So, I've been thinking about this a lot...

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:42 am

I was talking with TST the other day about hats. Y'know, as I am wont to do from time to time.

We got down to why I don't wear my hats very often anymore. I promise I have a point here, so bear with me. Also, this is not a criticism of anyone or anything, these are just observations I made during the original conversation.

My AB is lovely, and while it's not what I'd call irreplaceable, it's nigh-irreplaceable. It would cost $600+ and quite a wait to get a new one if anything happened to it. I have a black Akubra Fed IV, but that's not something I really feel like I can just wear around all the time for no reason. It goes with suits of similar color really well:

http://i.imgur.com/AGVWF.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and it goes with the costume I bought it for really well:

http://i.imgur.com/zDB5y.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

but that's about it. My Rorschach hat from John Penman is a great hat, but it's really only good for one thing, being a Rorschach hat. I feel the crown is too short and the brim too stingy for my face. It makes my face look like a bloated sore most of the time, because it's tiny and my face is big and round.

So anyway, TST tells me, like many others have said here over time, that my Adventurebilt is "made to be worn." I said: "A '57 Chevy is made to be driven, but do you want to make that car your daily driver?" Michaelson's Plymouth is an exception to this rule. There, I felt like that had to be said. TST told me I needed a hat that I could as a "daily driver," and I said: "I already said which hat that is. A Fed IV."

Here's the part I was trying to build up to. I then said: "It's almost worth it to me to just buy a Fed IV, wear the heck out of it until it tapers, and then sell it on eBay for half of what a new one costs. Then, take that money and another $60, then buy a new Fed IV. It would cost the same amount of money for a reblock from John or Steve, or whoever, after shipping costs, and I'd be waiting months to get my hat back because these guys are so sought after for hats and work. With the Feds, I'd just buy a new one after selling the old one, and get a brand new hat in a week and a half, or so, for the same cost."

NOW I'M NOT SAYING ANYONE'S LEAD TIMES ARE RIDICULOUS, OR THAT THEIR WORK ISN'T WORTH IT, OR WHATEVER.

I do realize, though, that a lot of people feel like their hats are their "friends," and that the hats "have character" and all that. I can see that, but unless I had gone through something very special with one specific hat, I don't think I'd have a problem selling it to buy a new one.

I guess what I want to know is, has this gone through anyone else's mind besides mine?

fenris · Post by **fenris** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 7:55 am

You've got a good point. It's probably like wine or liquor where you only drink the best ones on special occasions.

If I had an AB, I don't think it would be my "daily driver" hat. I'd save probably do the same as you and baby it a bit. Although, I'd probably still wear it through an "adventure" to test it's durability... I'd probably wear it through a rainstorm or something, but only once or twice. After that, I'd baby it a bit.

The Fed IV would still be my top choice (which by the way, has shrunk a bit already due to the multiple soakings and hot, humid weather we have here) for a "daily driver."

Gorak · Post by **Gorak** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:07 am

I just recently started throwing all these thoughts around too. I wear my AB ALOT and it was just recently that we were crossing a local ferry that my wife was concerned about the wind blowing my hat off into the sea....I didn`t think anything about it till she mentioned it and then I thought,"What would I do?" Seriously, what would I do? Like you said, replacing it is possible but costly in time and and money AND in the years it has taken me to get it shaped into something I love. It does make me a little more nervous now...
Ahhh, ignorance is bliss,huh?

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:11 am

I think what your saying is very sensible. There lays the problem. When it comes to these hats, many of us are totally out of control. I have ten hats. Why does anybody need ten hats? It's absolutely crazy! The worst part is I'll probably buy more. Luckily I'm not depriving my family of anything by buying this stuff.

Gailen

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:53 am

Yes, I drive a 1950 Plymouth to work every day. I also wear an AB....every day, rain or shine.

Why do people collect multiple items? For the sheer pleasure it brings.

My friends, life is too short. Enjoy every waking minute of it, for if you REALLY think about it, the only person you're shorting by aiming low is yourself.

