National Hat Day Celebrations

Any extra special plans for today? It’s National Hat Day today and we’re in celebration mode with our Fall/Winter Clearance Sale. If you’re on the HY email list, you’ll know that we just made the annual event even better by taking an additional 10% off the sale prices (which are already reduced by up to 65%).

What better way to celebrate this special day than with the long overdue acquisition of a hat you’ve been eyeing, like that fur felt fedora The Como from Borsalino — now offered at the best price you’ll ever see?

Don’t forget to load up on shirts, pants and sweaters from designers including Robert Graham, Nat Nast and Tommy Bahama — after all, you’ll need some good-looking duds to go with all those new hats.

Take time to browse — we’ve put up quite a selection, but remember that inventory is limited so for best selection, put your order in today. Once a size, color or style is sold out, no amount of crying will help. I’ll feel for you, of course, and deeply, but it’ll still sting and you’ll have to be strong.

Happy National Hat Day!

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

How Many Hats Do You Own?

Although there are certain men among us who admit to not owning even one hat (!), those fashionable gents who do wear flat caps, fedoras and pork pies tend to own at least a few hats, if not several. I suppose I have about ten favorite hats and caps — per season — that I wear, plus some that have seen better days (but I still use in a pinch).

Because I sell hats for a living, which entails meeting and working with hat designers, going on photo shoots and so on, I’m obviously in the enviable position of having access to all styles of hats in numbers that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

On the other hand, it can be very trying for a hat lover such as myself to constantly be presented with the latest newsboy or fedora from master hatters like Borsalino and Wigens, and be introduced to new designers like Eugenia Kim and Victor Osborne. I continually see updated looks or some unique design that puts a new hat in my ever-growing list of favorites.

For instance, when Biltmore came out with The Peluche, a remarkably beautiful pork pie hat with its long, uncombed nap, it made the unequivocal declaration of my new favorite fur felt pork pie (Makins’ Salome — the brushed dress hat with rope trim) feel dishonest. There was in fact an absolute tie between the two impeccably designed and flawlessly made hats that left no room for preference.

Loving all well-made, stylish hats equally, the only solution to hat-hoarding must be either an intervention (ha!) or a larger cupboard/temperature-controlled display case. I’ll leave you to decide which path you think I’ll take.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

There’s still time with express shipping to get a great gift for dad from Hartford York this Father’s Day. I’ve been asked for my top Father’s Day gift ideas, and hope you find something you think he’ll love from these items that pull double duty — being useful and stylish:

Sun Readers

Sunglasses that serve as reading glasses let dad look great when he’s kicking back on the beach. A pair of sun readers also keep him from having to juggle a couple pairs of glasses (except those he’s drinking from, of course…)

Hot Hats and Caps

A cool cap or summer hat will protect dad from too much of a good thing, and below you’ll find a few colorful examples of what’s hot for him in hats this Father’s Day:

• The Fantasy Band by Borsalino. It may seem a small thing, but the dark edging on the light ribbon trim on this Panama fedora really changes its overall appearance, and is a complete departure from the perceived “norm” of a bleached white straw with black ribbon.
• The Superstitious by Carlos Santana is satin-lined ivy cap that is brilliant in color, and it’s proving already to be extremely popular. We’re generally seeing more plaids and contrast panels in caps, even in the tans and grays, greatly increasing choice.
• The Patchwork Ravi is a cotton hat by Robert Graham. Usually everyone immediately goes to “bucket hat” when picturing a cotton hat, but this stingy brim plaid trilby is both boldly stylish and eminently wearable.

Hope your Father’s Day is a real celebration!

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Where Did You Get That Hat?

Probably the best and most sincere compliment you can get about any hat–new or old–is the question: Where did you get that hat?

It’s a question tinged with envy, unlike the rather bland “I like your hat” statement. There’s an emphasis on the word “hat” in the question, and usually the admirer’s eyes are locked onto your lid. For a moment (or longer), you are of simply no import: a mannequin at best. It’s the hat that matters.

In fact, the Where did you get that hat? question is right up there in terms of laudatory remarks with the well-known saying “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” because the logical next step for your admirer (once you provide the vendor information), is for that person to procure the same hat for himself.

The next time someone asks you where you got your hat, accept the compliment for what it is: the highest praise that person can give.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Eugenia Kim Hats and the Hemingway influence

I knew that the new Spring/Summer 2012 line of men’s hats by noted NYC hat designer Eugenia Kim  was great to look at with stingy brim lids in laid-back hues made from cool, natural materials like toyo and raffia. After all, they were created exclusively for HartfordYork.com, and the Mr. Kim line has been selling fast.

What I didn’t know was there’s an Old Man and the Sea connection. According to a sidebar article in the March 2012 edition of Nylon Guys, Eugenia Kim used the nautical imagery from the novel as the basis of her men’s hat line, Mr. Kim. The natural materials used in making the fedoras were said to be island-related and the color palette (which for instance includes a deep ocean navy with The Blue Jimmy, a cotton driver cap) culled from descriptions written by “Papa” Hemingway.

Think I’ll spend some time in my library tonight. Although with Hemingway, you don’t even need to crack a book for a great short story — remember this one: “For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Johnny Depp in a Cowboy Hat

Johnny Depp, who is usually seen in his tattered fedora, was wearing a black cowboy hat when he joined Marilyn Manson in a concert for Revolver magazine’s Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

After viewing the performance of Sweet Dreams as well as a rendition of The Beautiful People, I can honestly say I liked the hat the best. Although Depp’s guitar work rocks, I’m not a big fan of Manson’s shock rock delivery style. Apparently the two are friends, have teamed up before and are in fact performing  together again on the singer’s upcoming album with a version of You’re So Vain by Carly Simon.

