Mens 1940s Hats

A hat wearing gentlemen of the 1940′s continued the tradition of most style of hats from the 1930′s. The classic fedora, Trilby, Homburg and flat caps were worn with only subtle adjustments in style. The new hat of the 1940s was the Porkpie and it carried on in fashion through the 1950′s.

Stylistically the main difference between hats of the 1930′s, 1940′s and 1950′s were how they were worn. Most hats were worn tilted to one side. Hat brim took on many shapes with the back brim curved upwards being the one common feature among many styles of 1940′s mens hats.

Here are the most popular 1940s mens hat styles:

1940′s Fedora or Trilby Hat

• Colors: Black, green, tan
• Materials: Fur Felt or light woven straws for summer
• Shape : Tall pinch front crowns with a center crease that was either flat-topped or angled to the back.
• Brim: Turned up at the back, flat around front and sides or a brim turned down in front and up at the sides and back. Petersham binding on the brim matched the hat color.
• Band: Wide petersham ribbon band in the same color or shade as the hat body. A solid black band on any color hat body was also common. A flat ribbon bow fastened on one side with a feather added in the late 1940′s.
• Style: Worn at an angle to one side (usually the right side.)

1940′s Straw Hats

• Shape: The fedora, porkpie and boater came in straw hat varieties but otherwise summer straw hats had a large round crown  similar to a modern bucket hat.
• Brim: Wide, round, brim that shaped downward all around.
• Band: A wide silk band in any number of colorful solid colors, stripes and patterns like polka dots. Bold combinations like pink and blue were popular.
• Style: Worn centered on the head. Only the Straw Fedora’s were angled.

1940′s Homburg Hat

• Colors: Blue, Grey (Black was out of fashion by the mid 40′s)
• Material: Fur Felt
• Shape: Tall crown with moderate center crease.
• Brim: Curled edges on the side and only slightly curled up at the front and back. Brims were wider/less curled than the previous decades.
• Band: Black Petersham ribbon band and binding on the brim
• Style: Worn pulled forward and down slightly on the forehead.

1940′s Porkpie Hat

• Colors: Black, brown
• Material: Fur felt
• Shape: Short, oval flat top with deep crease around oval
• Brim: Wide curled up brim all around
• Band: Thin leather band matching color of the hat or wide petersham ribbon with flat bow.
• Style: Worn at an angle

Buying 1940′s Hats

Whenever possible buy a vintage hat. They can be pricy to buy but well worth it if you want the most authentic 1940′s hat. Otherwise new mens hats continue to be made in vintage styles. Fedoras often come in flexible brims so that you can change the brim shape to match that of 1940′s style. During the 1940′s new hats were made without shaping the brim so the buyer could choose what style brim he wanted.  You too can buy a new 1940s style mens hat with or without a shaped brim. Start your 1940′s mens hat shopping here  from some of the best hat shops online.