Looking for a retro hat? How about the Stetson Retro? Now, just because they call it the Retro doesn’t make it so but in this case I think you’ll agree it’s styling is that of a “retro” era. The Stetson Retro is a nice Panama hat with a 4″ crown, 2 1/2″ brim and a classic black grosgrain hat band. Put this hat on and you’ll instantly imagine yourself in one of these scenarios:

Scene 1: It’s a warm summer night and you’re sitting at a small table on the terrace of your large southern mansion. A fine cigar in your hand with your favorite drink on the table. Perhaps a cognac? All you hear are the peaceful sounds of the night and the faint hint of Frank Sinatra coming from inside your home.

Scene 2: It’s a tropical night on a tropical beach. Your linen shorts and Guayabera shirt are the perfect compliment to your new Retro Panama hat. Your lovely wife sitting by your side, holding hands and sipping wine. Your only worry tonight is if you should open another bottle of wine.

What’s your perfect scene for wearing this authentically Retro Panama hat?

Aaron

Despite a foot of fresh snow this week the Spring and Summer hats will start arriving very soon. The first scheduled to arrive is the Kangol 504 Ventair in all 23 colors. You can preview the Kangol 504 cap at GetaHatOn.com.

One of the things that distinguishes Aaron Hats from other retailers carrying Kangol is that we carry every color available in the Kangol 504, whether it’s the summer Ventair or the winter Wool. That’s right…every color is stocked in the store so whether you’re one of our dedicated local customers or somebody who likes to shop online you’ll find the colors you need here.

The Kangol 504 is the cap that you see being worn by many celebrities, golfers, teenagers all the way to the older gentleman. This cap has been made by Kangol for decades and continues to be the number one seller. It’s a classic.

Get a Kangol on,

Aaron

Up here in North Conway, NH we had about six inches of snow on Monday and we’re expecting another six inches on Friday. On top of the three feet of snow that was already on the ground this makes for a winter wonderland in the White Mountains. This is great news for all skiers and snowmobilers around New England as I’m sure a lot of them will be heading here for a weekend of white fun. Now, having said all that we have our first shipment of Kangol Spring/Summer hats due to arrive in about 2-3 weeks. This will be the first of many shipments to start arriving. Just yesterday we went to a trade show and ordered ladies hats for the Kentucky Derby, straw sun hats, Toby Keith hats, Indiana Jones hats, childrens bucket hats, Panama hats and hats with certified UV protection for both men and women.

Yesterday while we were at the trade show we were talking with one of the sales reps and she was explaining how every year she thinks about retiring and taking some time off to relax. The reason she hasn’t retired is because whenever she sees the next seasons hats she gets all excited and falls in love with the new hats and just has to share her excitement with her customers. I’m not ready to retire but I do get excited every time I get a new hat catalog or when a salesman shows up at the store with new samples to preview.

Over the next couple weeks I’ll be posting pictures of some of the new hats we’ve ordered and having coming into the store for the Spring and Summer season. I hope you’ll get as excited as I do when you see them.

Get a hat on,

Aaron

Felt hats are made out of either wool or fur. Fur felt being the better option due to it’s feel and how it holds up better to the elements. For this reason it is generally more desirable among many consumers.

Decades ago most hat manufacturers used mostly beaver fur for their felt hats. As the raw beaver fur became more and more expensive the manufacturers started using more rabbit and wild hare and less beaver in the hats. These manufacturers kept their blends or recipes a highly regarded secret and still do to this day. In the last 18-24 months the price of the raw rabbit fur has gone through the roof due to the Chinese clothing manufacturers using more real fur. For this reason, RHE Hatco who makes hats for Stetson, Resistol, Dobbs, Charlie 1 Horse and Cavanagh has experimented with different kinds of fur. A couple years ago they started using Buffalo fur and continue to make select styles using Buffalo. The Buffalo fur is better than wool but still not quite as nice as the beaver and rabbit fur hats. This actually turned out to be good because it created a price point in retail that was missing. Previously you could spend $50 on a wool felt hat or $150+ for a rabbit fur felt hat. Buffalo fits right in the middle of that floating right around $100. This year the Stetson brand has introduced a few fur felt hats made of Kangaroo fur. They will be priced similarly to the Buffalo felt hats but I have yet to see and touch one to get a real sense of the quality of the felt. Once I get one in my hands I’ll be sure to right a review here so stay tuned.

