What Hat Are You Wearing Today ?

[steur]

Stefan, Thanks! Fantastic series of hats from you1 Great series of Velours! The rare Carl Blum Velour is always a treat!

Some wonderful velours, Stefan. The Borsalino Vaiato stands out amongst the wonderful crowd.

Splendid Sunday again!!! I'm going with the Borsalino Vaiato as #1, the Brummel's Luxor as #2, and the Fléchet Velour as #3. Thanks for another feast for our eyes, Stefan!

One this black week I feel I have to be opposite and go for the white one. Great week Stefan.

Thank you all, gentlemen, for the kind words.

 

[steur]

Echter Borsalino "Bismuto" "Sanboca", NOS Condition, Date Stamped 17.5.29 (May 17, 1929). The felt is very soft and pliable with a unique box bow design for this style hat and also has a wind cord. It has an fantastic over welt curled brim and the non-reed sweatband is very finely stitched to the hat. I found this Soft Felt back in 2015. This is one of three fantastic Echter Borsalino hats from a Berlin estate sale. The seller was very confusing and I wasn't sure I would actually receive the hats.

Date Stamped 17.5.29 (May 17, 1929)

The Berlin store / hat company "Max Eckard" that sold this hat did not survive WWII. The box is from a different Berlin hat store "Philipp Neubauer Berlin" that survived WWII but not the locations listed.

So glad you did receive them because they are among the finest Borsalinos out there. This one is a rare gem.

 

[steur]

Borsalino in a “peluche” finish

View attachment 751375

Fantastic!

 

[steur]

Pale sun in NorthEast Italy.
View attachment 751555
Giuseppe Borsalino e fratello S.A. Alessandria - Super Quality. There are six Xs on the front of the sweatband, but they don't mean anything. Let's get serious.
View attachment 751556
The distinctive feature of this "furry" hat is its very short-haired surface with a "silk" effect, which you can see from the shiny reflections it creates when hit by light.
View attachment 751557
It was made relatively recently, about fifty years ago. 1976 was the year it was produced.
View attachment 751558
The color is "Folco" and it has no name for the type.
It is an ancient find and joins others with similar characteristics that you will see this December 2025.
View attachment 751559
Thank you for your likes and kind words.

More proof that Borsalino stuck to quality no matter how much money they lost.

 

[mayserwegener]

So glad you did receive them because they are among the finest Borsalinos out there. This one is a rare gem.

Stefan, Thank you! I will have to search my email for the correspondences.

 

[mayserwegener]

Stefan, Thank you! I will have to search my email for the correspondences.

Stefan, I checked and there were ~ 170 Ebay messages over a 5 month time period for the 3 hats.

 

[Ent]

This week’s line up of Akubras. Accidental closeup on one.

 

[VoodooSan]

This week’s line up of Akubras. Accidental closeup on one.

View attachment 751679 View attachment 751680 View attachment 751681 View attachment 751682 View attachment 751683 View attachment 751684 View attachment 751685

That is one DANDY lineup, sir!

 

[bmw1976]

30s/40s Marathon from JC Penney Co

View attachment 747242 View attachment 747243 View attachment 747244 View attachment 747245 View attachment 747246

Wow, great color on that! Is that the original band?

 

[Pellie]

The Glory today!! (Moores or Associated British Hat Manufacturers Ltd. hat from UK.)

 

[carouselvic]

Stetson 7X Clear Beaver with felted edge

 

[DaveProc]

Stetson 7X Clear Beaver with felted edge

View attachment 751741

Excellent!

 

[RickP]

Have a crowd of friends and family coming up today that couldnt make Thanksgiving ( we dont pay attention to the Calendar around here lol)

Today Im sporting a mystery Stetson ( no liner or sweatband when it got here... not really sure what it started life as)

 

[jeffgarf]

Got back to the Bay last night and went to my office to find a vintage hat stretcher I just bought from Rodney Allison @ North Valley Hat Company waiting for me. While I have a Borsalino Como that just came in on the rack, I am wearing my new navy blue Lock and Co. St. James fedora today.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

More proof that Borsalino stuck to quality no matter how much money they lost.

