European Strat Headliner & Felt Color

[Sam Marlowe]

Ok, this'll be an easy one for you old pros. Do European Strats only have the cotton headband as opposed to the leather? I've seen them in brown as well as grey. Were grey & brown sold on both sides of the Atlantic? Do both feature the same style liner?

 

[Sam Marlowe]

Ok, this'll be an easy one for you old pros. Do European Strats only have the cotton headband as opposed to the leather? I've seen them in brown as well as grey. Were grey & brown sold on both sides of the Atlantic? Do both feature the same style liner?

Ok, my terminology is incorrect. I should've said sweatband instead of headband or headliner. My bad.

 

[tonyb]

I've never seen a Stratoliner with a cloth sweatband. I've seen them with reeded sweatbands and with unreeded sweatbands. I've seen them with liners and without liners. (The unlined ones I've seen had unreeded sweats, while the lined ones had reeded sweats.) I've seen them with various bow styles. But I have yet to see one with a cloth sweat.

And, who you calling old? Or a pro, for that matter?

EDIT: By the way, will we ever see photos of these hats to which you allude?

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Just saw this one on eBay yesterday.

Vintage-Stetson-Stratoliner-Fedora-Lightweight-Hat-Size-22-/130663591710

Crazy

 

[carouselvic]

Lady's Hat

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Thanks Vic. People see the word Stratoliner on a Stetson and just see dollar signs.
The poor hat in pictures is so beaten up.

 

[Sam Marlowe]

Thanks Vic. People see the word Stratoliner on a Stetson and just see dollar signs.
The poor hat in pictures is so beaten up.

About two weeks ago, I decided to do something I'd thought about for many years, starting a fedora collection. A friend reccomended I come here. My questions have been about a torn lining & a cotton sweatband on ebay Stratoliners, my fedora of choice. I assumed this would be a good place for information & education in my quest to replace my ignorance w/knowledge. While Lefty & The Wise Hatter have responded w/useful info, I don't understand something odd about the underlying attitude. (what's w/the ostriches?) I was offering a sign of respect by deferring to the "old pros" & attempting to be a polite Southern gentleman. Never did I have the intention of being offensive. The European Strat in question may, indeed, be a ladies hat. But no acknowledgement of the cloth sweatband. While your site appears to be a welcome font of hat information, I do not feel it is so welcoming to outsiders attempting to learn & join the discussion IMHO.

 

[Dinerman]

Stetson did licence hats from a variety of European hatmakers, but I've never seen a European made "Stratoliner" labeled Stetson.

All the cloth sweatband ones I've seen are the ladies model, which were sold at the same time as the mens one (the ladies one on the ebay auction above looks to be '40s)- but you don't see to many of them floating around.

There was a Canadian made Stratoliner, which was nearly identical, other than the inside trimmings. They generally had "aquashed" marked sweatbands, and most that I've seen have had the triangle shaped perforations in the sweatband.

 

[RBH]

 

[tonyb]

About two weeks ago, I decided to do something I'd thought about for many years, starting a fedora collection. A friend reccomended I come here. My questions have been about a torn lining & a cotton sweatband on ebay Stratoliners, my fedora of choice. I assumed this would be a good place for information & education in my quest to replace my ignorance w/knowledge. While Lefty & The Wise Hatter have responded w/useful info, I don't understand something odd about the underlying attitude. (what's w/the ostriches?) I was offering a sign of respect by deferring to the "old pros" & attempting to be a polite Southern gentleman. Never did I have the intention of being offensive. The European Strat in question may, indeed, be a ladies hat. But no acknowledgement of the cloth sweatband. While your site appears to be a welcome font of hat information, I do not feel it is so welcoming to outsiders attempting to learn & join the discussion IMHO.

Dang, Marlowe, this post leaves me scratching my head (which necessitated the removal of my hat, by the way).

It's safe to say, I think, that the large majority of members here are decent, humble, helpful sorts. (True, some of us have our lesser moments, but still ... ). I've gone back and read all 10 of your posts to date, in their full contexts, and I'm finding it difficult to detect this "odd ... underlying attitude" to which you allude. My reference to your "old pros" comment was an attempt at self-deprecating humor -- a failed one, by the looks of it.

