NJ Novelty - Black Felt Top Hat, Costume Dress Up Party Hat

This hat was a bit too large for me. However, I had an easy simple fix so that it could fit my head. I ended up purchasing at Walmart a 4-pack of those foam heel protectors that have a adhesive backing for the inside of (usually) women’s dress shoes to keep from sliding around. If you understand my description. (See photo) I stuck three of them to the front inside of the hat and one on the inside back. Worked like a charm. I decorated the hat (Steampunk) myself, and received many many compliments. Not bad for a simple inexpensive black hat. This hat was very stiff which made decorating/glueing items easy...sewing through the stiff hat was a bit of a challenge but not impossible. (I had moistened the hat here and there with glue when I adhered the lace. So it became a little bit more pliable to sew through. I would buy this hat again if I needed another to decorate differently. It worked out really well for the Steampunk Expo I attended and looked very flattering on me.

My first order of these top hats already had elastic around the inside of the hats, for an easier fit. They also had more of a velvet-type nap. I liked these hats. My second order had white 'circles' of elastic tossed into the bottom of the bag. I'm guessing they want you to somehow attach these to the inside of the hat, for a better fit... but they wouldn't stay with a hot glue gun, so short of somehow sewing these on, they are useless. These hats also didn't have the same velvet nap. They were a felt AND, the brim of the hats were not equal all the way around and it was very obvious. Now, I know I'm being picky, but I embellish these hats and resell them, so these things are important to me. If you are looking for an inexpensive hat and don't really care about the consistent quality, then these are for you.

This hat was purchased for my husband (The Wizard of Oz) for our annual upcoming Wizard of Oz festival! It's a hat that will hold up for the event, and perhaps a bit longer for another time or two or more . . . depending on the abuse it may take. It looks like the real McCoy, and that's all I care about. Happy with this purchase.

The hat is sturdy, considering, and held up well to some modifications I did to it. However, it is short front to back. So if you have a big head, don't count on being able to wear it--the circumference may be the same as your head but it might still be tight. I solved this by cutting it in half, punching holes with a hole punch, and lacing it, but had to do it front to back not side to side....

Many reviews stated how small it was, which is why I bought it for my Dad and his small head. It's a tiny bit large for him though. I know I can send it back for free. I'll probably just put it with our collection of Halloween apparel though. Someone will be able to use it someday. It was not an expensive item, and the quality is good enough for a durable piece of costume apparel.

Just as described in fact it was better made than we expected- solid, sturdy construction, the white band had just enough stretch to fit the brim. It fit great and completed my sons Gangster outfit for our 1920's style Murder Mystery Party on NYE!

I asked for a replacement thinking the band was just missed in error. However it didn't come with the second shipment either. The hat was fine, but now I have to go through the trouble of crafting my own white band. I hate crafting. Another reviewer had the same issue, but I thought it was just a packing error. The product description need to be changed.

Great hats! Better quality than I expected. Needed these for decorating steampunk style for a dance routine. They came well packaged with only a couple dents/creases that are easily steamed out. Great base for building on. Perfect fit for most adults. Would definitely buy again.