Re: You seem to know a lot about hats

Posted by Steve from ppp-22.COL.cableone.net on May 07, 1999 at 14:26:40:

In Reply to: You seem to know a lot about hats posted by Abner on May 07, 1999 at 12:03:10:

: : Here I go again! Since requesting some specs on Indy fedoras I have come upon some variants that facinate me. One HJ hat had a 6" open crown, 5" as measured at the sides after the crease, and 41\2" at the front pinch. Then another HJ hat measured 4 5\8" at the pinch. This is close to the first one so thats understandable, but I think this one was only 5" in the open crown state. My Gary White hat measures 4 1\2" at the front, but has a 5 1\2 open crown. My Nostalgia measures 4 1\2" at the front with a 5" open crown. Now eventhough both of my hats measure the same at the front, they look to be worlds apart. If you look at most of Indy's from the front, you will discover that he has the crown sticking up past the pinch on either side. This to my mind is what sets his hat apart from the shorter crown varieties available out there, especially the Raiders hat. I think it is very possible that different crown heights were used for the different movies, and this creates confusion. You know, whenever you see the specs of this hat on various web pages, very seldom are you given the open crown height. Wonder why, since this is of prime importance. Look at a cowboy hat catalog and you will notice open crown heights are always listed. It is my opinion that a Indy hat should have an open crown of around 5 1\2". This extra 1\2" makes a remarkable difference in the overall appearance. My wife maintains that I am obsessed with hats. She's right, and I hope I don't bore all of you too much. Steve

:
: Perhaps you could answer this question...If you were to order a hat from Herbert Johnson, what directions would you give them in order to get the most accurate hat possible?

: Cheers,
: Abner

I could be wrong of course, but here goes. I think the crown should be 5 1\2 to 6" in the open crown state. The brim should be dimensional. I would say 2 3\4" front and back, 2 1\2" on the sides. The color should be a dark brown. The ribbon should be 1 1\2" wide and of the petersham variety. The color, a dark brown, almost black looking. No tear drop creases, simply a deep cleft in the crown. And I guess I would have to give them these specs because of a fear of them sending me a shorter crown model. I only say this because Gary White recently told he got a call from someone in Montana who had just recieved a HJ fedora and the crown was too short! This fellow wanted to know if Gary could stretch the crown! Steve

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: : :      Here I go again! Since requesting some specs on Indy fedoras I have come upon some variants that facinate me. One HJ hat had a 6" open crown, 5" as measured at the sides after the crease, and 41\2" at the front pinch. Then another HJ hat measured 4 5\8" at the pinch. This is close to the first one so thats understandable, but I think this one was only 5" in the open crown state. My Gary White hat measures 4 1\2" at the front, but has a 5 1\2 open crown. My Nostalgia measures 4 1\2" at the front with a 5" open crown. Now eventhough both of my hats measure the same at the front, they look to be worlds apart. If you look at most of Indy's from the front, you will discover that he has the crown sticking up past the pinch on either side. This to my mind is what sets his hat apart from the shorter crown varieties available out there, especially the Raiders hat. I think it is very possible that different crown heights were used for the different movies, and this creates confusion. You know, whenever you see the specs of this hat on various web pages, very seldom are you given the open crown height. Wonder why, since this is of prime importance. Look at a cowboy hat catalog and you will notice open crown heights are always listed. It is my opinion that a Indy hat should have an open crown of around 5 1\2". This extra 1\2" makes a remarkable difference in the overall appearance. My wife maintains that I am obsessed with hats. She's right, and I hope I don't bore all of you too much.   Steve

: : 
: : Perhaps you could answer this question...If you were to order a hat from Herbert Johnson, what directions would you give them in order to get the most accurate hat possible?

: : Cheers,
: : Abner

:      I could be wrong of course, but here goes. I think the crown should be 5 1\2 to 6" in the open crown state. The brim should be dimensional. I would say 2 3\4" front and back, 2 1\2" on the sides. The color should be a dark brown. The ribbon should be 1 1\2" wide and of the petersham variety. The color, a dark brown, almost black looking. No tear drop creases, simply a deep cleft in the crown. And I guess I would have to give them these specs because of a fear of them sending me a shorter crown model. I only say this because Gary White recently told he got a call from someone in Montana who had just recieved a HJ fedora and the crown was too short! This fellow wanted to know if Gary could stretch the crown!  Steve

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