fedora

A fedora made by Borsalino with a gutter-dent, side-dented crown, the front of the brim "snapped down" and the back "snapped up"

A fedora ( /fɨˈdɔːrə/) is a men's felt hat. The term is usually generic, describing any men's hat that does not already have another name; a few fedoras have names of their own, including the trilby.^[1]

The hat is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" in the front on both sides,^[2] though the creasing does not define the hat. Fedoras can also be creased with teardrop crowns, diamond crowns, center dents, and others, and the positioning of pinches can vary. The typical crown height is 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters).

The brim is usually approximately 2.5 inches (6.3 centimeters) wide, but may be wider,^[3] can be left "raw edged" (left as cut), finished with a sewn overwelt or underwelt, or bound with a trim-ribbon. A trilby hat, as a contrary example, has a slightly narrower brim than a typical fedora; the trilby's is thus more sharply upturned in back and downturned in front than one sees in a typical larger fedora.

The term fedora was in use as early as 1891. Its popularity soared, and eventually it eclipsed the similar-looking Homburg (which is also a type of fedora).^[4] Fedoras can be found in nearly any color, but black, grey, tan ("fawn"), and dark brown are the most popular.

History

Another example of a fedora made by Borsalino, with a pinch-front teardrop-shaped crown

The word fedora comes from the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou, Fédora, written for Sarah Bernhardt.^[5] The play was first performed in the United States in 1889. Bernhardt played Princess Fédora, the heroine of the play, and she wore a hat similar to what is now considered a fedora. The fedora had been a female fashion. When the fedora became a male fashion item in the late 19th century, it was popular for its stylishness, ability to protect the wearer's head from the wind and weather. Since the early part of the 20th century, many Haredi and other Orthodox Jews have made black fedoras normative to their daily wear.^[6]

The hat is sometimes popularly associated with the era of Prohibition, Great Depression–era gangsters and detectives. Film stars in the 1950s such as Humphrey Bogart popularized the fedora in their movies. In Hollywood movies of the 1940s, the fedora was widely worn, especially by private detectives, gangsters, or other "tough guy" roles.

The fedora was popular from the 1890s onward. In the late 1950s, the hat began to lose favor in the West due to the advent of more casual clothing. The late 1950s switch from wider lapels and ties to thin ones resulted in more narrowly brimmed hats.

The fedora enjoyed a revival only a few years after its waning popularity, dating back to the mid-1970s. The fedora as a personal statement has made impacts on American and global culture: Indiana Jones popularized his fedora in the Indiana Jones franchise.^[7] Among historical figures: Coach Tom Landry wore a fedora while he was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. It would later become his trademark image. A cenotaph dedicated to Landry with a depiction of his fedora was placed in the official Texas State Cemetery in Austin at the family's request.^[8] In addition the Cowboys wore a patch on their uniforms during the 2000 season depicting Landry's fedora.^[9] Michael Jackson frequently wore a fedora in public appearances, concerts and video clips.^[10][11]

See also

• Boss of the Plains
• Homburg (hat)
• Porkpie hat
• Trilby
• Tyrolean hat
• Stetson

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fedora

• About the popularity of hats