The brown fedora in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", is the most sought after (yet, somehow, unobtainable) piece of menswear in history. After decades of questing, I realized it's simple secret -The key to the hat's unique, elusive, and beautifull look.... is ......
...Therefore, the hat was worn "turned" about 2/3 inch OFF CENTER.
..The front pinch in the Raiders crown was installed about 2/3 of a inch OFF CENTER.
Thus, every element of the hat is asymetrical, and, the hat is actively coping with distortion, giving it a certain lively tension.
Evidence
The center of the Raiders bow is located IN FRONT of Indy's ear.
The centers of the Raiders grey, the Temple of Doom, and the Last Crusade bows are located directly OVER his ear. These hats were not worn off center.
Here is a picture of the inside of my hat, front pinched 2/3 of an inch off center. Note that the small white bow on the sweatband at the back of the hat is thus off center 2/3 of an inch as well. ..Next, in the film still form "The fight by the flying wing" - I believe you can see the outline of this little bow showing through the ribbon - and it's off center.
(The bow is attatched in such a way that it can become more "V" shaped when the hat is pulled down onto the head. The outline of the "V" appears to be closer to the brim in the film hat. This is likely due to a narrower sweatband inside the hat.- more about that narrow band later)
The basic elements of the Raiders hat that Off- Centeredness creates
Off- Centeredness
Right brim flips sharply downwards between ear and eye
Left brim flips up behind the ear, and no flip downwards between ear and eye
Front of brim dips in front of right eye
backward tilt in the back of the crown
dome shape in the front of the brim
Little white bow
The ridges. There are two flat ridges in the brim. The obvious one the left in these pictures, and the one that originates at the front of the bow.
(Missing from Raiders grey and LC hat)
That the Raiders hat was worn off-center is now considered by most Indiana Jones gear collectors to be a fact. The leading U.S. makers of quality Indy style fedoras, Adventurebuilt and Peters Brothers of Texas, will fashion your hat off center if requested... There are a few other CRUCIAL, unique features in the Raiders hat that I have noticed, documented, and analyzed. These theories are not yet widely endorsed....but, If you dare... click here to learn about them!
The opening of a fedora is an oval, as is the shape of a head. Since they are in tight contact with each other, turning a hat sideways will distort the brim. The top of a fedora is an oval shape as well. The diagram represents the top of a fedora crown. Turning a hat will supply eatra material to the left rear and right front areas of the sides of the crown (fig.2) and a front pinch will angle back more in front (fig.3).
source of bulge in left rear of the crown
more volume in the the front dent on Indy's right.
Turning YOUR hat
Harrison Ford has a fairly long, narrow head, and the Raiders hat was a tight fit. The rounder your head, or the looser your hat, the more it will need to be turned. (You may have to remove and reposition the ribbon if your bow gets too far forward). One Indy fedora wearer, with a round shaped head turned his hat nearly 90 degrees with good results- click here to see- Allessan..