I'm not saying a Fed is 'aiming low' either.

I AM saying if you have the opportunity to get something better, don't hide it under a basket or baby it, as the only one who is going to enjoy it is the one who gets it after you're dead....and that makes absolutely no sense to me.

JMO.

Regard! Michaelson

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:04 am

Michaelson wrote:Yes, I drive a 1950 Plymouth to work every day. I also wear an AB....every day, rain or shine.

Why do people collect multiple items? For the sheer pleasure it brings.

My friends, life is too short. Enjoy every waking minute of it, for if you REALLY think about it, the only person you're shorting by aiming low is yourself.

I'm not saying a Fed is 'aiming low' either.

I AM saying if you have the opportunity to get something better, don't hide it under a basket or baby it, as the only one who is going to enjoy it is the one who gets it after you're dead....and that makes absolutely no sense to me.

JMO.

Regard! Michaelson

I have to agree with you on that. I'm not taking the money with me when I die. I do try and wear a different hat each time I go out. None of my hats are unworn. Is "unworn" a word? Anyway, I guess I do get my monies worth just looking at these items. God I love this stuff!

Gailen

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:07 am

Same here, Gailen. That's really the only reason we do it.

All my rambling aside, Strider, if that plan makes sense to you, then by all means pursue it.

Regard! M

Post by **Indiana Jeff** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:14 am

Hm, now you have me thinking....

To start, I think for me (for all you black fed wearers out there, see, only referring to myself) that a black fed is a 'difficult' thing to wear. I feel like a gangster wannabe in a wide brim black fedora, even for everyday wear. So I don't.

As to AB wear...that's a tough call and certainly a personal choice. This topic has come up a few times in terms of an AB being 'irreplaceable', in the context of 'how much would you offer as a reward' and again when circling around TNO jackets being irreplaceable after Tony's demise.

I'm fortunate to be the owner of three ABs. Two I purchased second or third-hand and one I paid full price for. Two of these (brown Raiders and Sahara) are daily wear hats. The third is a brown fed I reserve as a weekend/dress hat. I occasionally think about the issues as related to 'What would I do if something happened to one of these hats?' Damage I don't worry too much about. Steve builds these hats to last, so daily wear are going to give them character and worst case, I can send them off for a reblock when that time comes. I know the number of highly skilled hatters is dwindling, but I am optimistic there will always be a niche market and there will be a hatter out there I trust to take care of these hats for me.

Now, permanent loss due to, well, loss or theft or whatever is certainly a consideration. To that end I'm as careful with them as I am with anything else I don't want permanently lost or stolen, ie my wallet. Gorak's example of his wife cautioning him about his fed while on a ferry is a good one. During our summer holiday my Bride gave me the same warning while on a canal tour. I hadn't even thought about it, but once she brought it up, I took my fed off and kept it in my lap.

I bought these hats to wear. So I do. It’s a lesson I learned from my father-in-law, "Don't worship your car. Take care of it, but you bought it to use it. As soon as you start worrying about what could happen to it, something will."

Now, if wearing an AB is going to become a stressor, by all means, leave it in its box and admire it for what it is.

To Strider's last point of a fed being a 'friend' and not feeling like he'd ever be attached enough to a hat to not be able to sell it, well, that's entirely subjective. I have developed very fond memories with certain hats (Indy and otherwise). But that's because I wear them to develop said memories. Am I more attached to these ABs because they were a significant financial investment? That plays into it. But I know when I look at my hats I think of the times I've spent in them more than the receipt. Would I never part with any of these hats? Hard to say. Certainly if it's a matter of financial need, the hats are going out the door. I currently own five fedoras with three in the pipe-line. I have tried to be 'strategic' with my hat buying to have the color spectrum and styles I want to fill my hat wearing needs. I don't have 'extras' and I expect these hats to pretty well last me the rest of my hat wearing days.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:21 am

Im with my friend M on this one. My only Indy lid is an AB deluxe and, while i dont wear it everyday, it accompanies me in some pretty.harsh conditions. I take it camping EVERY time (which right now is once a month with my sons boy scout troop) and it has been absolutely soaked with rain, smoked up by campfires, dirtied up, crumpled up and generally abused. I would be heart broken if it was lost or destroyed, but that wont keep me from putting it on a shelf.
WWID (what would Indy do?) ...i think he'd wear the heck out of it!!!

