MTFCA Forum

Getting the right Horseless Carriage apparel can be a challenge. The most difficult part is the hat. For that, there are a number of options depending on whether you only want to use the hat for piloting your Model T or other Brass-Era car, or would like to use it in everyday life. For dedicated Edwardian motoring, you might want to go with a "Marlin Brando" motorcycle cap, like the one he wore in the movie, "The Wild One." You can find that here:

http://www.villagehatshop.com/product/a ... s-cap.html

My personal favorite is the Greek Fisherman's Cap. It comes in a variety of colors (I picked white), looks authentic and can be worn anytime you like. You can get a good-quality cheapie here:

https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Cotton-Fi ... 2Bhat&th=1


... or you can get a really high-quality version here:

http://www.villagehatshop.com/searchx/g ... b%3aretail

Choosing, finding and purchasing the right pair of goggles is a bigger pain in the neck than might be expected. _Going into the endeavor, you need to ask yourself a number of questions for the purpose of categorizing what it is you're actually after.

Are these goggles just for show?

I recently bought a pair of fabulously cheap goggles as a hat decoration. _Not intended to be functional as eye protection, they serve the function of a costume accessory. _Back in the days of early airplanes and automobiles, goggles came in a few different shapes, but generally conformed to the 2-cup configuration. _Circular was one of the available cup-shapes, so these costume goggles fit the bill. https://www.adafruit.com/product/1577

... and:

https://www.tmart.com/Vintage-Victorian ... gJFYPD_BwE


Do you wear corrective lenses?

If you wear contacts, that simplifies your choices considerably, but if you wear eyeglasses, form is definitely going to follow function and you need something that can be worn over a pair of glasses. _That usually involves a compromise with historical correctness because most of these don't have two-cups, but a single expanse of transparency across both eyes and that's about as wrong looking as you can get. _Not all goggles advertised as being the type that can be worn over eyeglasses can actually do that. _This depends mostly on the size and shape of your eyeglasses, which means buying them online becomes an iffy proposition. _You really need to try them on before committing to a purchase. _That's less of a consideration if the supplier has a dependably liberal return policy. _If you don't mind spending the money, you can have an optician grind you up a set of prescription lenses and fit them to your 2-cup goggles (assuming the lenses are replaceable). _The problem with that arrangement is you'll have to first remove your eyeglasses before pulling prescription goggles down over your eyes. _Here's a source for prescription goggles:

https://www.goodglasses.com/Prescriptio ... p_373.html

And here are some examples of "over eyeglasses" goggles:

http://www.maximumeyewear.com/productfo ... 4qxftKWyDY


Does cost matter?

If you're ridiculously wealthy, you can have your butler go out and find you a suitable set of goggles and keep sending him back till he gets it right. _For the rest of us, bucks matter. _Because my Model T isn't a speedster and has a functional windshield, I only need goggles in the infrequent event I get caught in the rain. _So far, that has only happened once, but when it did, I was a fair distance from home and it was really coming down. _Besides putting the top up, that also meant folding the windshield down and strapping on goggles. _Now, when it comes to a car that doesn't do much over 30 mph, there isn't a whole lot of stress and strain on a pair of goggles and in my case, a pair of cheap, non-fogging carpenter's goggles filled the bill just fine. _You can buy a set here for a ridiculously small price and oddly enough, a few of them a actually have a nice "historical" appearance:

https://www.constructiongear.com/pyrame ... ggles.html

Ski goggles work well, too, but as they're in more or less the same price range as motorcycle goggles, you may as well get the type made for the road.


How historically correct to you need your goggles to be?

You can spend some fairly big bucks on actual 100-year-old goggles that may or may not be safe to use while driving, or you can go with a recently manufactured product that approximates their appearance. _Your call. _The real stuff is easy enough to find on e-bay:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... s&_sacat=0

Dusters can be purchased here:

http://www.riverjunction.com/Dusters-_c_84.html

... or here:

https://www.gentlemansemporium.com/stor ... p?eesc=cat

And here are some sources for driving gauntlets:

http://www.wildcowboy.com/Deerskin-leat ... untlet.htm

... and:

https://www.wildcowboy.com/Gloves_c364.htm

... and:

http://www.leatherglovesonline.com/np/M ... tion=start

And that oughta do it!

Myself I prefer the News Boy cap from Gentelmen's Emporium for winter wear, tis more what men and boys wore in the 20's
https://www.historicalemporium.com/store/003006.php

For shoes, they've also got a great boot that was typical of 20's style also (even though they place it a bit earlier). A bit pricey, but well worth it, in that they are real leather...also comes in brown.
https://www.historicalemporium.com/store/002085.php

For a summer hat I prefer a boater, too bad nobody makes a 20's boater, all you can get new is the 30's style, but it is close, the only real difference is that the crown is about 1/2 inch higher and the brim is 2.25 inches instead of the 20's 3 inch brim. But it is a very well made hat of the correct straw and color.
https://www.villagehatshop.com/product/ ... r-hat.html

Bob,

Do you know what the proper proportions measure? Something like the measurement from the crown to the edge of the brim, the overall height of the crown, and the width of the crown hatband?

I see the Amish style straw hats and I agree they are very nice but do not look like the old time straw hats. If I had some measurements, maybe we could find something that is, at least, closer to proper.

Thanks,
Terry

Sometimes you can't beat an old Stetson Fedora with your set of Roundhouses. For that Rural Missourah look.

In this 1924 photo of Silent Cal with Walter Johnson the president is wearing the type of boater that was popular at the time. There are a lot of similar hats in the crowd.

In the Model T era the Amish straw hat was a holdover from an earlier time. It was popular in the nineteenth century.

The one photo of my dad in a 1917 Touring shows him and his brother wearing newsboys hats, so that's what I purchased. You can get them in summer and winter weights. The photo was taken in either 1917 or 18, no later.
The photo of the Ford assembly line shows they were popular with workmen as well. I imagine boaters were more commonly worn by "Swells" when the were out on the town.

Wahmaker has the best button-on galluses. Too often, costumes don't fit the era of the car. Those who like to dress up should study old photos. Regarding hats, the "plug hat" or "derby" was most popular for a long time, 1890-1940. Where can you get one nowadays ?

And I can confirm that Bob's antique JC Penny hat is authentic. I once owned it. But it was too small for me, a 6 7/8ths

My experience indicates that at 60 mph the Newsboy Hat is the way to go. That is tight fitting, pressed down firmly, and with a windshield. Any hat with a bigger brim is not likely to stay on your head.

https://www.facebook.com/ablastfromthepastbrevard/
Check this one out - located near Asheville NC, Chuck and June are active old car folks - Chuck is President of AACA (2018) and they have had a vintage clothing business for many years. They usually set up displays at tours and meets, and have a big display at Hershey in the Red Field, in "brass alley." Nice folks and great stuff.
Terry