Three thumbs up, one for brim-up (still my favorite, but we don't see enough of), one for a fellow REAL beard wearer (no sculpted boy-band facial hair for me), and one for the old school crease. Great job. Makes me want to get one in Moonstone. It suits you well. Frank.
Campdraft in silverbelly is great. Also, if you don't have a hard to find size like me, why not bag a few vintage hats off eBay? Try different colors, styles, and not worry about getting them wet, if they're cheaply bought? Frank
Tom - most of my cowboy hats end up creased like that. They start out in a rancher or "Gus" crease, and rain and wear eventually change them to something like the arena. Looks good. Frank
I agree with the horsehair band. If you want the hat to stay western, a mid-width ribbon or two cord ribbon would be great on that old hat, and keep it period accurate. You can always add a horsehair or leather hat band over the ribbon, like most cowboy hat wearers do. The bridle leather belt...
Winterland - I've got the Chippewa 8" Apache Lacer boots, but they make a lower, 6" version that sells for $120-$150, depending on where you shop. They're very well made. I just took off the little American Flag, which I appreciate the symbolism of, but don't like to have so close to the...
Always fun to see someone rocking the "western" silver collar points (visible under jacket in one photo). I've usually got to drive to Tijuana to see those in action. If there's no reincarnation, I'll miss his unique interpretations of western wear, "cowboy classic" seen through a U.K. lens...
My Chippewa boots are just as well made as my Iron Rangers, at half the price. As far as adding rubber to a leather sole, I've done this to cowboy boots many times, and it's cheap and effective. Frank
Josh - a belated great job on the western conversion, the ribbon looks just right. If I may, that hat screams to me for a crown shape with more "character." I think it would look excellent in a Montana Peak (Gus) or Two Dot crease. You've got enough crown to work with for sure, most westerns...
delectans, perhaps you could enlighten me as to what part of your post was "gentlemanly?" I'm not sure implying that two fellow Lounge members are less than classy follows the tone of your reply. Just a thought, Frank.
The difference between the two for me has been the service/repair aspect. I've had work done on old hats by both, with some fine results. On the other hand, Art has never gotten an order wrong, nor has he ever sent me a big hat crammed in a small box. Optimo has done both. They made the wrong...
I know it's not the color you asked for, but here's a few of a Campdraft in a "cattleman's crease." This one is silverbelly, which is more like sand in Resistol or Stetson, less gray, more tan. Frank.
You're going to be happy, sizing issues hopefully not a consideration. I had one I sold, and it was just what you're looking for. Light, as Brian said, big enough to go western or fedora, and tough. Frank
My guess would be that more members here have multiple VS hats than Optimo hats, and some, like myself, occasionally sell a less-worn one to finance another VS. For some of us, that's not economically feasible at Optimo's prices. Lots of us are always planning that next "the one" hat, and Art's...
Great stuff. I looked in the gallery, and found the El Mirador Hotel, where my grandfather was the public relations guy for years, and which later turned into Desert Hospital, where I was born, and my son was born 18 months ago. I remember seeing lots of party photos from the Ball/Arnaz...
Lots of old cowboys I've known wear them, definitely not for logging. If you look at the top of the heel, you'll see it extends out into a "spur rest," or ledge. Most heels made like that are specifically for your spurs to sit on top of, since the underslung heel without a spur rest means your...
If you prefer U.S. made, you could get Art Fawcett or Tonyb (Tumwater Hats) to make you a wide brim, light felt, vented silverbelly. Art made me a silverbelly wide brim that rules. Beaver is pretty tough, and bounces back from abuse very well. Frank
Great boots. You're a brave man walking around in packers all day. I've used them horseback for many years, as I need the ankle support thar cowboy boots don't provide, but I've gone to a flatter "roper" heel for walking. That riding heel, which some call Cuban, just kills me after a while on...
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