The choice of cowboy hat (with large white feather in addition to colorful trim) seems an odd choice for the venue, although the broad brim might have had something to do with it as Depp was performing incognito at first. The man looks good in hats and it was nice to see him in a style I don’t think I’ve seen him in before.

Now, I wonder if Depp would consider playing with someone a tad more tuneful, like Michael Feinstein, Michael Bublé or Harry Connick Jr. Of course, with those fellas, he’d probably need a nice, new fedora.

Thanks for reading (quietly),
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Great Golf Hat

Product reviews that you submit to Hartford York are edited for clarity, spelling and length; however, one top review from customer Gary M. of Frederick, MD, deserves its very own blog post.

Gary purchased The Outback, a raffia straw hat by Scala with leather chin cord and broad, sun-shielding brim. I like this hat for its comfortable wear (there’s an elasticized sweatband) and casual style. Gary’s full review reads as follows:

This is one of two hats I ordered that came out of the box looking great — better even than the online pics. I ordered The Outback as a replacement golf hat, selecting it in part because of the chin string. Had to bail from the golf cart one too many times when the wind whipped off my previous straw golf hat, sans chin string. Plus, we’ll be on a cruise in about a month, and I figure if the wind blows your hat off then, I’d only be able to chase it so far . . . anyway, I’ll consider raffia weave in the future. Rugged but polished, fits great.

One note, I measured 22.5″ and was in-between M & L size, and opted for the larger size because of my experience with sweatbands similar to this one where a M was a bit snug. I thought it would make more sense to go with the L thinking the snug fit would translate into L feeling more like M; sort of worked out that way, but I believe the M would have worked as well because of the construction.

Aside from that, I found on my first outing with it, that while the string sort of duels with my cigar while bending over a putt and sometimes clips off the ash, I found a careful positioning of the cigar as it passes through the string opening mitigates the conflict.

I’m very satisfied with the hat, and plan to wear it as First Choice while out hitting the crap out of those little, white, round & dimpled friends of mine, against whom I otherwise harbor no ill will. Great golf hat!

Now that’s what I call a review!

Thanks for playing,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Straw Hats for Men

We’ve got more five-star customer reviews to share, this time on perfect-for-summer straw hats.

The one pictured here is a Makins fedora called The Lyceum. Made from Japanese Bu straw, you really won’t believe how light this very classy hat is until you put it on your head. The blue with white multi-striped band is, using the word of a satisfied customer “magnificent”, and if you like your hats made in the U.S.A., then you’ll appreciate that this hat was made in New York City.

Joel W. called The Montecristi Pork Pie, a Panama hat by Biltmore, “a great lid.” Since he spends time in southeast Asia, he says it’s important to wear Panama hats “of high quality because of all the heat and humidity.” His assessment of The Montecristi Pork Pie? “This one rocks!”

Another Biltmore straw hat received a five-star review. Customer Enoch B. said he likes the quality of The Ventilated Panama hat, a pinch front fedora with an interesting dimensional brim and cooling open mesh crown. The great look comes in at a great price too. What’s not to like?

Keep those customer reviews coming. Let us know what makes you happy — and we’ll continue doing just that!

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Men’s Large Hats in Sizes 2X and 3X

Men’s hats that fit very large heads can sometimes be quite difficult to find. Most retailers just don’t seem to keep enough 2X and 3X sizes in stock — the hats that are big enough for the hard-to-fit man with a Size 8 head, measuring 25 1/4 inches.

At Hartford York, we have an extensive collection of men’s hats in larger sizes, from dress hats to casual caps in every material. Pictured above is a Borsalino Panama hat called The Ventilated Montecristi. It’s a limited edition, handwoven hat that is exceptionally lightweight for comfortable summer wear. The level of craftsmanship is obvious from the intricacy of the weave.

Also available in XXL is a newsboy cap called The Linen Lennon. I challenged my friend Anthony Peto of Paris to recreate the cap (the original of which is in a famous picture of John Lennon), and this very full cut newsboy in a toothy 100% Irish linen is the result. Imagine.

For those of you who pay attention to such things, yes, both The Ventilated Montecristi and The Linen Lennon are exclusive to Hartford York, in addition to being part of 2X and 3X hat selection.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Trends in Men’s Hats for Spring/Summer 2012

In response to a media query as to men’s fashion trends this season, I said that the most noticeable I’ve seen so far are that men are having more fun with their ever-increasing selection of choices and are also taking far more “risks” than they have in the past.

A few examples:

The Fantasy Band by Borsalino. It may seem a small thing, but the dark edging on the light ribbon trim on this Panama fedora really changes its overall appearance, and is a complete departure from the perceived “norm” of a bleached white straw with black ribbon.

The Superstitious by Carlos Santana (pictured above) is a satin-lined ivy cap that is brilliant in color, and it’s proving already to be extremely popular. This is a real departure from the conservative solids we’re used to seeing in men’s caps. In fact, there is a general movement towards more plaids and contrast panels in caps, even within the tans and grays. This trend not only gives today’s hat wearers far more choice, it also encourages younger guys to take the hat plunge.

The Patchwork Ravi is a cotton hat by Robert Graham. Usually everyone immediately goes to “bucket hat” when picturing a cotton hat, but this stingy brim plaid trilby is both boldly stylish and eminently wearable. Breaking preconceived notions seems to be the rule of thumb that is governing fashion trends in menswear, be it apparel or hats.

What’s your opinion?

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.