French Hats and makers.

[mayserwegener]

Thibet bowler in black. No labels inside the hat, but a size 56 with the brim at 5cm. Made for Baronnier of Nancy, France. Thibet is a brand name made by Ecuyer&Thomas. The details of this hat are wonderful, like the super tight d'Orsay curl. The felt is woolfelt however, so as smooth a finish as one would like.

Here's a pic of the shop it was sold from. Couldn't find any more history of the shop right away.

Stefan, Super find! Very tight brim curl. Reverse sweatband ribbon. Really like the form too. You and Daniele presented Thibet's on the same weekend.

 

[mayserwegener]

For my love for antique French hats today I introduce you a "Thibet" hat.
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A high class creation for a high social class.
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What characterizes the hat is the composition of the felt which is a mixture of various and precious wools.
Made by Jean Bourrel's company, it appears on the label as JB, who has built many hats for French quality brands as a subcontractor.
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I have other hats in my Thibet collection in black and the sheen of the felt, evidently in wool, has always made me think of a special composition.
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I asked Fleur of Penumbra Hats her opinion and here there is the reply: "The website mentions the hats were made of merino, and while some of the older, now extint breeding lines of merino sheep certainly had very fine wool with a lustrous sheen, the felt of the Thibet hat looked and felt different to me than other Bourrel hats I have handled. My guess is that the silky quality of the felt is the result of mixing merino with mohair from the angora goat - which would in turn explain the brand name "Thibet"!"
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These are the measurements of the "Thibet" hat made long before the Second World War. The raw brims are at 5.5 cm. ribbon is at 4 cm. and the high and imposing crown is 13.5 cm open. The size is a full 57.
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Rare to find in these conditions these hats are a quality rarity!

Daniele, Congrats on the rare NOS find. I really enjoy seeing the old Wool Soft Felt Hats and this latest J.B. "Thibet" is fantastic. You can really see the high gloss and fine finish from the photos.

 

[steur]

Stefan, Super find! Very tight brim curl. Reverse sweatband ribbon. Really like the form too. You and Daniele presented Thibet's on the same weekend.

Thanks, Steve. We're looking into (and try to find) French hats at the moment

 

[Fastuni]

Near mint condition 1930's Mossant Homburg in Size 60 cm with original box.
Beaver felt in steel grey.

 

[Rmccamey]

Very nice, indeed!

Near mint condition 1930's Mossant Homburg in Size 60 cm with original box.
Beaver felt in steel grey.

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[Daniele Tanto]

It had been some time since these hats were sent to Fleur of Penumbra Hats in Nedherlands, Covid then extended the time even further, but it was absolutely worth it. Yesterday I received the first batch of finished hats. Today we see little-known heroes, the ones who probably would have been given lost in order to be able to wear them.
They are all French hats bought in one batch of unfinished or roughly finished hats.
Why did I wait and spend money? For the quality felts that are not very repeatable today, even if some have unusual shapes.

Karson in heather felt, burnt brown background color with green, yellow and red inserts.

Ribbon that accompanies the color of the felt.

Measurements: the brims sewn above are 5 cm., the ribbon 4 cm. and the crown at its lowest point at 11.5 cm. Size 60cm, which is 7 1/2 US

New sweatband and finishing.

"Veritable feutre de poil" (Pure hare felt) no other indications with short-haired heather felt with a bright gray background color and lighter gray inserts.

Fantasy ribbon in gray with insert.

The measurements are as follows: the brims sewn above are 5.5 cm. the ribbon is 2.5 cm. and the lowest point of the crown is at 10.5cm, the size is 60cm. or 7 1/2 US

New sweatband and finishing.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

The batch of French had many hats that appeared to have been taken in bulk, whatever their state of manufacture. Most of them had labels, but others were semi-finished, some were useless. With patience and skill Fleur put him back on track following her taste and a "philology" of the hats of the Seventy, to which many of these belong.

Rambouillet - B.Bouteille in brown felt with antelope finish and a soft malleability.

The ribbon is new, it accompanies the color of the felt with insert in the bow.

