Homburg hat

A riddle for connoisseurs of the fashion world: what unites Winston Churchill, Hercule Poirot and Justin Timberlake? At first glance, these personalities cannot be connected in any way, because they are representatives of different eras, social strata and even realities. But there is still something that tied them together - this is the love for one exquisite, masculine accessory - the Homburg hat.

The Homburg is a classic men's hat, first made in Germany. The name of this headdress comes from the name of the town in which they were originally produced. The classic version of the Homburg hat is made of hard felt, and the wide linen that traditionally adorns the crown is made of semi-silk fabric. Outwardly, this hat has a rather high or medium crown, crowned with a deep recess at the top and narrow, turned-up fields. Gray color is considered traditional for this headdress. In the classic version, it was allowed to use a ribbon matched to match the hat. The ends of the ribbon were tied into a flat bow, which was ironed so that it was almost invisible. Sometimes such a hat was decorated with a bunch of feathers.

Hatmaker Philipp Meckel had a long experience in the production of classic hats, but always strived for new, interesting designs. So at his hat factory in Bad Homburg they began to produce a new visa hat, but for a long time it was not in great demand. This situation changed radically on August 29, 1882.The heir to the English throne, Prince Edward VII was visiting his nephew William II at his estate in Germany. Wilhelm wore a new, unusual for those times, hunting hat. The future king was very interested in this headdress. He ordered such a hat from Philip Meckel, made in his usual gray color, and began to wear it with a classic suit. So the Homburg hat burst into men's fashion at the end of the 19th century and replaced the bowlers and top hats that were popular at that time. Until the 1950s, this hat was the most important part of a business men's suit.

Classic hat options are rapidly returning to fashion. Today, the Homburg hat is not only a men's but also a women's accessory that complements both formal and informal looks. The appearance of this hat has softened a little: the crown has become smaller and much more elegant, the brim of the hat has become even narrower. Modern versions of the hat allow it to be sewn from felt and even weaved from straw.

Regarding the ribbon that traditionally adorns the crown, the rules have become even softer: now it can be matched not only to the color of the hat, but also to contrast with it.

Handsome Jude Law, known to us as Dr. Watson from the movie "Sherlock Holmes. Shadow Play”, and Pope Pius XIII from the TV series “The Young Pope”, is famous for his love of good clothes and expensive accessories. He has been seen regularly wearing hats in his outfits. So he complemented the strict light gray jacket with a narrow black tie and a classic version of the Homburg hat made of black felt.It is noteworthy that the ribbon on the hat and tie are made of very similar fabrics. Such attention to detail speaks of the actor's excellent taste.

Famous macho and the dream of many girls, Channing Tatum also boasts of having a chic black Homburg hat in his wardrobe. However, the actor wears it in an unusual situation for this thing. In the image of the actor, a certain negligence and disregard for the rules are read: a well-ironed, sparkling white shirt is unbuttoned on the chest, and a strict vest with a narrow white stripe is not buttoned at all. This rebel look is perfected with a Homburg hat with a contrasting white band.

Comedian Terrence Howard paired his classic black suit with a bold gray woven-straw Homburg hat. At first glance, this combination may seem frivolous and out of place, but the wide silk ribbon that adorns the crown of the hat and a slight metallic sheen gave this headpiece an incredible chic. Such a bright contrast of textures and colors is very stylishly combined in the image of the actor and gives him mystery, nobility and elegance.

Another hat connoisseur, Justin Timberlake, has several Homburg hats in his wardrobe. With a classic black version of this hat, he completes the look with a strict black coat and a voluminous scarf. He wears a black hat with a multi-layered ribbon to the image with a knitted vest. He combines a brown hat with informal looks, vests and jackets, chains and jeans. He is also seen in the gray version of this hat. To her, he picked up the perfect, classic gray suit with a neckerchief.

Considering the images in which the Homburg hat is used, one cannot bypass the character of David Suchet in the series “Agatha Christie's Poirot”.In this series, the image of the detective Hercule Poirot is presented as the greatest connoisseur of the classics in clothes. All his outfits are exquisite and perfectly groomed. And each has a hat. It is this image that is an example of the classic use of this hat.