If you are going to be shopping for a fedora, it helps to have a solid understanding of the different parts of the hat. Asides from the crown, the fedora hat has many parts that will probably come up in a discussion. Each one can be styled differently to give your fedora a unique look.
Take a moment to learn the main parts of a fedora hat, it will come in handy when shopping for your next hat.
The fedora has several main parts. This includes the crown (the top portion of the hat) that fits around the head, the brim and the taper (the shape of the front side of the hat). There are also other parts of a fedora that may or may not be present on all hats.
The crown of a fedora is the portion of the hat sitting on top of the head. It consists of the side and top of the hat and usually is made from one single piece of felt shaped into the crown.
Most fedoras have a teardrop-shaped crown formed by indentations on the sides of the crown called dents. The deeper the indentations, the sharper the "taper" of the hat.
The hat brim runs along the bottom of the crown and extends out perpendicular to the hat. Most fedora brims are about 2 to 3 inches wide but wide brim fedoras can be as much as 10 inches wide. Brims are usually curled up slightly or flat.
This is the underneath side of the brim. It is usually made of the same material and color as the brim, but may be different in some cases.
Inside a fedora is the sweat band. This band is for comfort and made of leather or cowhide. It is usually removable for cleaning.
The fedora hat band trims the bottom of the crown. This band is decorative and made from either grosgrain ribbon, leather, cloth or another fabric. Some hat bands are decorative and can include a feather or other accent.
Fedoras also have a 'taper' which is defined by the creases or side dents in the front of the crown. A sharper taper is formed by deep indentations on the side of the crown. These indentations are called side dents. Round fedoras like the gambler hat, have shallow or no dents on the sides.
Some Fedoras have a dent in the top of the crown also called a crease. A dent running down the length of the top of the crown is called a center dent. Fedoras with this single dent on the top of the crown are also generally referred to as 'gutter dent' fedoras. Each dent is different in depth and shape creating a unique style for each hat. Some hats are made with an 'open crown' meant to bashed in to a unique shape personalized by the user. These hats are also called "bashies".
The side dent in a fedora is the indentation on either side of the crown. Most fedoras have a side dent of some sort, but the types of side dents are various. They are distinguished mainly by depth. A deep side dent forms the tear-drop shaped fedora crown. Shallow dents make a less dramatic taper.
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