M-422: What Hat?

[SteveN]

Greetings All,

I've been struggling with the question of what hat to wear with an M-422. With an A2 it's easy, as pretty much any fedora or felt hat goes well. The mouton collar of the M-422 however throws a spanner in the works. Excluding something like a baseball cap, what's the general consensus for appropriate headgear with this jacket?

Cheers,
- SteveN

 

[Jaydee]

Got to be a NAVY Squadron or Carrier Ballcap (Or flight helmet if you are one of the lucky ones) Eagle is a good company for a genuine issue type. They are a low profile cap, not the lame tall big head looking kind.

 

[horseback leader]

Definitely agree. Navy Ballcap. I wear a plain blue wool cap made by (the former) Cooperstown Ballcap Co. I don't know if anyone else makes an accurate, custom, vintage cap.

 

[Falcon_52]

I would go with an 8-panel newsboy cap. It's more casual than a felt hat but still looks very smart.

Noel

 

[Mac]

 

[zoomer]

I'm gonna step in here and say that a wide, dark banded hat like Bogey's is dressy, and not appropriate with the '422/G-1 family. The issue is the fur collar. It makes the jacket more purely "gear" than, say, an A-2, Indy, etc.

Bogey could get away with it because of his presence, and because the hat and jacket were both kinda beat up.

You could swing a hat with a thin-ribbon or a self-colored ribbon, I think. Especially in tans or browns. Pic

The blue wool ballcap is WW2-correct - if you care about that - as long as it's real Navy Blue (almost black), and has no big front panel with ship name etc. They were plain, or worn with metal rank.

 

[joeson]

I would go with an 8-panel newsboy cap. It's more casual than a felt hat but still looks very smart.

Noel

I tend to go with the newsboy cap too.

 

[SteveN]

I agree with other posters; probably only Bogey could pull this off.

BTW: what jacket is he wearing? It looks like it has epaulettes.

- SteveN

 

[Mac]

Steve,

I think its a field-modified A-2 (or studio attempt at one). Note the collar hook/fastener in this pic (jacket also looks pretty salty).

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IpFwFTEJH9A/Svfq3sZmeqI/AAAAAAAAFNQ/Il3fFux81IY/s1600/aatokyo8.jpg


Mac

 

[watchmanjimg]

Steve,

I think its a field-modified A-2 (or studio attempt at one). Note the collar hook/fastener in this pic (jacket also looks pretty salty).

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IpFwFTEJH9A/Svfq3sZmeqI/AAAAAAAAFNQ/Il3fFux81IY/s1600/aatokyo8.jpg


Mac

Sounds reasonable. Ironically, it reminds me of the fur-collared, shearling-lined version of LL Bean's "Flying Tigers" jacket. :lol: