Tag Archives: custom hats

distressed hats

Here’s How to Distress a Hat With Ease

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    March 20, 2020

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    delusionadmin

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Everyone likes buying new things. There’s something about the smell and feel of a new purchase that is just satisfying and fills you with happiness. From big things such as cars, a house too small ones like a pair of shoes or a new phone. All those things get replaced once in a while with a better, newer version of themselves and that is the never-ending cycle. 

But, some things shine when they get old. And there is a huge loving audience for those types of things. From an old bottle of wine, old-timer car or an old WW2 figure. Those things are often referred to as – vintage. When they get old, things get better. And it’s not just the situation with wine. Of course, we can’t say this for everything but nowadays, more and more people like that old rugged look of a vintage item than a fresh newly bought one. We can say something similar to clothes. Of course, no one likes to see a ripped, dirty and fuzzy T-shirt. But a 10-something years old denim? Well, it’s a whole other story. Vintage things have that weird feel to them which most people adore. It’s nostalgic, it makes them feel young again but manly and strong at the same time. It makes them stand out of the crowd where everyone is wearing “Supreme T-shirts” and other boring pieces of clothes. 

And, everything we said applies to hats as well. Old hat lovers know that there pretty much isn’t a better hat than a vintage one. The one which you can tell has some years to it but the one which is still in good condition. This hat also has a different feel to it. You can sense that it saw a lot of “things” and that it isn’t a teenager anymore. Those types of hats are the ones that put a smile on every experienced hat collector. And, modern society has slowly but steadily accepted all of this. One issue that is present is that in order for a hat to get to this point where it is considered as vintage you need to wait years. A lot of them. And, time is one thing that humans can’t control. So, how to speed up the process? You can’t. But, you can do the next better thing. Take an item that is new, and add a vintage feel to it.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to give your new hat that vintage. Rugged look we’ve been talking about. Even if your hat is brand new, that doesn’t mean it has to be like it. If you follow the steps we will show you in paragraphs below, you’ll transform your hat into a vintage one, or just speed up the process.

Be Cautious

A little disclaimer before we dig into the process itself. As with all other hat related DIY projects, you need to be careful. The aim here is to make your hat look vintage – worn out. If your hat isn’t looking as you would like it you can always be more aggressive with it or in other words – beat it up, but this isn’t always a good path to take for obvious reasons. You need to conduct this process slowly and with patience. Always have in mind that the final product you wish to come to and let that be your main goal. Now, let’s dive into the process itself.

Vintage Baseball Cap

Now, keep in mind that you can make pretty much any hat vintage. But, for the purpose of this article, we need to pick a few which will serve as an experiment and show you step by step how it’s done. Pick a cap that you like. Watch out for the materials that it’s made of. Hats that are made from leather or felt are a bit harder to make vintage and you should avoid them in this method. The first method we will consider is washing your hat with the help of a washing machine. 

The idea behind washing your hat several times is that the color it has starts to fade away. This is a clear sign that the hat is aging and in normal conditions, it would usually take years to come to a point which 2-3 washing sessions would do. So, just put your hat in a washing machine and begin the process. It’s recommended to use cold or cool water as the hot water can damage the material of your baseball cap a bit more than we would like. After a few washes what you should get is the same hat, but with a bit lighter color. 

After you finished this first, easy step, it’s time to pull out the big dogs and make your hat really look worn out. What are the tools you’ll need? Well, it might sound a bit weird but the best tools to make your hat look rigged are sandpaper, scissors and believe it or not, cheese grater. Let us elaborate.

If you ever looked at a rugged hat, you would notice that because it’s worn out, the material which it’s made of isn’t in such a good condition like it was before. We’re talking about all the cracks, damages, holes and fuzziness it may have. Therefore, since we don’t have years to let the time take its toll, we need to mimic it. Now, we say it again, be gentle with these things. Sandpaper isn’t made to be used on hats but if you’re careful enough, it will work wonders.

What you’ll simply do is sand the top layer of your hat. Use a gentle touch and circular or straight motion. What this should create is that worn look we seek for. There are different types of sandpaper – gentle ones and a bit harder ones. Pick the one you like. Gentle ones are, well, gentle, and if you pick harder ones, just be careful not to damage the hat too much. Scissors can help you out as well. With the help of them, rip some of the fabric on the brim of your hat or on some other place you would like. When you finish the process, what you should have is a new hat, that looks worn out and – vintage.

Wool Fedora

We will just quickly cover a special method which is used for fedora type hats. If you ever saw a fedora that has some years to it, you would notice that it kinda looks oily. It’s because the owner usually touches the brim with their hands to take on and off the hat. Therefore, after years of doing it, the fabric becomes oily and the hat gets that classy, vintage look. This is pretty usual for woolen fedoras but it can also apply to felt fedoras and any other type of wool or felt hat. It’s just that the fabric they’re made of response like this to constant touching and there’s nothing you can do about it.  

How to mimic this, since we don’t have the time for touching it hundred of times? Pretty simple really. What you’ll need is a solution of saltwater with some kind of oil (usually olive). Put it in a spray bottle, shake it up and apply it to the surface of the hat. Be strategic with this as you wouldn’t like that your hat looks oily everywhere. Just apply the solution to the brim and specific parts of the hat.

If you want to add creases and folds to your fedora – which are a clear indicator that it has some years to it, there’s a trick to this as well. Simply twist your fedora in any way you like and secure it with rubber bands. Let it stay like this overnight. After you remove the bands, there should be little folds and creases all over the fabric – mission accomplished. 

No Better Hat Than The Old Hat

Chances are that at some point in your hat-wearing career, you will wish that the hat you’re currently wearing looks a bit older and more mature. Maybe you would be sad, and you would surely look around the Internet to find a solution which will make your hat look older than it really is. And then here you are. After an endless time of lurking the Internet, you stumbled across this article. And we’re happy you did. Hopefully, what we wrote helped you to make your new hat look vintage and at the same time not damage it. 

But, we feel like that it needs to be said that nothing can mimic the real thing. If you want your hat to really become vintage, there’s no way around it, you’ll need to let time take its course. Don’t think about the hat. Wear it with style and pride. After a couple of years, we will guarantee that it will look more vintage than it would ever with any of the methods mentioned above. And that’s what it’s all about. Having a real vintage hat which became vintage the right way.

shape your beret the right way

Here’s How to Shape a Beret The Right Way

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    March 19, 2020

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Berets are probably the most common hats and ones that are well established across the world. From law enforcement to different organizations, there are thousands of beret styles all of which depend on the years of tradition and years of wearing the same hat. What is interesting about the beret in contrast to any other hat style is that berets are very versatile and often don’t come pre-shaped. Of course, there are pre-shaped berets but generally speaking, most of them need a few touch-ups in order to look sharp and the way they should.

So, since now we know that you need to shape your beret the right way in order for it to look good, in this article we’ll talk about different beret-wearing styles/methods. We’ll see why berets are so good and why most military-related organizations pick them as part of their soldier’s look.

What you also need to know is that beret has a lot of history in it. They became widely popularized in the 19th century in Spain and France. Ever since then, the beret has become a must-have piece of wardrobe for almost any soldier.  

Berets are often made from soft materials like felt and therefore they can get dirty pretty easily. But, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear them. In fact, the beret is one of the most lastings hats out there. Soldiers wear it in war, in the mud, and during the crossfire. So you can imagine how strong and long-lasting this hat is. In the lines below, we’ll see what are the best ways to wear a beret, clean it and shape it the right way. 

Knowing How To Wear Your Beret

First thing first, you need to know if you’re wearing a beret as a part of the dress code or uniform, or just as a fashion statement that describes you. In most cases, the beret is a part of a uniform. Therefore, every single soldier or member of the organization needs to wear it the same way. In most cases, this means that you wear it in such a way that the brim is straight across your forehead. Some organizations, such as the US Army, require that edges sit exactly one inch above your eyebrows. 

