Dobbs 40 – American Fedora 1930s-40s

This was my favourite fedora for a long time. It’s a bit Indiana Jones for some people’s taste (at least the braying from car windows as I walk down the street would suggest so) but the wide brim and tall crown are very appealing.

It was made by Dobbs, and cost $40 back in the day. That’s about $500 of your 2014 dollars, according to http://www.measuringworth.com, if we assume it was bought in 1945. This was certainly a high end hat. The brim features The Guild Edge (see embossed sweatband), Dobbs’ version of the famous Cavanagh Edge, a self-felted overwelt that was built while the hat body was being made. This is very labour-intensive and skilled work, that no hat body Mfrs are willing to undertake today on any kind of scale. The sweatband itself is truly lovely with embossed “stars inside cubes” running around the top. The original box states that this was “Ralph’s Hat”, and Ralph is probably the RU who’s initials appear on the sweatband.