I see little evidence that anyone here has taken offense at your posts. And it's regrettable that you find this place less than welcoming. As one who participates in other online discussion forums -- forums devoted to matters on which I am not at all well-versed -- I believe I have some sense of where you are coming from. You just want information, and not snooty commentary from some twerp who apparently thinks his superior knowledge of, say, kitchen appliance repair gives him license to insult people. But again, you'll rarely encounter that sort of thing around here.

Hope you stick around, Marlowe. I'm confident you know things that would be of some interest and potential benefit to the folks here.

 

[Sam Marlowe]

Dang, Marlowe, this post leaves me scratching my head (which necessitated the removal of my hat, by the way).

It's safe to say, I think, that the large majority of members here are decent, humble, helpful sorts. (True, some of us have our lesser moments, but still ... ). I've gone back and read all 10 of your posts to date, in their full contexts, and I'm finding it difficult to detect this "odd ... underlying attitude" to which you allude. My reference to your "old pros" comment was an attempt at self-deprecating humor -- a failed one, by the looks of it.

I see little evidence that anyone here has taken offense at your posts. And it's regrettable that you find this place less than welcoming. As one who participates in other online discussion forums -- forums devoted to matters on which I am not at all well-versed -- I believe I have some sense of where you are coming from. You just want information, and not snooty commentary from some twerp who apparently thinks his superior knowledge of, say, kitchen appliance repair gives him license to insult people. But again, you'll rarely encounter that sort of thing around here.

Hope you stick around, Marlowe. I'm confident you know things that would be of some interest and potential benefit to the folks here.

Thank you for the encouraging response, Tony. I wanted to wait awhile to see how things go, lest I reply prematurely (I try not to do anything prematurely these days). I must say, I have experienced some helpful & thoughtful responses. At the same time, I still sense a touch of swagger/bravado/macho that seems anachronistic & out of touch w/todays sensibilities. I don't know, maybe that goes hand in hand w/anachronistic head gear. I would have to say it feels a little cliqueish & somewhat exclusive, but I guess there's some of that in any club. I'll try to keep an open mind moving forward. Thanks again for your 2cents worth of help.

 

[RBH]

I am trying to understand your response to Tony above.
Can you help me out?

 

[Aureliano]

I am trying to understand your response to Tony above.
Can you help me out?

I wasn't invited to this party, but I'm with you, Rusty. After reading all posts, I have no idea what he's talking about.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Unless I'm very much mistaken, tonyb was making a joke in Post #3, above -- with an implied smiley face....

A bit of an overreaction by Sam Marlowe, methinks.

 

[Lefty]

and what's that supposed to mean?

 

[jimmy the lid]

and what's that supposed to mean?

Wow, just trying to be helpful. Way to rub it in -- my delicate sensibilities may never recover...

Oh, wait a second -- I think they just recovered.

 

[Sam Marlowe]

Wow, just trying to be helpful. Way to rub it in -- my delicate sensibilities may never recover...

Oh, wait a second -- I think they just recovered.

I don't think any further quantification would be productive at this point & anyone who wants to get in on this, invited or not, should. It's an open forum. I can take it. I can say that it's possible I'm wrong. And therein lies the difference. I can take the criticisms. I thanked Tony for the encouraging words. I admire his sense of humor. I acknowledged that other members have been thoughtful & helpful. And I'm OK w/the delicate sensibilities jokes. I just thought people could treat each other w/respect.

 

[RBH]

And what members have not been helpful?

My post #9 was an ad from the Stratoliner thread. If it had been searched or even looked at you would have been able to find your answer { or at least help in your searc h as to what type hat it was}.
I reposted it not to be smart but to help... but it seems you still want more without even looking for yourself.
And yet we still have no photo of the hat in question. But we should be able to answer all you want... let me add photos from E Bay sales are not very helpful... we need ones from when the hat is in your hands.. more detailed ones is of what I speak.
This is a very helpful and gentlemanly bunch for the most part ... but you have to do your part also.

 

[Aureliano]

. I just thought people could treat each other w/respect.

I just re-read the whole thread again and found no one being disrespectful... Odd.

 

[Sam Marlowe]

"I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble."
- Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon" (1941)

"I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member"
- Groucho Marx