Measurements: the brims sewn above are 5 cm, the ribbon 3.5 cm. and the crown at its lowest point at 10.5 cm. Size 60cm, which is 7 1/2 US

New ribbon and bow, some little finish.

Flechet with short-haired heather felt with a bright gray background color and lighter gray inserts.

Ribbon in gray that accompanies the felt.

The measures are as follows: the brims sewn above are 5 cm. the ribbon is 3.5 cm. and the lowest point of the crown is at 11cm, the size is 59cm. or 7 3/8 US, but wide, more a 60cm. (7 1/2 US)

This is a "disobedient" felt and was cured to have shape. Unlined from born

 

[mayserwegener]

The batch of French had many hats that appeared to have been taken in bulk, whatever their state of manufacture. Most of them had labels, but others were semi-finished, some were useless. With patience and skill Fleur put him back on track following her taste and a "philology" of the hats of the Seventy, to which many of these belong.

Rambouillet - B.Bouteille in brown felt with antelope finish and a soft malleability.

The ribbon is new, it accompanies the color of the felt with insert in the bow.

Measurements: the brims sewn above are 5 cm, the ribbon 3.5 cm. and the crown at its lowest point at 10.5 cm. Size 60cm, which is 7 1/2 US
View attachment 309100
New ribbon and bow, some little finish.

Flechet with short-haired heather felt with a bright gray background color and lighter gray inserts.

Ribbon in gray that accompanies the felt.

The measures are as follows: the brims sewn above are 5 cm. the ribbon is 3.5 cm. and the lowest point of the crown is at 11cm, the size is 59cm. or 7 3/8 US, but wide, more a 60cm. (7 1/2 US)
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This is a "disobedient" felt and was cured to have shape. Unlined from born
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Daniele, They look great! Super work by Fleur. Also fantastic Specialty finishes and colors by the makers.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Daniele, Congrats on the rare NOS find. I really enjoy seeing the old Wool Soft Felt Hats and this latest J.B. "Thibet" is fantastic. You can really see the high gloss and fine finish from the photos.

Daniele, They look great! Super work by Fleur. Also fantastic Specialty finishes and colors by the makers

Thanks Steve! It is a pleasure to have high quality hats in my hands and what you define, with great knowledge of the subject, everyday hats, those that were exhausted by too much use. You can understand many things about the universe of hats, in this case French

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks Steve! It is a pleasure to have high quality hats in my hands and what you define, with great knowledge of the subject, everyday hats, those that were exhausted by too much use. You can understand many things about the universe of hats, in this case French

Daniele, Thanks! Same back to you, I enjoy seeing the French Hats. Keep them coming!

 

[steur]

It had been some time since these hats were sent to Fleur of Penumbra Hats in Nedherlands, Covid then extended the time even further, but it was absolutely worth it. Yesterday I received the first batch of finished hats. Today we see little-known heroes, the ones who probably would have been given lost in order to be able to wear them.
They are all French hats bought in one batch of unfinished or roughly finished hats.
Why did I wait and spend money? For the quality felts that are not very repeatable today, even if some have unusual shapes.

Karson in heather felt, burnt brown background color with green, yellow and red inserts.

Ribbon that accompanies the color of the felt.

Measurements: the brims sewn above are 5 cm., the ribbon 4 cm. and the crown at its lowest point at 11.5 cm. Size 60cm, which is 7 1/2 US

New sweatband and finishing.

"Veritable feutre de poil" (Pure hare felt) no other indications with short-haired heather felt with a bright gray background color and lighter gray inserts.

Fantasy ribbon in gray with insert.

The measurements are as follows: the brims sewn above are 5.5 cm. the ribbon is 2.5 cm. and the lowest point of the crown is at 10.5cm, the size is 60cm. or 7 1/2 US
View attachment 309099
New sweatband and finishing.

A fantastic supply and revival of French heather felts, Daniele. Saved for posterity.

 

[steur]

Godet boater or canotier as the French would say. Size 55 or 54, so alas too small for me. Well made hat and a bon-ton ivy sweatband and very wide ribbon. It seems to have quite a bit of age to it as well.

