Previously an infrequent wearer of hats, I now wear them as a matter of course. My favourites are the brimmed fedora and trilby. Over the past few years I've tried a few brands. Here are the results of my experience.
The fedora and trilby are similar, with pinched crowns, but the trilby has a narrower brim. The homburg as a stiffer, upturned brim. In general, the broader you are, the wider brim you should choose so that the hat stays in proportion to what's underneath it (you). Here I wear a selection of hats from Tom Smarte, Laird Hatters and Christys'. The latter manufacture for themselves and others in Oxfordshire and have been making hats since 1773 through eight generations.
I've also recently tried a French brand, Bon Clic Bon Genre, where you can order your hat online, selecting details such as shape, colour and trim to suit your style (all links below).
The fedora and trilby are similar, with pinched crowns, but the trilby has a narrower brim. The homburg as a stiffer, upturned brim. In general, the broader you are, the wider brim you should choose so that the hat stays in proportion to what's underneath it (you). Here I wear a selection of hats from Tom Smarte, Laird Hatters and Christys'. The latter manufacture for themselves and others in Oxfordshire and have been making hats since 1773 through eight generations.
I've also recently tried a French brand, Bon Clic Bon Genre, where you can order your hat online, selecting details such as shape, colour and trim to suit your style (all links below).
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| Tom Smarte Hats are now sourcing more of their hats in the UK |
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| Laird Hatters support British manufacture |
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Christys' Hatters have a factory in Oxfordshire
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I wear my hats in rain and shine and have found that most rabbit fur fedoras shrink slightly: a hat that fits perfectly on purchase will soon feel too small. Using a stretcher when the hat is damp prevents this, but you may find that hats made of lighter and less dense felt lose shape and shrink more easily. The more you pay, the better will be the quality. Storing the hat on the rim will cause distortion, so keep it in a hat box or on its crown. Your hat maker can reshape and resize using a steamer and hat block.
I'm not able to directly compare the brands I've tried as each offers a variety of hats. I tend to prefer British-made hats simply because I support British manufacture, but I enjoyed wearing the hats from Tom Smarte and Bon Clic Bon Genre which were made outside the UK.
Other hatters to try (although I have no experience of them) are Bates Hatters and Lock & Co Hatters.