The point you mention, "losing money while maintaining quality even in difficult times," is crucial to understanding the end of the hat's golden age as a fashion accessory. Borsalino maintained its production high, compared to average, and as I often say, even in recent years, some Borsalinos were and still are excellent.
Then we can talk about money and everything else.
Grazie Stefan

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Felt is often discussed in various threads, and there's often confusion about its components, especially in hats produced in Italy, with Borsalino at the top of the list.

The last hat I wore was a Borsalino product, dating back to the years when hats were fading from the heads of many young and old men around the world. For women, it was a different story.

Yet, with the skills to produce felt, not because Italy is a country rich in furs, but with a solid experience with wool, Borsalino performed near-miracles, so as the others Italian hatters.

To demonstrate their skill in producing quality felt, even outside of the designated areas, here's a hat made from scratch in Merano, South Tyrol, by the Matthias Hutter company.

This was a "Tyrolean" hat reworked by Fleur di Penumbra hat in the Netherlands.
The shape chosen, as well as the hat band, is that of a casual hat.

Thanks for your comments and likes. They are widely reciprocated.

 

[jeffgarf]

This was a "Tyrolean" hat reworked by Fleur di Penumbra hat in the Netherlands.
The shape chosen, as well as the hat band, is that of a casual hat.

I have been so impressed by the work you have shown from Penumbra that I am jealous of your access to them. I am fortunate to have a local relationship with a fairly well-known custom hatmaker in my hometown of Atlanta, GA with whom I am comfortable to bring in smaller repair jobs (B.M. Franklin). Remaking a hat like that and others you have shown is a different story and I even mentioned Penumbra to the these guys. They would rather make me a custom (far from my league in terms of cost), but they will take my business, nonetheless.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

I have been so impressed by the work you have shown from Penumbra that I am jealous of your access to them. I am fortunate to have a local relationship with a fairly well-known custom hatmaker in my hometown of Atlanta, GA with whom I am comfortable to bring in smaller repair jobs (B.M. Franklin). Remaking a hat like that and others you have shown is a different story and I even mentioned Penumbra to the these guys. They would rather make me a custom (far from my league in terms of cost), but they will take my business, nonetheless.

Fleur is a fantastic milliner, and since she's significantly slowed down her work, I've long considered not working on any more hats. I'll be receiving some hats from her workshop in a few days that have been restored and/or remodeled. As always, I'm confident in her work, and as soon as they arrive, I'll show you. As for the future...we'll see.
A little tip: instead of buying new felt, buy pre-made hats that are to your taste and suitable for the projects you'd like to have on your head

 

[Blare]

This week’s line up of Akubras. Accidental closeup on one.

View attachment 751679 View attachment 751680 View attachment 751681 View attachment 751682 View attachment 751683 View attachment 751684 View attachment 751685

Great update!!

 

[Blare]

Felt is often discussed in various threads, and there's often confusion about its components, especially in hats produced in Italy, with Borsalino at the top of the list.
View attachment 751778
The last hat I wore was a Borsalino product, dating back to the years when hats were fading from the heads of many young and old men around the world. For women, it was a different story.
View attachment 751779
Yet, with the skills to produce felt, not because Italy is a country rich in furs, but with a solid experience with wool, Borsalino performed near-miracles, so as the others Italian hatters.
View attachment 751780
To demonstrate their skill in producing quality felt, even outside of the designated areas, here's a hat made from scratch in Merano, South Tyrol, by the Matthias Hutter company.
View attachment 751781
This was a "Tyrolean" hat reworked by Fleur di Penumbra hat in the Netherlands.
The shape chosen, as well as the hat band, is that of a casual hat.
View attachment 751782
Thanks for your comments and likes. They are widely reciprocated.

Some wonderful fuzzy felts of late, Daniele.