Comments on: Hat-filter

Question: Hat-filter

cgfoz — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 14:51:27 -0800

What type of hats are the characters in the film "stranger than paradise" wearing. See here for picture. More importantly where can I buy one from. Bonus points for UK stockists

By: SweetJesus

SweetJesus — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 14:55:42 -0800

That's a fedora, I think.

By: selton

selton — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 14:56:45 -0800

are they pork pie hats?

By: cushie

cushie — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 14:57:31 -0800

I think those are Trilbies and Froogle suggests some UK stockists .

By: cgfoz

cgfoz — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:07:51 -0800

yeah, I would have said fedora as well, but all the ones I've seen are not so much downturned at the front, or peaked at the top like in the picture....the trilby seems to have wider sides than the picture (not a technical term)

By: cosmonaught

cosmonaught — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:27:34 -0800

I'd say pork pie or triby, too. There seems to be a bit of disagrement as to whether or not pork pie = triby, but they're basically like fedoras with flat tops and narrow brims that can be dropped down in the front.

By: cosmonaught

cosmonaught — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:29:16 -0800

er... trilby, of course.

By: Miko

Miko — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:53:46 -0800

The fit of a fedora is considerably more generous, with a high crown and sweeping brim.

By: Miko

Miko — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:55:57 -0800

Ooh- potential confusion; the wikipedia link says "in Europe, a fedora is often called a trilby".

I would say in America, those are porkpies. Fedoras are much more a Bogart hat. Indiana Jones was also a fedora guy. They don't ride high on the forehead.

By: blag

blag — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 16:19:58 -0800

Definitely not a pork pie. Pork pies have flat tops and a distinctive 'crimped' edge, like the real meat and pastry product - compare pork pie 1 and pork pie 2.

It appears that there are actually two different hats in your photo. I'm having trouble identifying the one on the right - minimal brim, high peak, no band - although I'm sure I've seen similar examples before. The one on the left I'm fairly certain is a narrow-brimmed Borsalino. This is a standard-brimmed version.

When it comes to hats, there is no better than James Lock (est. 1676) - legend has it that they invented the bowler. And if they're good enough for Churchill, Wilde and Sinatra, they're fine by me.

By: Kirth Gerson

Kirth Gerson — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 16:21:31 -0800

This is a pork-pie hat.
This is a fedora.

I'd say the ones in the question are fedoras.

By: soiled cowboy

soiled cowboy — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 16:30:34 -0800

MeFi's own Languagehat is an expert in all matters headgear. You might email him for a definitive answer if he doesn't show up here.

By: kindall

kindall — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 16:34:46 -0800

Goodness. I had no idea that the Mingus tune "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" referred to an actual item of headgear, I thought the title was just kind of Dada.

By: blag

blag — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 16:36:54 -0800

Also, Fedora Lounge would be a good place to ask this question if you don't get a definitive answer here.

By: 517

517 — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 17:39:29 -0800

Stingy hats

By: edgeways

edgeways — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 17:40:20 -0800

Actually Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, was in reference to Lester Young, who would wear... Pork Pie hats, not dada at all.

(incidentally the term dada means hobby horse, and it's referral to the art movement came about when members of said movement seeking a name for what they where doing, stuck a knife in a french/german dictionary and it came to rest on dada)

By: winston

winston — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 17:53:17 -0800

You might want to start with the part about finding good hat shops in the UK. If they're really any good, they should be able to identify the hat for you.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 18:03:04 -0800

Try these people. Specifically.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 19:07:38 -0800

My vote's for a Stetson Saxon.

By: Miko

Miko — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 20:00:46 -0800

If they are fedoras, though, they are too small and have an odd fit. That's what's throwing me.

By: pwally

pwally — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 00:00:44 -0800

I think it is a Trilby which is at the bottom right of this page full of different hats that look like the one your looking for. I think it might be a trial and error venture, and you might run out of money...