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:38 am

Hollowpond wrote:Im with my friend M on this one. My only Indy lid is an AB deluxe and, while i dont wear it everyday, it accompanies me in some pretty.harsh conditions. I take it camping EVERY time (which right now is once a month with my sons boy scout troop) and it has been absolutely soaked with rain, smoked up by campfires, dirtied up, crumpled up and generally abused. I would be heart broken if it was lost or destroyed, but that wont keep me from putting it on a shelf.
WWID (what would Indy do?) ...i think he'd wear the heck out of it!!!

After reading your response, I think I'm going to be harder on my hats.

Gailen

s7eng · Post by **s7eng** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:38 am

Thank you Strider for starting this thread. I have been contemplating getting a custom made hat and have been debating if I'd "baby" it. I love my fed and wear it almost every day. I don't want to put the money in a custom and then not wear it.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:53 am

Well, one important distinction that should be made in my case is, i dont purposely abuse my hat, but it is there while I do what I do. Its doing its job...protecting my head while Im out adventuring.

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:11 am

Yep, That's what a hat is suppose to do.

Gailen

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:18 am

Agreed. First and foremost, if used as it was created to be, it's a tool, plain and simple. It keeps our heads warm in winter, dry in rain and snow, and cool and protected from the sun in summer.

It's also considered 'used clothing' when it's been worn. Unless you consider these items (the high end versions) as 'collectable', they have no intrisic value to another buyer other than as another item in THEIR collection.

Same with our jackets. Used clothing outside of our hobby. Enjoy them.

Regards! Michaelson

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:30 am

This really off the sunject but I wear my indy clothing six out of seven days a week. To tell the truth I'm not comfortable wearing anything else. I think it makes me feel different and set me apart from others which is fine with me. The only one who sometimes complains is my wife and even she has adjusted to seeing me like this day after day. I don't consider it a costume but just who I am. sometimes I do wonder if people think I'm wearing dirty clothes since it's the same every day.

Gailen

jlee562 · Post by **jlee562** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:44 pm

Well, a black on black hat is hard to match with anything else. And an Indy lid always looks like an Indy lid. With the Rorschach hat, that's the problem with buying someone else's hat generally. Back in the day when hats were fashionable, you didn't buy a hat that didn't suit your face. Most men had one, maybe two.

I wear hats pretty much every day. And my hat collection has slowly ballooned to a dozen. Wide brims, stingy brims, and 4 custom hats. I don't baby them. I wear them. And I look good.

Pick up a nice gray lid, something that is more versatile than a black on black hat, and you might wear it more often.

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:00 pm

I'm really considering a gray travel hat. I think they look great.

Gailen

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:05 pm

Do it. I wear a smoke grey AB most of the time that Steve created in the 'Fedora' style from LC. That color matches up with just about anything you want to wear.

The rest of mine are the 'travel hat' block, as Steve USED my block when he created the grey travel hat for CS.

Regards! Michaelson

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:29 pm

Have a new Penman arriving in the next few days. Maybe I'll have him make me a gray one soon as I see the new hat.

Gailen

jlee562 · Post by **jlee562** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:30 pm

With regards to a grey hat:
Casual:

Formal:

That's my carbon grey Fed IV. I do love my black Penman, but I actually find that it's one of my least frequently worn hats, which is surprising on the one hand, because there's a lot of black in my wardrobe.

Indiana Bugs · Post by **Indiana Bugs** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:48 pm

For me it's a balance of money, desirability, and 'collectability.' And since I don't really 'collect' things, I guess it's the first two.

