About Fedora Hats

A fedora hat is a soft felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the top, or crown. It is pinched in front on both sides. The brim on a fedora goes all the way around the hat, and many fedoras have a hat band. Fedoras are normally worn by men, but some are made for women. They come in many colors and have been glamorized in movies.

History

The fedora became a symbol of the upper class beginning in the early twentieth century. It had first become popular a few years before and took its name from the heroine of a play in 1882, Princess Fedora, who wore a hat similar to it. Fedoras began to take hold in the 1910s and their popularity increased until reaching a climax in the 1930s and 1940s. By the time the late 1950s rolled around, the fedora had taken a downturn in appeal.

Function

The fedora lost its charisma for reasons of practicality, as the automobiles built in the 1950s were smaller and did not allow room for a hat like a fedora to be worn while driving. Fashions also started to call for hats with shorter brims, leaving the fedora out in the cold. The fedora seemed destined to be forgotten by the 1970s, but has been making a comeback as of late. The fedora used to come in traditional colors such as gray, brown and black, but the new fedoras come in an assortment of colors and fabric choices.

Types

Fedoras are available in many types of felt. Felt is a non-woven cloth that is manufactured by condensing and pressing fibers together. It is popular among hat makers due to the fact that it can come in any color and can be shaped into whatever style they choose. Fedoras can be made out of straw, cotton and a variety of other materials. A classy felt fedora will cost you as much as $500 (see Resources below for an online seller of fedoras).

Identification

The fedora is most often linked to gangster movies such as the ones that starred actor Humphrey Bogart. They were often worn with a trench coat, especially by the private detectives in these films, and millions of Americans identified the fedora with this genre of entertainment. Such movie character stalwarts as the Blues Brothers wore fedoras. The hat also served a valuable purpose in these films, covering the faces of the stunt doubles that filled in for the actors while filming dangerous scenes.

Expert Insight

The most famous fedora in the world is the one worn by the character Indiana Jones in the quartet of adventure movies that starred Harrison Ford as the title character. Jones wears a brown beat up fedora throughout the series of films, often picking it up and dusting it off to put back atop his head after he has brawled with the bad guys. The movies' popularity is part of the reason that the fedora came back into style.

Resources

• Dadshats.com