Club Obi Wan

Well, there are a few Indy hats in there, but since I'm home from work today, I thought I'd kill some time and round up a few hats for a photo op. As they say, nature abhors a vacuum! Save a few in hiding, this is my current inventory.

Nice collection. Which one's your favorite?

Nice collection! Now, if there was a fire and you had time to only grab one of them... which one would it be???

Now thats real cool. I love the top hat and the pith helmet. The A. Fez looks great and folds in with the collection very nicely

Beautiful!

Sweet!! Does that one in the middle on the left have a copper ribbon? I REALLY want a copper ribbon hat!!!

Travis

Wow you must make a LOT of money! I wish I could afford a collection like that!

Wow, Bink!

Just out of curiosity, how many and which ones are daily wear, or in "rotation" as Fedora puts it?

Keep in mind that I've had a good number of these hats for many years and that some I inherited from my grandfathers. No way could I afford to buy this many hats at one time! I've loved hats like these since I could pull them out of my grandfathers' closets as a little kid. Over the years I've added hats and passed others along. Some I will never part with.

The majority of these hats do find themselves in the rotation, depending upon the time of year and what kind of mood I'm in. Obviously, I don't wear the straw hats so much during the winter.

Hollowpond, the hat you refer to on the left is a vintage Dobbs Cross Country. Yes, it has a copper ribbon. Before I got back into my love of Indy, this hat served as my "everywhere" hat. I've gone chasing this hat through busy parking lots at least once or twice over the years during windy days. Steve Delk also rebuilt this hat for me when the original sweat finally gave up the ghost. It was one of the many hats he worked on before deciding that maybe this silly hat making idea might be worth doing full time.

For those interested in what is what:



1. Reproduction Victorian top hat
2. Vintage Wormser Derby
3. Russian Army cap repro
4. Vintage Borsalino
5. Fez-o-rama fez! The embroidery on the front of this one is my design.
6. Classic and quality felt fez.
7. Cheap tourist fez I got during my trip to Lebanon in 2006.
8. Vintage Joicy Genuine Panama Airliner
9. Rugged Man by Champ. Vintage stingy brim.
10. Hallmark Series by Knox. Vintage stingy brim
11. Vintage Dobbs Cross Country
12. Whisperjet by Champ. Vintage stingy brim.
13. Vintage Fleetwood stingy brim
14. Vintage Royal De Luxe Stetson
15. Grey Adventurebilt
16. Crystal Skull Adventurebilt
17. Dobbs shantung straw fedora
18. British pith helmet
19. Adventurebilt made from a vintage mercury felt hat body, circa 1920.
20. Adventurebilt, early production. This hat has been with me on countless adventures and around the globe.
21. Vintage Mallory
22. Reblocked Leo Satz and Sons fedora
23. Vintage Portis Panama
24. Fun long striped stocking cap.
25. Glengarry with MacFarlane clan badge
26. Hat People newsboy cap
27. Pantropic Panama with replaced ribbon
28. Military beret
29. Vintage Royal Stetson
30. Vintage Stetson Stratoliner
31. repro WWII garrison cap with Military Police piping
32. Miller cowboy hat reblocked outback style
33. Akubra Federation IV, reblocked and bound brim added.
34. Vintage Knox Vagabond. This was a beater hat in rough shape that I reblocked and swapped ribbons on.
35. Lock and Co. fedora
36. Christy fedora. Received secondhand and thoroughly abused.

This is excellent, now when my girlfriend says, "You have too many hats already!" when I look at new ones I'll just get this picture out and say, "I've only just begun to collect!". That's a nice collection, I really like 1 through 36.

Excellent collection Bink!
Looks like I have a few odds-n-ends to collect to be able to catch up there.

Cheers!

Dan

I'm sorry, but your collection is not complete without the official Dorfman-Pacific Indy hat.

WOW! Sorry, I couldn't think of anything clever.
J-

OK, Bink. Nobody said this yet!!

You are a man of many HATS!

That's a cool assortment.

~Steve

Freemason wrote:Wow you must make a LOT of money! I wish I could afford a collection like that!

Next, Bink will post a picture of his wallet collection.

Beautiful collection, Rick. 19, 29, and 22 are my favorites, in that order.

Dave

WOW to your collection, bink!
And THANKS for listing everything by name... this is a very useful reference to have.
Cheers!

Luke Warmwater wrote:Next, Bink will post a picture of his wallet collection.

There's not enough bandwidth for that.

Thanks for the compliments, guys! I thought some of you would get a kick out of this.

That's a terrific collection.

I would love to get into vintage hat collecting but my large noggin (61) makes it a bit prohibitive.

Great collection Bink! Seeing your Hat People Newsboy cap inspired me to order my own! I've been looking for a nice one for a long time in a specific herringbone pattern and they had it! Great price too!

Back on topic, those are some nice hats sir

Sure it's a nice collection, but where's the Dorfman? Showing this picture to my wife when she gives me a hard time about having 4 fedoras.

Back row, second from the right.

So is that what you REALLY think of Steve's work? Heck, if someone wants to send me a Dorfman, then I'll add it to the pile. But in the meantime, I'm not sure I have room for it! Actually, the closest hat of the bunch to a Dorfman is number 36 given the condition it's in!

bink, I hope you don't mind me asking this (perhaps you've answered this question before, I don't know)... but, what is your hat size?

I'm asking because as I look at these hats (an incredibly impressive collection as I mentioned before) I can't help but wonder about the proportions of certain hat crowns in relation to some of their hat brims...
The Indy-Style fedoras, of course, I'm a little bit more familiar with (and I already know how perfect they look) but some others, I'm not so sure about)... and to be frank, knowing some of this might help me make future decisions about whether some of those styles might "work" on my noggin.

