Trilby vs Fedora

1: Trilby Vs Fedora

One of the main problems for our customers; and fellow hat wearers, is what is the difference between a trilby hat and a fedora?  Well after hours of research and hundreds of articles we are to proud announce that..... it all depends. Read on...

There seems to be a huge difference in opinion and primarily this boils down to the fact that trilby is essentially a British term, whereas fedora is preferred by our friends across the pond.

Lock & Co, a London based hat company founded in 1676 do actually classify the two items as different.  They believe a trilby to have a shorter brim which is angled down at the front and slightly turned up at the back. The fedora has a much wider brim which is more level. (as sported by Indiana). As Lock & Co are official hatters to the Royal family they are probably worth listening to, but unfortunately few people understand the classification or just choose to ignore it.

American based companies tend to use the term fedora regardless of the hat's shape, as it is a term their customers are more familiar with, and the same happens over here with trilby. So the lines between the two are gradually being eroded away leaving us with two names which are interchangeable.

So.... even though officially these are two different hats, terminology-wise they are slowly becoming one, it just depends on where you live; Fedora in the US and Trilby in the UK. At equip we're going to stay true to our roots and henceforth this style of hat will always be known as: the trilby.
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2: So what is actually the difference between a fedora and trilby hat??

Indiana Jones Trilby or Fedora?

As an American living in the UK, I have noticed quite a difference in the English language used here compared to our version in the US.  You catch the tube not the subway.  You put on trousers not pants.  You grab a pint with mates not a beer with buddies.  And of course you watch the football instead of soccer. 

As hatters we have run into a few problems which arise from this difference in language.  Our company first noticed that UK based websites were calling the Indiana Jones hat a trilby instead of a fedora. This was contradictory to everything we had known as American hatters.  In the states a trilby hat is a short brimmed, cut and sewn hat that is more like what Sean Connery wears in the 3rd Indiana Jones movie than what Harrison Ford wears.  So of course we were perplexed as to what to name this classic hat on our UK site.

Many evenings were spent looking at what other sites were calling trilby hats and what they were calling fedora hats.  Unfortunately, we noticed that it seemed to be at the companies’ discretion.  There is no guideline, or industry standard when it comes to this.  We would meet with different hat manufacturers and each had their own opinion on the matter. 

We have had this same naming issue with many hats.  In the states flat caps are ivy caps.  Baker boy hats are newsboy caps.  Fancy dress hats are novelty hats.  All we were hoping to do was create a site which was easy to use and navigate, and instead we couldn’t even decide what to name our categories and products.

As of now, we still have no clear indication that there is an objective definition as to what a trilby should be and what a fedora should be.  So, we made up our own definitions.  That’s right; we put our foot down.  Now we are saying, “trilbys are 2 inches or less, fedoras are over 2 inches bottom line.”

Some may ask “Why did you choose this random length of 2 inches?”  As an internet company we have to try and market our hats to the public the best that we can.  But as hatters we also want to hold on to some traditional industry lingo.  We couldn’t bring ourselves to name a big brimmed hat (the Indiana Jones hat) a trilby, it seemed contrary to what we had learned from many years in the business. 

That is it.  We leave it at that.  If you have hard proof that can show us a trilby is x and a fedora is y, then we will gladly change our product names.  Until then, we are staying with our own made up terms and hope that the world follows.  Don’t get us started on whether or not it is a bowler or a derby. 

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3: What’s the Difference Between a Trilby Hat and a Fedora Hat ?  Both hats have a dipped crown,



What’s the Difference Between a Trilby Hat and a Fedora Hat ?
How can you tell whether a hat is a trilby or a Fedora and which is the best one to buy ?
Here’s me and my day out on Monday . . .


What’s the Difference Between a Trilby Hat and a Fedora Hat ?
The way to tell the a Fedora from a Trilby is simple, it’s all down to brim size.
A gentleman’s Fedora has a broader brim, say 6 to 7cms approximately whereas the Trilby is narrower, about 4 to 5cms.
The sizes are approximate of course but it gives you an idea of ratio

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