Buying my first hat

I am interested in buying my first hat to wear with my grey dress slacks black dress shoes and navy blue sports coat. I have no idea wear to start nor what style or type of hat to look at buying. As far as price goes I am open to spending at least $150 oralittle more. Any suggestions would be great. I do live in Texas and would like to be able to have something to wear year around of possible. I did have a hat that was given to me that I would have to get refinished(new lining etc). At a cost of $65.00 Anyone have any experience with Cattlena Hatters in College Station, TX?

If photos of anything are needed please let me know.

Best,
Jerry

Best thing to do is to get down to your local gent's milliner and see what suits. I'm thinking Stetson myself, but as to the model that would suit, it really depends on your face and style.

Talltexan said:

I am interested in buying my first hat to wear with my grey dress slacks black dress shoes and navy blue sports coat. I have no idea wear to start nor what style or type of hat to look at buying. As far as price goes I am open to spending at least $150 oralittle more. Any suggestions would be great. I do live in Texas and would like to be able to have something to wear year around of possible. I did have a hat that was given to me that I would have to get refinished(new lining etc). At a cost of $65.00 Anyone have any experience with Cattlena Hatters in College Station, TX?

If photos of anything are needed please let me know.

Best,
Jerry

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Are hats popular in Texas? Besides the cowboy hat, that is. I'm just curious, because every time I'm in Texas I see lots of fellows wearing Stetson type hats, but never really noticed any others, with the exception of the universal ball cap.

Here is a hat that I own and really like. http://www.hats-plus.com/p-74-bailey-carson-fedora-hat.aspx
But really Scottish Steve has really given you good advice. Hats are like everything else, subjective. If you have a walk-in store close by, just go in and try all the hats until you find the one you like the best.

I wear hats (usually fedoras) pretty often. Quality-wise, and price-wise, my best purchases have been from antique places. They don't make hats like they used to.

Typically, a hat that I can purchase from an antique place for 30-40 bucks is something that would cost probably over 150 bucks at a hat store.

I'd probably stay away from something too over-the-top, e.g. really wide brim. Also, I find that I don't wear black hats very often, my browns and grays get more action.


Joe in Seattle.

Agree on the gray. I recently bought a Stetson fedora for around $65. The quality isn't as good as a vintage hat but better than many other modern brands.

I'm a fan of Harris Tweed Flatcaps, but I'm not so sure how well that would go in the formal setting.

Personally, I love the fedora but you, being from Texas, might prefer the Western style hat. Hats Plus out of Chicago has every style you could want and within your budget. I have ordered from them exclusively since I started collecting fedoras; I have four now. I like the quality of the Biltmore brand the best; the Ark and the Bogart being my favorites right now. Go with fur felt, not wool. I wear mine mostly during cool weather only because I don't want to sweat in them and get them stained. Make sure you know your hat size before you order via the internet. Like others have suggested, try to find a brick and mortar store in your area to try on a few to see what suits you and to ensure your correct size. You can also get the straw fedora for summer wear but they tend to be a bit pricey.

You know, being in Texas you might want something between Western and full fedora. Stetson made (and maybe still does) the 'Open Road' style of hat. A little less formal, but still suitable for city wear. And look good casually too. I have a couple and I like them.

Joe in seattle

There should be one or two places you can go to in Houston.

If you're going dark blue/gray, I'd also go gray.

Try a fedora. Or, if you're going the Western route, play with the crowns some. And take a woman along with you who will give her honest opinion.

I wear a nice quality bowler that I got from an honest to goodness real Haberdasher. I spent about $150 which if you want a good hat, new, that is of good quality you will probably spend that much.

Based on your described attire, I would agree with the everyone else and say gray, probably with a black band if you go with some of the more formal hats like a bowler, homburg, or top hat. However, also based on your attire I would steer clear of the homburg or the top hat as those really should only be warn with dark suits. They are too formal for the outfit presented.