Before I joined this forum, as well as a couple of other vintage forums, I had never heard of Akubra. I had a few fedoras that I had accumulated over the past 30 years. When I saw the Fed IV I thought, wow, that's a hat. It was significantly more expensive than Stetsons I had bought many years before, but what wasn't more expensive than similar items purchased many years before?

Based on the recommendations of many, I bought my first Fed IV in early '09. Short story, I have three Feds now, and I love them. I have one on my head almost everyday, and the days that I don't wear one, I'm usually wearing my Henry, which is the most expensive hat I own.

And that's the thing. My Feds are my favorite hats, price not withstanding. They fit me the best of any of my hats. They stay on my head, even in strong winds. They look the best (on me). And because they are relatively inexpensive (at least by today's standards), I don't worry so much about them. They are not going to blow off my head, and I never leave a hat anywhere it could get lifted.

On top of that, being a do-it-yourselfer, I bought a 52 block in my size. I have already reblocked a couple of hats, including my brown Fed IV. My brown Fed III is awaiting a reversal, as a hole is beginning to form at the top if its current pinch (I bought it well-used).

So my balance between cost and desirability has landed me squarely in the Fed IV camp. If I had found anything about the Fed IV less than what I exactly wanted, I would have looked elsewhere.

APL · Post by **APL** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:20 pm

I had this very discussion with my wife. I have a brown fed IV raiders-style and when I wear it, I wear it hard. I also have a moonstone Fed IV with a crease very similar to LC, which works well for me, and wear it to work almost every day. I have thought off and on about get a Christy's Adventurer for the true Indy LC look, which IMO, the brown Fed doesn't pull off so well. The thing is that with a lighter weight felt, and a crease that works better for my face, I have a feeling I'll be wearing it every day, so I know I'll wear it hard (plus we get a ton of rain here). So my wife said that I'm not allowed to get another hat if the first one shrinks, tears, warps, gets stepped on by a camel, or otherwise. She did give the go ahead for the AB Henry, which I've been considering for about 4 months now, because it'll last. The felt is light, and from my understanding, comfortable, and she won't have to have this conversation with me again in a year or two. Just my 2 cents...

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 6:20 pm

Stider I used to be right were you are at. I used to baby my lotus 7. Then one day going over a Portland bridge the carbs caught fire and I almost lost the whole car. Lucky for me we got the parts replaced and restored her to new condition. I thought after that I would never drive it much anymore. That's the same thing familey and friends thought. That wasn't the case. I now drive that car like it should be. I drive it more often and it's not like I take care of it because I do. I just don't worry anymore if something is going to happen to it. Heck, I could go with the car.

I guess my piont is. If I'm going to loose the car, I want to enjoy it while I have her. I never want to look back and say " yeah I owned it for a long time but I never really drove it, or enjoyed it."

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:33 pm

BendingOak wrote:Stider I used to be right were you are at. I used to baby my lotus 7. Then one day going over a Portland bridge the carbs caught fire and I almost lost the whole car. Lucky for me we got the parts replaced and restored her to new condition. I thought after that I would never drive it much anymore. That's the same thing familey and friends thought. That wasn't the case. I now drive that car like it should be. I drive it more often and it's not like I take care of it because I do. I just don't worry anymore if something is going to happen to it. Heck, I could go with the car. I guess my piont is. If I'm going to loose the car, I want to enjoy it while I have her. I never want to look back and say " yeah I owned it for a long time but I never really drove it, or enjoyed it."

I totally get that feeling.

When I first got this AB, I wore it every day, rain or shine, etc. I still don't have any qualms about wearing it in the rain or snow now, but I tend not to wear it very often in the Oklahoma summer, it's just too hot for me for a felt hat.

I guess I just keep thinking to myself that I'd be heartsick if something happened to it that could not be fixed. Also, if it were to taper to a point where I didn't like how the hat looked on me, I'd be without it for several months while it was being serviced, almost regardless of who I sent it to. While I do agree that the re-blocking and customer service I could get from craftsmen such as yourself, Art Fawcett, or Steve is top-notch and worth the money, I guess the time being without the hat is what's disappointing.

