Asymetrical edge binding

[Woodfluter]

Question for you all -

I have acquired a Royal Deluxe Stetson, found floating on the eBay, needing some repairs that I can handle. It has nicely-done edge binding which is narrow and folded under on the top of the brim, but wider on the bottom of the brim. The stitches holding the wider edge are apparent but not very noticable on the top of the brim.

I've seen binding of this sort on homburgs and possibly bowlers (can't remember latter clearly...not sure) that were like this, presumably because the brim would be turned up all around and you were supposed to see that wider part of the ribbon only. But this is definitely a snap-brim fedora.

So, what's the deal here? Was this hat meant to be worn with the brim turned up all around, or was the contrasting top and bottom width a style statement? Any thoughts?

As an aside, this was the absolute worst job of packing something I've ever seen. They mashed the hat completely flat, wound bubble wrap around it many times, stuffed it into a thin printer paper box and slapped a few pieces of tape on that. And they almost got the address wrong. I'm not sure whether to leave comments about that or just not say anything at all. It's good felt and will recover, but still...this is ridiculous.

- Bill

 

[Feraud]

Brim binding is mentioned in this thread -

April, 1948: Meet THE BOLD LOOK

 

[EVEN-STEVEN]

I have a vintage Borsalino with the exact same binding. I'm not certain of the theory behind it... whether or not it was meant to be worn brim up all the way around... but in my opinion it is a beautiful design.

Bottom Brim:

Top Brim:

 

[tonyb]

That sort of brim binding on fedoras is unusual, but I've seen it before. You're right, though, it was much more common on homburgs. I'd think it would necessitate an additional step in the hat-making process -- instead of one pass through an edge-binding sewing machine, it would take two.

As to the sloppy, careless packaging ... Yeah, I don't usually object to eBay sellers' lack of knowledge (unless their ignorance has them asserting things that just ain't true, and doing so in the interest of making their merchandise seem more valuable than it would be without those fictional attributes). But failure to think, failure to use the common sense I would hope the average person we entrust with a driver's license would bring to most things he does, can be galling.

 

[Dinerman]

I had a stetson like that, only it was a thin ribbon binding, with narrow on the bottom and almost nonexistent on the top. It was snazzy.

 

[jdbenson]

Stylepark

I have a vintage Stylepark fedora with the exact same binding. I rather like it. From the front with the brim down it looks like any ordinary thin bound brim. From the side or back you get a huge contrast with the wide under-binding. Very cool to me. Wear it with pride!

 

[Woodfluter]

Thanks guys! I agree that it is cool, albeit different than what I've seen before. I'll post pics here when I get through renovating it in the next couple of days. It needs de-staining, stitching here and there, steaming and reshaping, but I was impressed that it survived the mailing abuse so well.

(Not to mention totally inaccurate posted picture color, no comment on staining, lousy photography etc...but no moth bites anyway! I'm not inclined to attribute malice where simple ignorance would suffice.)

Feraud, thank you ever so much for the link. I had read parts of that thread before but somehow missed mention of the brim binding. Probably tuning out the Mad Ave. hype. This apparently dates my hat to 1948-mid or late 1950's. Seems to fit with the tan sweatband, Stetson logo, and general appearance...hard to articulate, but feels like that period somehow - nice straight crown, good quality, a vague vibe.

What can I say...this is an example of why this forum is such a wonderful resource and filled with such helpful and generous folks. Thanks, and I am grateful to all for your knowledge and helpful spirit.

- Bill