Ultimately though, you need to go some where were you can try several different styles on and see how they fit on your head.

Good Luck Brother!

Jasonw560 said:

There should be one or two places you can go to in Houston.

And take a woman along with you who will give her honest opinion.

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I do NOT like the idea of getting a woman's opinion on any part of my attire.

Bring along a guy who wears real hats, or, if this is a legitimate hat store, get the opinion of the sales person.

joe in ballard

My Adams Co. Hat

Had sent off to Cantelena Hatters in Bryan, Texas for a complete redo.

Very nice. Very nice indeed. Just don't wear that hat on U. of Alabama game days. That looks a lot like hounds-tooth!

gjoosten said:

Very nice. Very nice indeed. Just don't wear that hat on U. of Alabama game days. That looks a lot like hounds-tooth!

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+1. My first thought was OMG it's Bear Bryant's hat.

I often wear a driving style cap in tweed or wool and on cold and rainy days I wear an Indy style fedora that was custom made by Peters Bros hats in Fort Worth. $250. I think a photo of the hat is on my pictures page.

A lot of variables here...You need advice from a seasoned Pro like Graham Thompson of

http://optimohats.com/#/hats/

You will recognize his work on the movie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PEPOSTERsm.jpg

And being all felts for the hats made here in my hometown and then exported, ask for the same dark red color of the movie hat. It could work on your attire. Of course here you just have to choose your model, felt and color and it's done...Customized has it should be, being a person so unique!! And no more "one size fits all"

I'm going with jmacak and suggesting that you look at the Open Road style of fedora. LBJ wore one with the "cattleman's crease", but with a more traditional teardrop the combination of Silverbelly color and thin ribbon make for a versatile hat that's at home in the country or the city.

A fine alternative to the Stetson OR is the Akubra Campdraft. Same sort of hat, but less money and higher quality, IMHO.

That's Jimmy Stewart wearing an Open Road hat in my avatar. At least for now.

Topgumby said:

I'm going with jmacak and suggesting that you look at the Open Road style of fedora. LBJ wore one with the "cattleman's crease", but with a more traditional teardrop the combination of Silverbelly color and thin ribbon make for a versatile hat that's at home in the country or the city.

A fine alternative to the Stetson OR is the Akubra Campdraft. Same sort of hat, but less money and higher quality, IMHO.

That's Jimmy Stewart wearing an Open Road hat in my avatar. At least for now.

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Topgumby's avatar pict of Jimmy Stewart in an Open Road may an Open Road but it has been rebashed or shaped from the traditional Open Road shape of the cattleman's crease, which is what you see on most western hats.


Think of an Open Road as a western style with a much narrower brim that is bound with a very narrow ribbon around the edge. I wear mine with the brim turned down like a fedora but still with the cattlemans crease. I probably have 8-10 fedora's and and 3 westerns in felt.

In straw I have more westerns than fedora types, but wear the fedora most often.

Here in E Texas I say wear what you get comfortable with, I went with the fedora , just my "marching to the tune of a different drummer", not western and definetly baseball caps.

Talltexan said:

I am interested in buying my first hat to wear with my grey dress slacks black dress shoes and navy blue sports coat. I have no idea wear to start nor what style or type of hat to look at buying. As far as price goes I am open to spending at least $150 oralittle more. Any suggestions would be great. I do live in Texas and would like to be able to have something to wear year around of possible. I did have a hat that was given to me that I would have to get refinished(new lining etc). At a cost of $65.00 Anyone have any experience with Cattlena Hatters in College Station, TX?

If photos of anything are needed please let me know.

Best,
Jerry

Click to expand...

It is hard to really go wrong in TX with a cowboy hat. Straw for summer, felt for winter. But you might also look at a wide brimmed fedora in panama or regular straw. A flat cap would work, maybe, in some venues, especially with a sport coat. Cream or beige for summer, plaid or tweed for winter. My choice, for a single year round hat with that rig would be a light to medium gray felt fedora with vent holes.