I don't know if you or anyone else remembers what happened to the first AB I ever owned. I was walking on a freeway overpass bridge late at night on my way back home from work in a frog-strangler type rainstorm in San Diego before I owned a car. Yes, I typed that city name correctly.

I believe it was during the year where we had record rainfall there, more than we'd had since before I was born. My umbrella had blown inside out, and while I was trying to take care of that, whoosh. My hat flew right off my head and off the side of the bridge, into the inky black night.

I was very, very upset. I thought the hat was gone forever, and this was back when the lead times on ABs were only a month or two, and the price was still the old $225 for COW members. I walked back down the same overpass the next day, and lo and behold, I saw my hat on the shoulder of the freeway below. I called a cab to drive me down there and get it, and it was really no worse for wear, for the most part, but I sent it back to Steve anyway. If something like that happened now? Oh God, I'd throw up. I don't know what I'd do.

Like the mercury felt AB that TST and I share ownership of, it feels more and more like one of those things you take out for a special occasion or to wear with the rest of the gear, and kept somewhere safe the rest of the time. Of course, I know my Ford felt AB is nowhere near in the same league with the mercury felt AB, I use that hat as a way to describe the feeling I get about my regular one.

backstagejack · Post by **backstagejack** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:26 pm

I have often thought about this - in fact, I'm kinda going through this with another peice of replica clothing that I really want.

My go too hat is a Fed carbon grey that I bought from the Bazzar for 50 bucks - very lightly used. Since then I've worn the @#$% out of it and it's going strong. My Fed in Brown is sitting on my shelf gathering dust because it cost me around 120 or so.

Sure, not much pocket change for some - but if I took that hat out and destroyed it, I would be very wary of spending another 120 bucks. I can't imagine if I was wearing a custom AB and something happened to it! I'd never buy one again.

Right now I'm looking at a Dr. Who Tennant coat, something I would love having but am wary of as, unlike the TV world - if I tear it or stain it, I'm going to have a VERY hard time replacing it.

Wonder if there's money in an Insurance Company that covers Movie replicas for Gearheads.......

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:31 am

Setting aside concerns of wearing Indy gear, I think this is a very individual thing. It depends on the type of hat wearer you are. For example, what is "a day in the life of an everyday hat" for one hat wearer is not the same for another.

I never leave the house without a lid on, and they almost all look brand new. Some are nearly 10 years old! I also have an Akubra that I use as a "work hat" - which is not the same as an "everyday hat" - and is pretty beat by my standards (but not so much by many others' standards). So, I'm the kind of guy who is making a good investment with a custom hat, like an AB or Penman. The odds are, I won't need to ever replace it, and I might have to reblock it once in my entire life. The hats I've cycled through have all been factory hats, and I have phased most out of my collection because, next to my everlasting-gobstoppers... uh, custom fedoras, they just bleed my wallet replacing them.

On the other extreme, there are people who can kick the living stuffing out of an AB in a year or two, even without using it for dirty work and such. People like that might do better to cycle through Akubras as everyday hats, and leave the AB for Sunday driving in the '57 Chevy.

Post by **Indiana Jeff** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:42 am

Strider wrote:I was very, very upset. I thought the hat was gone forever, and this was back when the lead times on ABs were only a month or two, and the price was still the old $225 for COW members. I walked back down the same overpass the next day, and lo and behold, I saw my hat on the shoulder of the freeway below. I called a cab to drive me down there and get it, and it was really no worse for wear, for the most part, but I sent it back to Steve anyway. If something like that happened now? Oh God, I'd throw up. I don't know what I'd do.

I think this is the crux of what you started with in this threat. If wearing an AB or other custom hat is going to be a distraction to you, don't. Get an Akubra, wear the stuffing out of it and replace it as necessary. I think over time you'll end up spending more out of pocket, but there's something to be said about 'buying' piece of mind.

