Hat-filter

September 17, 2005 2:51 PM

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
posted by cgfoz to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (20 answers total)

That's a fedora, I think.
posted by SweetJesus at 2:55 PM on September 17, 2005

are they pork pie hats?
posted by selton at 2:56 PM on September 17, 2005

I think those are Trilbies and Froogle suggests some UK stockists .
posted by cushie at 2:57 PM on September 17, 2005

Response by poster: 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)
posted by cgfoz at 3:07 PM on September 17, 2005

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.
posted by cosmonaught at 3:27 PM on September 17, 2005

er... trilby, of course.
posted by cosmonaught at 3:29 PM on September 17, 2005

The fit of a fedora is considerably more generous, with a high crown and sweeping brim.
posted by Miko at 3:53 PM on September 17, 2005

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.
posted by Miko at 3:55 PM on September 17, 2005

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.
posted by blag at 4:19 PM on September 17, 2005

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

I'd say the ones in the question are fedoras.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:21 PM on September 17, 2005

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.
posted by soiled cowboy at 4:30 PM on September 17, 2005

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.
posted by kindall at 4:34 PM on September 17, 2005

Also, Fedora Lounge would be a good place to ask this question if you don't get a definitive answer here.
posted by blag at 4:36 PM on September 17, 2005

Stingy hats
posted by 517 at 5:39 PM on September 17, 2005

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)
posted by edgeways at 5:40 PM on September 17, 2005

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.
posted by winston at 5:53 PM on September 17, 2005

Try these people. Specifically.
posted by fire&wings at 6:03 PM on September 17, 2005

My vote's for a Stetson Saxon.
posted by dobbs at 7:07 PM on September 17, 2005

If they are fedoras, though, they are too small and have an odd fit. That's what's throwing me.
posted by Miko at 8:00 PM on September 17, 2005

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...
posted by pwally at 12:00 AM on September 18, 2005