Essentials – Spring 2011: A good hat

Hats are back in full effect this Spring. Fedoras have certainly made a comeback. I’m not necessarily a fan of the hat for everyday, but there are definitely other options for those not trying to be all Rat Pack-ish.

I’m a huge fan of hats. Growing up, I’d do whatever I could to wear one. Whether it was my newest fitted New Era or college snap-back, I almost always had one on. As I grew up, my tastes shifted and so did my choice in hats. I started messing with fedoras (I blame Justin Timberlake) and even some porkpies. Now most of you probably think you know what a fedora is, but most likely you’re thinking of trilby hat. A porkpie is in a world of its own. Let me explain.

A fedora is a felt hat with a slight crease in the back of the crown and pinched in slightly in the front of the brim. The creasing is arbitrary, however. Back in the day, they used to sell the hats without a crease to let the owner create their own signature. Kind of like dudes nowadays buy flat brim fitteds and do whatever they want to the brim. The distinguishing feature here really is the fuller brim. That’s what made it a fedora and not a trilby.

Remember what Frank Sinatra used to wear? That’s a fedora.

This is how you do it. Ol' Blue Eyes.

So, what’s a trilby? Essentially, it’s a short-brimmed fedora. The brim is very narrow and sharply turned up in the back. This is the hat you’ve been seeing everywhere over the last, I don’t know, 10 years or so? This is the Justin Timberlake look.

So, this happened.

A porkpie is completely different from these two styles but somewhat still in the same family. It has a flat top, unlikely the fedora or trilby, and the crown is shorter and indented all the way around. It can be slightly turned up as well. Generally, it’s made out of felt but it has been known to be made of straw as well (mine is). It used to be the go-to hat for the cool cats – jazz musicians, artists, and other creative types.

Gene Hackman in The French Connection

So, think you want to try and pull some of these looks off? Take a look at some of my favorite options for this Spring.

J. Crew straw ikat and chambray trilby hats – $40

Belfry Smith – Panama Straw Fedora – $88

Belfry Braid jazz – Straw Diamond Porkpie – $38

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