We can get a glimpse of the shop in the upper right corner of this picture from around 1905.

 

[steur]

Pangaud chapeau melon, size 54. Woolfelt bowler with the brim at 5cm and the crown at about 11,5cm. Well made hat. Not as refined as its furfelt counterparts, but what would be a very serviable hat.

 

[steur]

Delion Castor Hudson in midnite blue. Size 56 with the brim at 5,5cm and the crown at 11cm at the center dent. Remarkable hat this one as it sits somewhere between a lords hat and a camber style hat. The raw edge brim isn't just curled, but it has a tiny lip right at the edge which at first had me thinking it was welted or felted, but it isn't. Castor Hudson is the name Mossant used for their beaver felt hats and the logo on the sweatband is exactly the same, so they were probably the maker. Apart from some odd staining on the liner it's in excellent condition. This one's a keeper.
Delion was a very fancy hatter in the Passage Jouffroy in Paris.

Here's a picture of the interior of the Delion shop.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Delion Castor Hudson in midnite blue. Size 56 with the brim at 5,5cm and the crown at 11cm at the center dent. Remarkable hat this one as it sits somewhere between a lords hat and a camber style hat. The raw edge brim isn't just curled, but it has a tiny lip right at the edge which at first had me thinking it was welted or felted, but it isn't. Castor Hudson is the name Mossant used for their beaver felt hats and the logo on the sweatband is exactly the same, so they were probably the maker. Apart from some odd staining on the liner it's in excellent condition. This one's a keeper.
Delion was a very fancy hatter in the Passage Jouffroy in Paris.

A great hat Stefan. Color, shape and seniority make it a rare gem

 

[steur]

Didn

Near mint condition 1930's Mossant Homburg in Size 60 cm with original box.
Beaver felt in steel grey.

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I didn't notice this one before, but that is a fabulous hat. That Castor Hudson felt is gorgeous.

 

[steur]

A great hat Stefan. Color, shape and seniority make it a rare gem

Thank you, Daniele. When I bought it I expected it to be a fedora, but this is what some steam made it into. A very pleasant surprise.

 

[steur]

Another renowned French hatter is Gelot, who was located on Place Vendome in Paris where the jet set would go to shop (and still do).
Gelot in black. Size 57 (or maybe 56?) with the overwelt brim at 6cm and the crown at 10cm at the center dent. Very soft felt, almost floppy, with a lovely hand to it. No labels inside the hat. What I think is remarkable is that the sweatband is a rather plain affair with no imprints or whatever. A bit run of the mill it seems for such a high end hatter. Could be a replacement, but the other one (yes, there's another one coming) has the same sweatband.

 

[steur]

You don't see Gelot hats very often and all of a sudden two turn up from the Place Vendome, Paris shop.
Gelot in grey. Size 57 with the raw edge brim at 6,5cm and the crown at 10,5cm at the center dent. Very soft felt but not in the same way as the black one. Also a lovely hand to it. No labels inside the hat. The sweatband is the same rather plain affair with no imprints or whatever. The brim flange in the back is substantial with a very deep cup.
The hat shows a few signs of its age unfortunately, but let's call it character.

 

[steur]

If we start off looking at French hatters, there's no way around this picture, where they are all named. It is certain however that more than a few of these sourced their hats from several manufacturers. I still need to find myslef a Léon hat (working on it) and up until now Motsch was also missing. Here's the E. Motsch however. The E stands for Eric.

E. Motsch bowler in black. Size 56 with the brim at 5cm and the crown at around 12 cm. The felt on this hat is magnificent, on par with the Penn Craft bowler that Stetson used to introduce that hat to the European market. The hat is also quite heavy at 190 grams. The Angleterre bowler and the Woodrow bowler weigh less than half that. Looking at the sweatband it is not intended as a riding bowler though (those are usually heavier). Unusual is that the brim curl opens up at the front and back of the hat instead of remaning curled inwards. It came in it original box as well. Almost certainly a pre-war hat.