“Of all the felt I ever felt, I never felt a piece of felt which felt as fine as that felt felt, when first I felt that felt hat’s felt.”
Got it? Good, because it’s
NATIONAL FELT HAT DAY!
What are felt hats and what do they feel like, you ask?
They are everywhere in just about every hat shape, and they feel like felt hays feel.
So, what the hell is felt? It’s wool that’s pressed, rolled, dyed and shaped into a durable cloth that dates back to Sumer in 3,000 BC. Sumerian civilization is noted for its silly hats and very little else, but their contribution to humanity of felt is more than enough to snag a chapter tor two in the history books.
Felt has a variety of uses; in construction, machinery insulation and other industrial applications, but that’s a whole other National Day.
The best felt for hats is soft but sturdy and keeps its shape and color for years. The Golden Age of Felt Hats was in the early 20th Century, when swells and dames sashayed the world’s boulevards dressed to the nines, topped off by a bitching felt hat.
Then World War 2 came along and it was all helmets and kepi caps, and the world became a far less genteel place, but a felt hat still stands out as the mark of sophistication, amiability and good manners.
•Suggested Activities: Creasing, tilting, styling.