Without Lustre

I wrote in passing a few days ago that Stephen Temkin of hatmaker Leon Drexler is making a midnight blue lord's hat for me, the lord's hat being a somewhat more casual homburg with bashes and an unbound brim. And as we were discussing the hat, Stephen suggested a venetian finish, something I had never seen before. A venetian finish is more lustrous, like the hat (not mine) in the photo. It is especially appropriate for evening, which is one of the intended occasions for my own hat, but I declined as I was concerned that the lustre would limit its usefulness during the day.

The homburg was brought to England around the end of the 19th century by the late dandy King Edward VII, grandfather of the (in)famous Duke of Windsor. It is considered the second most formal style of headgear after the top hat that accompanies the tailcoat, and as such is the best choice to wear with black tie, should anyone ever wear a hat with black tie any longer. And since only you and I know its history the homburg has a further use as tongue in cheek daywear. 99% of homburgs are black or charcoal gray, but a brown one is both unexpected and elegant on the street. Indeed, my best memory of the style is an image of two very large men (think offensive linemen for an NFL football team) in a Jaguar XKR driving north of San Francisco with the top open in the sunshine, cigars in mouths and homburgs on their heads. It was hardly an occasion calling for a homburg but a look worthy of emulation nonetheless.

I have written in the past that I do not wear hats every day but do like them in a heavy fog/light rain in lieu of an umbrella and when driving with the top open to protect my head from sunburn. In midnight blue the new hat will complement complement gray as well as navy suits in those conditions as well as a dinner jacket in the unlikely event that it is ever worn with one. But the finish will be matte, and not lustrous.

Photo: Leon Drexler