Now, I do realize I've just left myself open to accusations of planning to burgle your residence... but... well... I mean... y'know...

Sorry...what was my point?


(Seriously, though... STILL would like to know your Hat Size)

Great display! More stingy brims in the collection than I would expect.

I didn't realize the Fez-O-Rama was your original design. Now I have to order one.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

...hat thief! Better call the COW police!...wait a minute?

You are the COW police! Better open up a can of beans on him!


Seriously, 16 & 20 are the picks of the litter.

You're a man after my own hat... uh, heart, Bink. Great collection, as always. And, as always, I'm reminded of yet more hats I must get my hands on!

As to where they came from, obviously sir, you've moved up from wallet pinching to habberdashery robbing!

Amazing collection!! wow! incredible, now it makes me wonder about my 3 pieces hat collection...

Mitch LaRue wrote:bink, I hope you don't mind me asking this (perhaps you've answered this question before, I don't know)... but, what is your hat size?

I'm asking because as I look at these hats (an incredibly impressive collection as I mentioned before) I can't help but wonder about the proportions of certain hat crowns in relation to some of their hat brims...
The Indy-Style fedoras, of course, I'm a little bit more familiar with (and I already know how perfect they look) but some others, I'm not so sure about)... and to be frank, knowing some of this might help me make future decisions about whether some of those styles might "work" on my noggin.

Mitch, I wear between a 7 1/8 and 7 1/4, with at least one or two hats being marked as a 7 3/8. It depends upon the hat! I'd safely say 7 1/4, though. As to what proportions and shapes work, it really does come down to more than just hat size. If you're very tall, a stingy brim might look a bit goofy, whereas a larger hat might compliment your height better. (That's my personal take, anyway. There are always exceptions.) Your face shape also plays an important role. If you have a short face, a tall crown might be too much. A tapered crown like on my stingy brims might not compliment a square face. A very wide brim might overshadow a small or thin face. As you can see, I have brims and crowns of many shapes and sizes. I think the best thing to do it to go to a hat shop (even if they only sell cheap factory hats) just to try on as many styles and variations as possible. That way, you can look in the mirror and figure out what you like and what works for you. I will admit that taller crowns take some getting used to if you are accustomed to shorter ones, but if you are comfortable and confident in the hat, then it just becomes an extension of you, as opposed to the hat wearing you.

I like that my collection is wide and varied. I have a hat for most any mood and occasion. Some are formal, some adventuresome, and others downright practical, but they each have a place.

Indiana Jeff wrote:Great display! More stingy brims in the collection than I would expect.

I didn't realize the Fez-O-Rama was your original design. Now I have to order one.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

The stingy brims belonged to my grandfathers. I seldom wear them because I favor a larger brim and older styles generally look better on me. They do get tossed in rotation on occasion, however. And if you're interested in the Fez-o-rama fez, it was a limited edition run and I think they only have a few left!

Ah, that explains the stingy brims, I thought you were more of a large brim guy.

Alas, I just checked Fez-o-rama and they only have 1 2XL and 2 3XL fezes (or is it fezi?) left. Too big for me. That's what happens when one hesitates.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Jeff, what's your head size? They state in their FAQ that their sizes are not an exact science since they go up in half inch increments. By their measurements, a medium should fit me, but I went up to a large which fit me better.

There is just no way any man can wear that many hats at one time. Or can they...?

Yeah, I thought of that, but I'm 23 1/8 or approximately 58.5 cm. That would put me in the large/XL range. I think a 2XL would slip right over my ears.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Bink, any advice on top hat shopping? I'm looking for one to wear with my morning coat this summer at my wedding. (or perhaps you could loan me yours )

Mike

Hi bink,
Just wanted to take a second and say a "thanks" for responding to my question (further up this page)...
I appreciate the info (and, as always, the guidance.)

Sure thing, Mitch.

Jeff, I think you're right on the 2XL being too big for you. Sorry.

Mike, if you're looking for a nice top hat to wear with a morning coat, I'd recommend finding a nice silk or fur top hat. You'd be welcome to try the one I have, but it's wool and the historical "Mad Hatter" design is earlier and a bit off from what you'd want to wear with a morning coat. While some wool toppers look nice enough, with the majority of wool toppers, it'd be like wearing a Dorfman with a Nowak jacket. You want something which will look classy and nice.

I assume you're renting your wedding suit? If so, many tux rental shops should carry top hats for rent, too. The down side to this is that all of the rental hats I've seen are cheap wool costume hats and look awful even for a high school prom, much lass a wedding. Still, it might be worth asking rental shops what they have or what they can acquire.

You can find top hats in antique stores from time to time, but they're not easy to find, and when you do spot one, it comes down to condition, size, and price. If you are willing to buy one, Hornet hats offers a nice looking selection. Depending on what your whole attire will look like, go for the black or the grey hat in the taller or Edwardian style. Avoid anything else, unless you plan on wearing a powder blue suit.

http://www.hornetshats.com/f_hatview.ph ... Top%20Hats

Bink, thanks for the words of wisdom. In regards to the morning coat, it is actually a bespoke model being made for me by our very own Matt Deckard. A few friends and I had always said that if the girl gets to buy a dress, we wanted to buy our wedding garb... plus, we plan to wear ours again. I plan on wearing mine to church on Easter.

Mike

Good for you! In that case, I'd look into buying a nice top hat to compliment the rest of the attire, if you can afford it.