If you want to be a daily hat wearer, but wearing a custom hat won't be enjoyable, go with a solid factory hat and wear away!

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 8:06 am

If you recall, I wrestled with this very problem regarding my TN CS jacket.....until the day my wife saw it hanging in my closet and asked me what it was. I told her, and she asked why I didn't wear it more often. I told her my concerns, and she said quite casually, 'that's not exactly honoring the memory of your friend who gave it to you, is it? He wanted you to WEAR it.'

Uh, hummm. Yeah. That's true.

I wear it a LOT now, and am enjoying every minute with it.

Sometimes you need to look at things from a different prospective to get the whole picture.

Regard! Michaelson

Post by **Indiana Jeff** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 8:15 am

That's the way I try to look at my hats. I have invested too much money and time into them to not use them.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 8:17 am

Long John Tinfoil · Post by **Long John Tinfoil** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 9:26 am

I noted somewhere in another thread a couple of years ago that my Grandfather's generation typically had 3 hats. A "good" hat for weddings, funerals and other important functions; an "everyday" hat that went to the store, office or factory rain or shine, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter; and a camping, hunting, fishing, vacationing, "lucky" hat (perhaps worn at poker games). All were purchased new, in the style and colour the owner preferred. All started out as the "Sunday-go-to-Meeting" hat and moved on from there. When the daily wearer got shabby it became the "beater", the Sunday hat became the everyday and a new hat was purchased for dress.

Right now, aside from some Western-style hats, I have 3 fedoras in my rotation. A Keppler for dress, a Fed IV all day-every day except where a hard-hat is required, and a PB with a hole at the pinch, grease stains here and there and a couple of flies stuck in the band as my fishing hat. I bought them all used but in great condition. I'll replace them as needed and will purchase new if necessary. I'd like to move up to the Henry, Penman, AB level, but I'm not stressed about it. The lids I have are solid, stylish and perfectly satisfactory to me. I like them all, I wear them all, I'll replace them all if they wear out or go missing.

They're clothes, not family members.

LJ

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 9:34 am

My Dad had two. One was for dress and church (it was a Dobbs), and the other his daily hat which was a JC Penny Marathon. That's the one I remember the best. It looked just like the 'Penman', as seen here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 449&type=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In summer he wore no hat, or a ball cap when working in the garden.

Regards! Michaelson

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 9:50 am

I have to honest. I have all these fine hats but most of the time I'll grab my 1940's Lee Adventure Model Fedora. I started wearing these right after Raiders movie opened. Though not SA, it's a tough hat that is bascially indestructable. Over the years I have had to replace it a few times which is not easy, (long seaches on e-bay for the right size.) Have any of you ever owned one?

Gailen

trdaggers · Post by **trdaggers** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:31 am

I really wanted to compliment you guy for your oustanding ability to convey in writing your thoughts and views. Sleeping in English class has its drawbacks.

Gailen

Forrest For the Trees · Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:55 pm

I don't know, I think of it like this, do you own your stuff, or does your stuff own you? If you can't be out and about wearing some of these items without being totally hung up about the prospect of losing them, then maybe you need another jacket or hat. If you are okay with these items simply being collectibles that sit in a closet or a shelf somewhere, then fine. If you can't accept that, then sell them or wear them. If something happened to one of these items, would it really be the end of the world? In the grand scheme of things?

As to Strider's original question, it just sounds like you need a different hat for daily wear. I love combing ebay for vintage hats. There are some real gems that show up that don't cost nearly as much as the custom hats our vendors offer. Just a thought. And hey, variety is a good thing. If you can score some vintage hats for about 60 to 100 bucks or so, nothing wrong with having several to change up your wardrobe.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:25 pm

Michaelson wrote:If you recall, I wrestled with this very problem regarding my TN CS jacket.....until the day my wife saw it hanging in my closet and asked me what it was. I told her, and she asked why I didn't wear it more often. I told her my concerns, and she said quite casually, 'that's not exactly honoring the memory of your friend who gave it to you, is it? He wanted you to WEAR it.'

