If you've found yourself looking at homburgs, then you may fancy yourself to be Al Pacino in The Godfather. I may be the exception to this rule. I needed a formal hat to wear to Mass with a black suit and a black overcoat. Homburgs were once very popular for this type of purpose, at least until the 1960's. Churchill used to wear one. So did Eisenhower at his 1952 inauguration.

I'm generally pleased with this homburg and would rate it at about four stars for quality, five for value. Stacy Adams is a good general brand, but I own other hats of greater quality with respect to materials, design, and construction. Here are some more detailed notes:

1. Value. I've seen this hat listed at $120 and sold on the Internet for $96. $50-60 is more typical. I paid $36 with shipping. That's a bargain.

2. Material. A homburg, like the bowler, is traditionally made of hard felt. This model is indeed of hard wool felt. The texture is a bit on the rough side, as anyone who has handled fur felt would realize if they picked up this hat.

3. Lining and finishing. The lining is decent enough but nothing luxurious. The band is indeed grosgrain. The sweatband is thin leather.

4. Construction. The stitching and boxing of the hat are sound although I think the lining on the brims could have been more finely stitched.

5. Sizing. I wear a medium. The sizing was exact.

6. Style. The styling is correct for a homburg. Although black has tended to be the favorite color since 1960, I chose gray with a black band as the more stylish choice.

This hat is more than you need for a costume party and pretty good for most occasions. Only very discerning onlookers will be able to tell that it was inexpensive. For Mass, weddings, and the like, it is very workable.