Here’s one of the new styles called the Stetson Amaroo:

You can tell all your friends you heard it here first.

Gidde up ‘Roo,

Aaron

A couple days ago I wrote about having received the new Fall 2008 catalog of Stetson Fedoras. There really are some great additions to the collection this year. Stetson has added two new 100% beaver felt fedoras, the Baldwin and the Pelham. They have also added an open crown fedora and called it the Nostalgia. A rather appropriate name since it’s been years since Stetson offered an open crown fedora. For those that don’t know what “open crown” means it’s a term used to describe a hat, fedora or cowboy, where the crown hasn’t been pre-shaped. There are a few other new fedoras and you can see those on page two of the Stetson Fedora category of GetaHatOn.com.

Also added to the stable of Stetson fedoras is a special group called the “Modern Collection” which I think you’ll find intriquing. Those should be added to the web site in the next week or two. Here’s a sneak peek of one of the hats:

Since these are all brand new they are not available for delivery until some time in June but you can place your orders now to insure you get one.

Stay tuned for more exciting information about new hats and caps for 2008.

Aaron

I recently picked up the January ‘08 issue of GQ Magazine and was pleasantly surprised to see a page dedicated to hats. In the magazine they talk about the different hat styles including fedoras, pork pies, panama hats, bowlers and more. So in the spirit of the magazine here’s some examples of the different hat and cap styles available for men at Aaron Hats.

The Fedora:

The Derby:

The Cowboy hat:

The Panama hat:

The Ivy cap:

The Newsboy cap:

I have just received the Fall 2008 catalog for the Stetson fedoras and am very excited about the new hats for 2008. Added to the Stetson line are two new 100% beaver fur felt fedoras and some really nice band treatments. I’ll post some pictures as soon as I get them digitally or scanned.

Stay tuned,

Aaron

Many of you have been calling asking about the Indiana Jones hat and when it would be back in stock. We had such a rush for both the wool felt and fur felt Indy hats before Christmas that there’s not much left. We are completely out of the wool felt, only have small and medium in the brown fur felt and have all sizes in the black fur felt. Well, we have ordered more of everything and expect them to arrive in the next week…hopefully. You can pre-order the wool felt Indian Jones fedora that way you are guaranteed to get yours.

I almost forgot to tell you…we are having a special right now on the Indiana Jones hats. The wool felt hat comes with an Aaron Hats white hat box and the fur felt fedora comes with a hat brush and an Aaron Hats white hat box. I don’t know how long we’ll be offering these free hat accessories so don’t wait too long to place your order.

Get an Indy hat on,

Aaron

In the midst of this Christmas shopping season one thing has become clear…Aaron Hats is the King of Caps. Whether it’s an ivy cap, newsboy cap, driving cap, scally cap, 8 quarter cap, newsgirl cap, poor boy cap, English cap, flat cap or big apple cap, Aaron Hats has the cap for you and everybody else. The majority of orders being shipped out this month are caps or a hat with a cap. At Aaron Hats we have ivy caps and newsboy caps by Kangol, Stetson, Bailey, Henschel, Harris Tweed and Dorfman Pacific to name just a few. We also have a couple designs made specifically for Aaron Hats. Here’s one that will be shown in an upcoming issue of GearNinja magazine. It’s a grey herringbone Newsboy Cap.

Get a Cap on,

Aaron

A lot of you have been calling asking when the leather Mad Bomber hats would be in. They’re here! The brown and black leather Mad Bomber hats are now in stock and available for immediate shipment. They’re available in sizes small through XX large. Don’t wait too long because they won’t last long and are guaranteed to sell out.

In addition to the traditional style Mad Bomber hat we also received a leather Cossack or Ambassador style hat. This hat is so soft and warm yet a little more dressy than a traditional Mad Bomber.

Get a Bomber hat on,

Aaron