Uh, hummm. Yeah. That's true.

I wear it a LOT now, and am enjoying every minute with it.

Sometimes you need to look at things from a different prospective to get the whole picture.

Regard! Michaelson

Wise woman you got there.

I think Tony would hate to know his jackets were hanging in a closet somewhere. He want people wearing them. I know I want my customers wearing the snot out of my hats. Not sitting on a shelf on display.

shade88 · Post by **shade88** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:53 pm

All I know is that when I get eventually get my first "nice" fedora, I am going to wear it every day, till i have to get it reblocked. Then when I get it back from a good reblocking, I'll wear it some more.

IMO: These fedoras, no matter which company/hatter produced it, are made to be worn. Unless it was bought for display only, these fedoras should be worn often with pride.

(Except for the Dorfman Pacific.)

Just kidding... Maybe...

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:14 am

BendingOak wrote:
Michaelson wrote:If you recall, I wrestled with this very problem regarding my TN CS jacket.....until the day my wife saw it hanging in my closet and asked me what it was. I told her, and she asked why I didn't wear it more often. I told her my concerns, and she said quite casually, 'that's not exactly honoring the memory of your friend who gave it to you, is it? He wanted you to WEAR it.'

Uh, hummm. Yeah. That's true.

I wear it a LOT now, and am enjoying every minute with it.

Sometimes you need to look at things from a different prospective to get the whole picture.

Regard! Michaelson

Wise woman you got there.

I think Tony would hate to know his jackets were hanging in a closet somewhere. He want people wearing them. I know I want my customers wearing the snot out of my hats. Not sitting on a shelf on display.

...on all counts, my friend!

HIGH regard! Michaelson

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:14 pm

All I know if I was going to be on my death bed tomorrow. I don't ever want to say to myself. I should have worn my AB more, my Novak more or driven my car more." sounds like regret to me. I tend only to regret the things I didn't do.

Mitch LaRue · Post by **Mitch LaRue** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:55 pm

Hear, HEAR to both of you, Michaelson and BendingOak!

It's my intent to live my life (and wear my hats throughout!) by these very guidelines.

PsychicsAndSwords · Post by **PsychicsAndSwords** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 7:05 pm

My view is kind of opposite of the original thought. I don't baby my Penman hats because they're expensive - rather, I paid more for them because after looking into it, I realized I wouldn't have to baby them.

I went through a couple of hats over a period of about ten years, and none of them were really satisfactory. The last one I had before my first Penman was a Fed IV, which was nice up until it dramatically shrank & tapered after spending five minutes in a light rain (and before anyone says anything - yes, I did follow the proper steps to let it dry nice and natural-like

).

I now have three Penman hats and noticed they're actually kind of following that nice hat-dress hat-beater hat pattern. My first was a green Raiders which is my outdoor adventure hat. That thing has been through way, way more than all of my cheaper hats ever went through, put together, and it still looks pretty much brand new.

On the flipside, though, my more recent "Penman" style in sahara is getting babied a bit, but only because it looks so dang classy, and the color is so light, that I don't want to dirty it up - I prefer using it as a nice/dress hat. But I have no doubt that it would stand up to all kinds of horrible abuse just as well as my Raiders style.

I also have a ToD style, which I wear more around town because the shape seems to suit my face a little better than the others. But this one has been interchangeable as the "outdoor" hat because, again, it's probably going to take more abuse than I could dish out to significantly harm these babies.

Now, I totally understand the concern about theft, or loss to wind, and I probably would be heartbroken if that happened, even though my hats aren't even all that old. But, as they say, possessions are fleeting. Personally, I'd rather miss an 'old friend' hat than die with one that's been sitting in the hat box for a few decades.