Now, you can be sure that when you place the beret on your head, there will be some excess material. This is exactly why a beret almost always needs to be shaped and in most cases, it won’t be preshaped. Usually, the excess material is folded and draped towards the right side. 

If you’re wearing your beret for fashion, there really isn’t an exact way you need to wear it. You have all freedom and there really isn’t a limitation to this matter. Usually, people wear it so that the hat is tilted diagonally to the one side. If you wear the beret for pure fashion, it doesn’t need any touch-ups. Leave it as it is and don’t mind the excess material.

If you aren’t wearing your beret for fashion reasons, then you need to look for your hairstyle as well. Especially women. Some hairstyles like a bun can damage the shape of the hat. You should let your hair fall freely underneath the beret. Some organizations also have a rule that the beret you’re wearing needs to have the same color as the color of your hair. 

Shaping The Beret

When it comes to shaping the beret, there are some tricks you should utilize in order to pull out the best look. First of all, what you need to know is that any new beret has an inside lining. What you need to do now is very delicate. Basically, you need to cut this inner lining so that the beret snugs your head perfectly. It shouldn’t be too tight but it shouldn’t be too loose at the same time. You also need to be careful that you don’t damage the outer fuzzy layer of the beret. This inside lining is the main part of every single beret and its purpose is to protect the hat from possible damage before the owner starts wearing it. We said that this hat has top quality and we meant it. Also, this lining is there to provide the best possible fit for the owner. Based on their head size and feel, every beret is an individual piece of art that will fit perfectly on only one person. How about that?

The next step is to remove any fuzz that might be present on the beret. How to do this? Well, it might sound silly, but believe us, using a disposable razor is the most effective way. Just run the razor in a single direction over the surface of your beret. Be sure that you don’t do this more times over the same spot as the razor can damage it. 

Another way to get rid of the fuzz is to use a lighter. Hold the lighter in place with one hand and take the beret with the other. With moderate speed, run your beret over the flame but be careful that you don’t leave it too much on the open flame. You don’t need to do this over the whole beret, just do it over the parts where the fuzz is visible. 

Lastly, if the fuzz on the beret is big and visible, you can use clippers to clip it down. Imagine like you are clipping hair – repeat the same motion here and what you should have is a fuzz-free beret.

Now that the beret is clean from the fuzz, the next step is to shape it. The right way you can do this is with the help of hot water. Soak the beret in hot water. Keep in mind that hot water will make your beret shrink a bit so if your hat is large then soaking it is a good idea. If your beret has a tighter fit, avoid hot water and just use regular tap water. 

When you soaked the beret, squeeze out the extra fluid. How to know that the beret is soaked enough? Well, when you twist it, the water shouldn’t be dripping. That’s a good sign. Now that your beret is in a perfect state for shaping, place it on your head. With your hands, pull the sides of the beret in order to sit properly. Adjust the surface of the beret the way you want it. When you’re done, leave it to dry. After one day, the beret will be ready for wearing and in most cases, it will have the shape you created. 

With good maintenance of the hat itself, your beret can last forever. There are some known cases of 100+-year-old berets. This type of hat is good to have as it’s going to be your lifelong partner and as a plus, you’ll look pretty cool with it. It’s an unusual hat to own and most people aren’t even aware of it and if they know about it, they think it’s solely a soldier hat. Show them they are wrong and stand out from the crowd.

If you just bought your beret and want to make sure you shape it the right way, then follow the instructions in this article. If you’ve done everything correctly, your beret should have a clean and sharp look and it should be sturdy as well. Berets are quality accessories to have and you should treat them with respect. With the correct shape, every single beret can look better than basically any other hat. 

A disclaimer though – A beret is hard to mix up with other parts of the wardrobe. It’s not like it’s similar to a baseball cap so you can wear it everywhere. Beret has style to it (baseball cap has it as well) and you should wear it like that. Think about a suit paired with a nice white shirt.