Me an’ Bogart an’ Them
by wjw on October 27, 2019
It’s been a long autumn, what with hip replacement and all the deadline pressure and stuff, and my birthday is happening around now, and so I decided I deserved a really nice birthday present. Maybe something I’ve always wanted.
It so happens that I’ve wanted a Porsche since I was about eight, and ever since I was in my twenties, when I saw Casablabca and the eponymous Alain Delon/Jean-Paul Belmondo gangster film, I’ve wanted a Borsalino.
Turns out the hat was cheaper. So here I am in my handmade Italian fedora, just like Bogart’s. (Making the felt takes 27 steps, all done by hand! Isn’t that cool?)
Borsalino actually makes a hat called the “Bogart,” but it isn’t a pattern actually worn by Bogart, who wore something else. Just in case you’re confused.
Now if I can only figure out where in hell to wear it.
Nice hat! Of course, to really complete the outfit you need to accessorize with a .45 in a shoulder holster.
Will a Luger do? I’ve even got a shoulder holster for it.
Yes, a Luger would work. A bit of a Continental touch there.
You could make the hat your trademark accessory at cons. Terry Pratchett was quite successful doing that. While he had the hat on, he was the pro and was very approachable. When it was off, he was a private person and it was bad manners to bother him.
You need to pinch the front in a bit to achieve the total Bogie look.
Bogart also had a wider ribbon and a slightly taller crown.
He also turned the brim down in back, but mine looks better with the back brim turned up.
Next author photo? After all, you’ve got a fair number of books coming out. You can also use it as a target for card flipping. Practice enough and you can wow your fans at the next con you attend (more than you already do, I mean).
This reminds me of a book jacket author pic of you. It’s a good look on you. Wear it everywhere you can get away with it.
“Now if I can only figure out where in hell to wear it.”
The head is the conventional choice, but a person of natural charisma and confidence could probably make it work just about anywhere!
Where to wear it?
Murder scenes? As perpetrator or investigator, either works.
My husband wears his hat to run errands on Saturday morning; of course his isn’t a nice felt hat like yours though the shape is similar. It’s a cloth hat that he’s had for so long it’s beginning to look a bit disreputable.
Wear it to the con this weekend. Then people can ask, “Where between Carmel and San Diego is Walter Jon Williams?”
Comments on this entry are closed.