would be ridiculously, insanely high. In fact, in my world it's priceless. I get very attached to my gear, especially my M.B.A. gear and this HJ. It's gear we're just not going to see again.

I will say, if anyone ever has the chance to get a Swales-HJ, don't hesitate. It not may be the most accurate Indy hat but as an Indy fan it's an awesome thing to have.

[Indiana Bugs]

Hoose 55, Yes the Downtowner is a very stiff hat. It's a nice contrast to the other hats, which are very soft.

DR Ulloa, I think the price for me to sell the HJ would be ridiculously, insanely high. In fact, in my world it's priceless. I get very attached to my gear, especially my M.B.A. gear and this HJ. It's gear we're just not going to see again.

I will say, if anyone ever has the chance to get a Swales-HJ, don't hesitate. It not may be the most accurate Indy hat but as an Indy fan it's an awesome thing to have.

That changes things a bit for me. Stiff hats give me a headache. I suppose with some (a lot?) of wearing and/or handwork it softens up a bit?

[jnicktem]

scottyrocks6, you might then want to take a look at the Todds Uptowner, which I hear is much softer than the Downtowner.

[DR Ulloa]

Hoose 55, Yes the Downtowner is a very stiff hat. It's a nice contrast to the other hats, which are very soft.

DR Ulloa, I think the price for me to sell the HJ would be ridiculously, insanely high. In fact, in my world it's priceless. I get very attached to my gear, especially my M.B.A. gear and this HJ. It's gear we're just not going to see again.

I will say, if anyone ever has the chance to get a Swales-HJ, don't hesitate. It not may be the most accurate Indy hat but as an Indy fan it's an awesome thing to have.

I figured as much. Smart thing, too. Don't let that go. There aren't many examples of Swales' Indy hats. Its a beauty.

Dave