| THE FEDORA HISTORY OF THE HAT |
| From Rick Blaine to Quartermain, the hats make the men. Nothing says "adventure" like a felt hat with a dymamic, swooping brim. There is no better example of this than Indiana Jones, and no better hat. I have quested for the perfect Indiana Jones hat for many years and while the search is not over, I have garnered a good amount of experience. What follows is the history of my quest... |
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| This is the legacy of my fedora quest. From left to right, the 1989 Official Last Crusade JC Penny hat, a Disney Dorfman-Pacific from MGM Studios circa 1994, another Dorfman from the Star Wars Insider from 1997, the Stetson Indy, and the custom Peters Bros fedora, "Patterson I" version. I also now have an Akubra Federation! Click here for photos!!! |
| THE PETERS BROS. CUSTOM FEDORA |
| Currently one of the better Indiana Jones fedoras available, custom made to the individual's tastes by hat master Joe Peters, Jr. Below on the left side, are photos of it right out of the box in 2001 and on the right, comparison photos of the recent resculpt and ribbon replacement. |
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| THE STETSON "INDY" |
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| A solid hat in its own right with awesome color, and a great buy for a "Temple of Doom" or "Last Crusade" look, but falls short on the ability to emulate Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Stetson on left, Peters Bros. on right for comparison.) |
| THE LAST CRUSADE, THE MGM DORFMAN & INSIDER DORFMAN |
| The MGM went from light brown with a brown band to green with a copper band, and the Insider shrank in less than six months. Both were wool felt, the MGM had a bound brim, the Insider had a vinyl sweatband which went all wavy, and they are easily the cheapest hats I ever owned. The Last Crusade hat however (far left) was my first hat, given as a gift from my mother in 1989. I wore it to see Last Crusade and while it is highly inaccurate, with a bound brim and stitched together in sections rather than molded from a single piece of felt, this hat was indestructable and took the worst beatings a young boy could give it throughout his imaginary adventures. It never shrank, ripped, or lost its overall shape, and is still my most cherished lid. |
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| The cherished JC Penny "Last Crusade". That label inside meant the world to me at the age of 11. At the time, I felt like I had THE ONE and to this day, that hat is still my favorite. |