DarenHenryW · Post by **DarenHenryW** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 1:34 am

My Two Cents: To me, hats like ours are a bit like suits. If you only have one, you can't really wear it everyday. Let's face it, that gets old pretty fast. To that effect, suits are also like socks: if you only had ONE pair of socks, you'd probably only wear them on certain occasions, and the rest of the time you would . . . I don't know . . . wear flip flops or sandals or something (shudder!). The point is, if you want to be someone who wears suits, you need to have more than one or two. At the very least, you need to have a couple of suits, and a few sport coats which you can match with different slacks, etc. So, the same goes with these "dress" hats of ours. I personally try to resist wearing my fedoras "casually", i.e. I almost never wear a fedora with a goofy t-shirt, and I don't often wear my fedoras when I'm wearing jeans. I know that makes me a bit of a snob, and I DO wear them with jeans on occasion, but I've just worked my way into enough suits and slacks to feel that I don't need to anymore, and I feel much happier wearing my fedoras this way.

So, here's the point I'm getting at: I'm glad to learn that "back in the day" the average guy had about three hats. But none of us here are average, since its no longer common to wear fedoras. I'll bet that most of us are "the fedora guy" around our place of work or community. Knowing that, I don't want to be "that guy who always wears that hat." I enjoy the hats I own, and I don't wear them for anyone else but myself, but after about a year of only having a brown Indy and a gray Indy, I realized that hats were like suits, and that if I was going to commit to wearing one every day (and I pretty much do) that I couldn't have only a brown one and a gray one. That worked for awhile, but it really seemed to restrict my wardrobe. There were too many sport coats or suits that I felt just didn't go well with either an Indy brown or CS travel hat. So now I have a green, a few browns, some in different shades, two grays, and a sahara. And . . . you guessed it, I've got more hats coming. Is it overkill? Maybe? Do I need them all? Probably not. But if you only have one hat and you find yourself not feeling comfortable wearing it everyday, that's because it does not MATCH all the clothes in your closet. Do you only have ONE tie? Do you only have ONE shirt? Do you only have ONE pair of shoes? Naturally, the answer is no. So, if you only own ONE or maybe two hats, chances are, you are going to start to feel just as self-conscious as you would if you wore only two different ties or shirts throughout the course of a week. Week in, week out.

So how many unique hats SHOULD a guy own to rotate through the days to match his changing wardrobe? Well, no less than three, I would say.

Daren Henry W

Indiana Bugs · Post by **Indiana Bugs** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:05 am

Yes, three is a good number, although two, a brown and a gray, would certainly cover most wardrobes. A brown hat for earth tones, and a gray for blacks, blues, and grays. After that, it's kind of redundant, at least for me. Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

Arch Stanton · Post by **Arch Stanton** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:12 am

jlee562 wrote:

That's a great pic. There are next to zero pics of carbon grey Feds on here. I really like your pinch on it. It's very much what I try to do. Don't be mad if it's not what you were going for, but it appears like a cross between Raiders and Last Crusade. I never really focused on screen accuracy minutiae. I just wanted the Indy "vibe". And you have it. Even though it's not brown. And you make it look good with that jacket and t-shirt. Bravo, my friend.

fifthchamber · Post by **fifthchamber** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:41 am

I have 6 hats.....

And of the 6, four of them are in heavy-rotation....

However, the one that I use in ALL weather, and love to wear EVERYDAY is my Penman....

It was the nicest to receive, and it's the one I run to when I need to do anything worth doing in a hat...

I love my Adventurebilt too... But I prefer to wear my Penman...

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:14 am

PsychicsAndSwords wrote: rather, I paid more for them because after looking into it, I realized I wouldn't have to baby them.

My thoughts exactly...

TheSavoryTrim · Post by **TheSavoryTrim** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 11:29 pm

Okay, Tuck, I get it. I'll get you a Fed for your birthday. :p

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:56 am

TheSavoryTrim wrote:Okay, Tuck, I get it. I'll get you a Fed for your birthday. :p

I swear, that wasn't my intention!!

TheSavoryTrim · Post by **TheSavoryTrim** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 11:55 pm

SURE.