fistful:
Yeah, avoid the hipster look and stingy brims in general. You want some brim to protect you from the elements. Also avoid baseball caps unless you are a kid or playing a baseball cap appropriate sport. Ball caps are for kids and/or playtime. Adults wear grownup hats.
My hat-wearing and hats divide out into several categories, with different sorts of hats appropriate to them.
Outdoor Work / RecreationCotton/cotton-blend boonie caps are great for this. Everything from GI/GI-ish ripstop cotton/nylon bought at the army/navy store up to nice renditions made by Tilley. I own two T3 Tilleys, a khaki/olive underbrim and an all-olive deal.
Random GI Boonie
http://www.tilley.com/us_en/t3-snap-up.html
For nasty outside work, I run toward the GI boonie due to its lighter construction. For recreation, the Tilleys. For cold weather recreation, a Tilley with a wool watch cap under it works well. Tilleys are odd in that you buy it a size or so too big and use the front and/or rear strap to keep it on your head. In the cold, this allows for a wool watch cap, so you get sun/rain protection from the Tilley and warmth from the watch cap.
The GI boonie caps I will wear in public only while actively working a project and already in work gear, filthy, etc. Tilleys can be worn and look decent with decent clothes up to dressy casual...if your Tilley is not filthy & sweat-stained.
I think I paid $12 for my last GI boonie and $75 for my last Tilley. The Tilley is the smarter buy, as it will outlast several boonies, but sometimes a light boonie is the best answer.
Warm Weather, DryPanama hats for the win. A close runner up are Milan Straw and Milan Straw hats made from hemp.
There are many shapes/styles. One can be found to suit you & your wife's sensibilities. These can be worn in everything from shorts & a t-shirt up to a nice suit. I prefer fedora, safari, or shantung styles with a generous brim. The nicest looking and best for beating the heat is the Panama. But, Panamas and Milan Straws made from straw are more delicate. You must put them on your head with two hands holding the brim only and not the crown or you will wear out the crown material and cause it to crack eventually. And you can not crush them. They will stay crushed and busted. Milan Straws made from hemp are not as likely to crack in the crown and will more readily bounce back if you crush them. They may need re-shaping, but the material is tough and resilient.
I currently own all three sorts (Panama, Milan Straw, Milan Straw in hemp). Now that my kids are a bit older and not likely to just jump on or inadvertently smoosh my hats, I wear mostly the Panama. Just plain the best warm & dry weather hat if you don't want to wear a western straw-type hat (which are not my style). My straw Milan Straw needs re-shaping, as it got caught in the car in the summer for a couple days and got mis-shapen. My hemp Milan straw also needs re-shaping & some lacquer because I got caught in the rain with it.
Dorfman Pacific produces many brands/lines of decent hats, to include Panamas & Milan Straws. Capas produces somewhat nicer hats than DP. Capas and the better producers will get the hat material from S American and build to suit. Like with felt fedoras and cowboy hats, you can go up, up, up in price & schmancyness.
The cheapest Panamas & Milans go for ~$35. I can not recommend them. Too flimsy and will last a summer, maybe. If you are in a tight spot, they will do the trick, though, and are cheaper than a sun burn on your head. Mid-line is around $50 to $75. This is mid-line Dorfman Pacific brands territory (
http://www.dorfman-pacific.com/ ). Good value here. Best value is in the ~$100 range, where the Capas Panamas reside. The better DP brands are here, too. Capas is a bit better, DP brands provide more selection. For instance, this is about the price for a Stetson (DP) brand hemp Milan Straw, which is probably the best value in the DP line.
Panama Hat Styles
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=panama+hat+styles&qpvt=panama+hat+styles&FORM=IGREOne shape is bound to work for you. Milans can be shaped in similar styles, but don't hold the shape as well as a Panama. "Crushable" and "travel" variations will be softer and not hold shape as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_hatCapas Panama, Safari-Style
http://www.meyerthehatter.com/CAPAS-PANAMA-SAFARI-HAT/PAOHADAMHCDPIKCH/Product
Mine is the lighter "Natural" color.
Stetson hemp Milan Straw
http://www.villagehatshop.com/product/straw-hats/451139-5269/stetson-bristol-hemp-milan-fedora-hat.html
I found this at a local custom hat shop and had them re-shape it to a safari-style.
http://www.pbhats.com/FTR, "Safari-Style" has a brim not quite as wide as the widest fedoras (turned down), an indented crown, and a pinch.
Also, for ready-made hats, sizing can be a problem if there are too few sizes. For me, a lot of Dorfman Pacific Large size hats are too small and constrict my head too much, but Extra Large are too big to stay secured. The solution is simple. Get some 1/4-3/8" or so thick soft foam weather stripping with one sticky side. Cut a 4-6" long strip. Fold down the hats sweat band from the inside. Place inside the sweat band, sticky side against inside of the hat. Fld up sweat band. Go on your way. Replace every couple years if need be.
Warm Weather, WetPanamas & Milans are great when it is dry, not so much for when it is wet. For this, I prefer a cotton cotton/duck hat hosed down with silicone spray. A Tilley cotton duck hat will do the trick. A lighter/cooler option that will go with nicer clothes is a twill hat. Stetson/DP has a nice safari-style / Eugene twill.
http://www.meyerthehatter.com/STETSON-STC61-EUGENE-CLOTH-SAFARI-HAT/PABOAAKCMPCPMAKA/Product
Mine is khaki. You can also get something like this in an outback/australian style with more brim.
These are not as cool on your head as a Panama or a Milan, but they will keep the rain off your head. They can be worn when it is colder for this reason. They are also more tolerant of abuse and will bounce back from most inadvertent smooshings. Also pretty cheap at $40 or so. That is a lot of utility for $40.
DP also produces a weathered cotton hat that is nice and will take silicone hosing.
Cold WeatherI find the crushable/travel wool/felt Scala/DP hats in Safari and Outback styles suit me best. Safari for around town, Outback for in the woods or more recreation. The Outback style has more brim. I also added a strap to mine to keep it on my head in case I walk into a tree or something. Mine are both black
These shed water & snow awfully well. Have not had to use silicone on them yet.
http://www.amazon.com/Scala-Classico-Crushable-Outback-Black/dp/B000VLYIKG
http://www.amazon.com/Scala-Classico-Crushable-Safari-OLIVE/dp/B0061YX7HM/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1408119765&sr=1-1&keywords=scala+crushable+felt+safari+hat
These Scala/DP crushable felts are very popular and available in beau coup variations of style, hat band, etc. They run around ~$50 or so and are a great value. I have not worn one out yet, but I have lost or had them stolen.
I also have an old Tilley wool Winter Hat. I don't think it is made anymore, or at least not the same way. I wear this when it is very cold and the wind is biting. It has flip-down ear and forehead flaps and a headband that will keep it on your head in the wind. Awesome hat. Probably too complicated & expensive to make profitably.
This looks like it, but lacks the forehead flaps and head strap:
http://www.tilley.com/us_en/tw2-classic-winter.htmlCustom HatsHere in DFW, I can get come custom hats made to order. They cost a bit more, but they look super-sharp. I wear them going to church. When it is hot, a black hemp Milan Straw, when it is cold, an olive felt fedora. Guess what style/shape? Best to know what you want & like before making the jump to a custom hat. You can pay a little more than a high quality ready-made up to whatever your limit is. Thing is, the build quality is about the same for the cheaper customs I bought. And they last a long, long time.
http://www.pbhats.com/
