About Men's Vintage Brim Hats

Hats were once worn by everyone, everywhere, with folks not being able to leave the house without one. Now that's changed, but that doesn't mean vintage hats are gone forever. Some can still be found at estate sales, while others are made to mimic the vintage style. Several types are still as stylish as they were 50, 60 or even 100 years ago.

Types

The fedora, usually made of wool and sporting at least a 2-inch brim, is one of the most popular men's vintage hats. One variation of the fedora is the gangster hat, which often sported a shorter brim, called the stingy brim. Safari hats, which appear to be the Australian version of the fedora, are made of cotton or other lightweight materials and often include a chin strap. Australian outback hats, another popular vintage type, have a flat crown and wider brim. Vintage cowboy hats are another staple, are often made of leather, suede or felt and feature a very wide brim that can be turned upwards at the ends.

Types

The highly popular fedora was invented in the 1910s. The straw Panama hat was a staple in the 1940s. Gangster and Bogart hats were hot a decade later, in the 1950s. Hats were worn religiously by most men until they fell from the fashion scene in the late 1960s. Some, like the ageless fedora, are slowly making a comeback in the twenty-first century.

Geography

Geography plays a big part on where different types and styles of hats originated. The Australian bush, safari and outback hats were designed to be lightweight, cool and shield the wearer Down Under from the sun. Other hats were more for glamour than function, namely those that were designed to mimic hats found on Hollywood's Silver Screen. These include the Bogart hat, worn by Humphrey Bogart in the 1950s, and the Frank Sinatra hat, worn by old Blue Eyes himself. Both are variations of the fedora.

Identification

Anyone who brings home a big red box embossed in gold with "Christy's of London," is the proud owner of a Miller Christy hat. This large and prestigious company began manufacturing hats in 1773. Other companies are just as easily recognized for their longstanding contribution to men's fashion: The Bailey Hat Company, started by George S. Bailey, began its manufacturing of hats in Los Angeles in 1922; Stetson hats were born in the 1800s when John B. Stetson opened his first hat factory in Philadelphia.

Considerations

Most hats serve as a head protection, and those with brims offer an extra shield against sun glare and rain. But some hats, like the Stetson, boast even bigger protection than from nature's elements. In one infamous story, a Stetson hat is said to have retained its shape after it was pummeled with 20 bullets.

Resources

• More hat types and history