A felt hat is not just an accessory, but a centuries-old history, thanks to which an incredible style, honed by time, was created. Thanks to such a headdress, you can look attractive, elegant and stylish at the same time. In this article, everything about the features of a felt hat, its history and the best combinations.
History of the felt headdress
For several hundred years, the felt hat has been one of the main accessories that adorn men and women. Its birthplace is considered to be the German city of Hamburg, and its father is King Edward VII, who fought to popularize its wearing.
One of the important facts in the history of this headdress is that the hat was not originally created as an accessory. Men who went hunting and covered their heads from the scorching sun simply found it inconvenient to cover the entire angle of view due to the wide brim. Therefore, the brim began to be tucked or pinned, thus creating a new version of the hat.
For your information! In England, the nobility tried to demonstrate their originality with the help of this headdress. The width of the brim, the height of the crown, and the decoration with various materials added uniqueness to the image.
Features and Benefits
The advantages of felt include the following material features:
- does not shed;
- comfortable to wear in any weather;
- comes in a variety of colors;
- Depending on the thickness of the fibers and their composition, it can be quite flexible or hold its shape well.
Thanks to these characteristics, you can choose the most suitable style and cut of a felt hat. Some of them will be able to perfectly complement a casual look, while others will harmoniously combine with a coat.
Please note! Despite the fact that the first models of hats were produced specifically for men, today this accessory has a unisex style.
Headwear for strong and fashionable men
A man who wears a hat immediately becomes more attractive in the eyes of those watching, as it adds a special brutality to him.
Representatives of the stronger half of humanity wear the following styles of felt hats:
- Tribly. This variety is distinguished by the presence of a longitudinal dent in the center and small fields that are slightly turned up.
- Pork pie is a classic version, the features of which are the presence of a cylindrical crown, decorated with a ribbon, and a horizontal top.
- Fedora. This type of hat is the most common among men. It is distinguished by the presence of dents in the front and sides. It is made of soft and pliable felt and is best suited for a casual style.
- The Homburg is a hat that is ideal for a classic suit. It has a dent in the center, folded edges, and a fixed shape due to the rigidity of the material.
Due to such a variety of accessories, men have room to realize their fantasies. A felt hat can be ideally combined with both trousers and jeans, both T-shirts and shirts, thereby adding uniqueness and aristocracy to each image.
Women's
All the above-described hat options can be worn by women, too, due to the fact that the presented models do not have any signs of a strictly masculine character. However, the wide range of women's felt hats does not end there.
To add a touch of lightness to your look, you can choose one of the following accessory options:
- Cloche. This model is exclusively female, as its shape resembles a bell. Most often, such hats are decorated with flowers and ribbons.
- Floppy is a lightweight hat with voluminous, wide, flexible brim.
- A bowler hat is a felt headdress that resembles a hemisphere. Many people associate it with the model worn by Charles Chaplin.
For the bath
Felt is the most perfect representative of all felt materials. It is made from the wool of rabbits, merinos or mountain goats. Its use is ideal for bath hats, as these headdresses are quite voluminous, soft and gentle to the touch.
Please note! Now in the store you can buy children's hats for younger and older ages. Felt hats are also used to decorate various toys, dolls and snowmen.
Famous People Who Wore Felt Hats
The most famous personalities for whom the fedora was an integral accessory include:
- the king of pop music M. Jackson;
- American gangster A. Capone;
- American bank robber D. Dillinger.
What to wear with
Felt hats best complement the classic style: patent leather shoes, trousers, coat. The most important thing is to match clothes and accessories by color. It looks good when the coat and hat or scarf and hat are the same color. In some situations, you can accentuate the shoes by combining colors, but this does not always work well.
In autumn and winter, it is best to give preference to dark tones, and in the warm season or early spring, to lighter ones. The headdress can also be complemented with decorations in the form of ribbons. You just need to maintain harmony so that they do not stand out too much. For this, ribbons made of natural material are best suited, which will give the hat solidity.
How to care
This material requires special care. First, you need to prepare a solution of water and ammonia in a 1:1 ratio. This liquid will help clean the outer part of the headdress from dust and dirt. Rough felt is best cleaned with a hard brush, which should first be lightly soaked in warm water.
Using steaming boiling water, you need to soften the fabric a little, and then wipe it with sugar to remove dirt. Stale bread can also quickly lighten the fabric from any stains. To clean velour, suede and pile felt, you can only use a dry cloth with a soft lining.
Is it possible to make a felt hat with your own hands
To understand all the intricacies of factory-made hats, it is best to watch a video. The video shows a step-by-step master class on making a hat using a pattern at the manufacturer's factory. You can find a lot of such information on the Internet in the form of crafts for girls.
Felt is a stylish material that is easy to care for. That is why it has become so popular among hat lovers. A felt hat is the perfect addition to almost any look.
