Helmets!!

[Argonor]

Have to share this 

http://www.villagehatshop.com/pith_helmet.html

[Hammers]

Oooh... Tempting. But alas!, if I bought one I bet Plynkes would chastise me for not getting an original Wolseley.

[Argonor]

Couldn't resist it - just ordered a Pith Helmet - Khaki, and a discounted Indy fedora 

[Hammers]

 I mourn the extinction of the hat bearing man. Just listen to the names: fedora, bowler, panama, borsalino, trillby, fedora...

[Argonor]

Mourn no more - we're not quite extinct, you know 

I wear a black fedora to work every day, and a grey one with dark band for festive occations, where black is not appropriate. Planning to use the brown Indy one for both...

[archangel1]

Nice helmets! Shipping's a killer, though! 

[revford]

Mourn no more - we're not quite extinct, you know 

Good to hear I'm not the only one still wearing a hat. 

I also wear a black fedora most of the time, unless I'm cycling or off to the cinema when I'm a bandanna man.  I have one in Indy brown as well.

[Argonor]

Nice helmets! Shipping's a killer, though! 

Wait for it:

http://www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/

EDIT: Ah, silly me - you're from Canada 

[Plynkes]

Oooh... Tempting. But alas!, if I bought one I bet Plynkes would chastise me for not getting an original Wolseley.

Not at all, old thing, not at all. Reproductions are a necessary evil to the military hat fan, unless he is some kind of Russian football club owner with bottomless pockets. My entire collection of Pickelhaubes (all two of them) are reproductions. And by Christ, they were expensive enough. Real ones are just silly money.

My Wolseley isn't everything I would want it to be, either. I bought it because they are extremely cool Great War hats. Unfortunately mine is of Second World War vintage. I bought it because it was practically the same as the older one the chap also had for sale, but considerably cheaper.

So I am in no position to chastise anyone about their choice of hat.

My current everyday casual headwear right now is a black woolly hat. Coupled with my Adidas zip-up hoody, it attracts mockery from nephew along the lines of...



"You're gonna roll over him like an Italian bulldozer!"

So now I'm Mickey. Oh well, there's worse things to be.

[Hammers]

Oooh... Tempting. But alas!, if I bought one I bet Plynkes would chastise me for not getting an original Wolseley.

Not at all, old thing, not at all. Reproductions are a necessary evil to the military hat fan, unless he is some kind of Russian football club owner with bottomless pockets.

Then I will reconsicer.

I have a mate whose basic warderobe is '40s respectable vintage (not the zoot-suite kind). He actually pulls off wearing a tan fedora and a sienna camels hair ulster. I envy him. What with my hydrocephalus head I look a right twit in anything but a vacationers hat, and even that is stretching it.

So as you see I have an unrequited love for head wear; I have a small collection including fezes, a chapeau claque, a top hat, several irish tweed caps, a boater, several Vega-caps (which is the Swdish names for sailors caps,white or blue).

[Argonor]

Not at all, old thing, not at all. Reproductions are a necessary evil to the military hat fan, unless he is some kind of Russian football club owner with bottomless pockets.



Then I will reconsicer.

I have a mate whose basic warderobe is '40s respectable vintage (not the zoot-suite kind). He actually pulls off wearing a tan fedora and a sienna camels hair ulster. I envy him. What with my hydrocephalus head I look a right twit in anything but a vacationers hat, and even that is stretching it.

So as you see I have an unrequited love for head wear; I have a small collection including fezes, a chapeau claque, a top hat, several irish tweed caps, a boater, several Vega-caps (which is the Swdish names for sailors caps,white or blue).

Pardon me for resurrecting this, but I just realized that I'm not the only living member of this community with a hat fetish 

[Tommy20]

I'd be interested in hearing from those who bought these how comfortable they are.  I bought one that looks very similar (the velcro band looks identical), but it's extremely heavy.  I was under the impression that the whole point of pith was how light it was!

[Argonor]

Mine is a 'pith' helmet and not very heavy - some sun helmets are made of cork and heavy compared to the straw helmets.

But it's not like wearing a panama, that's for sure - the classical image of an exlorer taking off his helmet and wiping his forehead is not pure fantasy 

[Sterling Moose]

I have an original WW2 Brit helmet:

[Argonor]

Oh, it has alien mind control protection as well...? 

My replica is very much like it, save for the velcro-band (and the foil in the cap, which is probably to protect the helmet from dampness, but sure to make the wearers brains boil... holes or not...). Plus, it looks a little more 'colonial age' in shape (steeper brim, as far as I can tell).

I wore it yesterday for my eldest daughters garden party celebrating her 7th birthday with the class.