French Hats and makers.

[NewJack]

Can't say I've heard of the brand before, but that's an impressive looking hat.

I'm with you! A definite unknown manufacturer for this intermediate collector. Couldn't resist purchasing an interesting piece for a 'song.'

 

[PanosChris]

A rather risky but well worth it buy, after all. Ecuyer & Thomas in black velour/velvet made for Marchand Freres. Listed as 55, marked 57 and fitting as 56, bingo!!

I had a hard time photographing that one, it rather absorbs light than reflecting it, but the velour quality is extraordinaire !!

Many many thanks to @Mean Eyed Matt for the heads up on that one and to Daniele for the info on the maker !!

 

[mayserwegener]

Panos, Great find! Looks fantastic!

 

[steur]

A rather risky but well worth it buy, after all. Ecuyer & Thomas in black velour/velvet made for Marchand Freres. Listed as 55, marked 57 and fitting as 56, bingo!! View attachment 333073 View attachment 333074 View attachment 333075 View attachment 333076 View attachment 333077 View attachment 333078 View attachment 333079 View attachment 333080 View attachment 333082 View attachment 333083
I had a hard time photographing that one, it rather absorbs light than reflecting it, but the velour quality is extraordinaire !!

Many many thanks to @Mean Eyed Matt for the heads up on that one and to Daniele for the info on the maker !!

That is a thing of beauty, Panos. Fortune favors the brave!

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

A rather risky but well worth it buy, after all. Ecuyer & Thomas in black velour/velvet made for Marchand Freres. Listed as 55, marked 57 and fitting as 56, bingo!! View attachment 333073 View attachment 333074 View attachment 333075 View attachment 333076 View attachment 333077 View attachment 333078 View attachment 333079 View attachment 333080 View attachment 333082 View attachment 333083
I had a hard time photographing that one, it rather absorbs light than reflecting it, but the velour quality is extraordinaire !!

Many many thanks to @Mean Eyed Matt for the heads up on that one and to Daniele for the info on the maker !!

So you finally got that one: Well done and congrats to the size!
The velour already looks really great in the photos.

 

[PanosChris]

Not sure if this one has been posted here before, if so not recently, so thought to add it anyways. A @Daniele Tanto find, Thanks!

Sools, grey, upbrim prewar fedora, size 56

 

[PanosChris]

And a very recent find
Mossant, Homburg, castor

 

[Just Daniel]

Wow. You are on a roll!

Any idea on the decade? I don’t have much of a frame of reference on French hats. Tell us about the felt!

And a very recent find
Mossant, Homburg, castor View attachment 336620 View attachment 336621 View attachment 336622 View attachment 336623 View attachment 336624 View attachment 336625 View attachment 336626 View attachment 336627 View attachment 336628 View attachment 336629

 

[steur]

Not sure if this one has been posted here before, if so not recently, so thought to add it anyways. A @Daniele Tanto find, Thanks!

Sools, grey, upbrim prewar fedora, size 56
View attachment 336607 View attachment 336608 View attachment 336609 View attachment 336610 View attachment 336613 View attachment 336614 View attachment 336616 View attachment 336617 View attachment 336618 View attachment 336619

Lovely hat, Panos. The sweatband detail is wonderful.

And a very recent find
Mossant, Homburg, castor View attachment 336620 View attachment 336621 View attachment 336622 View attachment 336623 View attachment 336624 View attachment 336625 View attachment 336626 View attachment 336627 View attachment 336628 View attachment 336629

Excellent find. Those are the ones to go for.

 

[michael78]

Black Flechet

This Flechet has some really fine long hair felt. It is in never worn / mint condition.

 

[michael78]

Hi Steve, hope you don't mind if i run this past you, i've found this Flechet velour.
i have no clue as to age or anything else, what do you think?.

Here's some Pics

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Hi Steve, hope you don't mind if i run this past you, i've found this Flechet velour.
i have no clue as to age or anything else, what do you think?.

Here's some Pics

View attachment 337306 View attachment 337307 View attachment 337308

That one looks like a really nice velour in a great colour, Michael!
I would guess late 30s to 40s - but the others will know better.

 

[michael78]

Cheers Matt, or Prost!!

 

[mayserwegener]

Hi Steve, hope you don't mind if i run this past you, i've found this Flechet velour.
i have no clue as to age or anything else, what do you think?.

Here's some Pics

View attachment 337306 View attachment 337307 View attachment 337308

Mike, Does it have a,paper label?

 

[michael78]

Mike, Does it have a,paper label?

Steve, have't received it yet

 

[steur]

Hi Steve, hope you don't mind if i run this past you, i've found this Flechet velour.
i have no clue as to age or anything else, what do you think?.

Here's some Pics

View attachment 337306 View attachment 337307 View attachment 337308

Nice find, Mike. You don't see these Flechet velour hats every day. I think it might be a bit later; fifties or maybe late forties.

 

[steur]

I'll call it Londres, because there's no brand name on it. It says London Hat Manufactory on the crown patch, which tells me it's certainly not English made. The size tag point towards a French manufacturer and it came from France, so Londres it is.
Woolfelt fedora in light grey with the brim at 7cm and the crown at 10,5cm at the center dent. The sweatband is made of a silky material, unusual and quite comfortable. It may be a woolfelt (or maybe a mix) as it has a certain heather look to it, but it is one of the finest I've seen, with a great hand to the felt.

 

[steur]

This hat was listed as a "Willoughby haters t54". I'm not a Willoughby hater; au contraire, and from sellers' pics the 7 1/8 size tag could be seen. I'll have that, thank you. You could debate if Willoughby is a French maker, because they sourced their hats from various sources, several of which were based in the UK. They were located in Paris though and this one has their own label inside.
So, Willoughby homburg in a size 58 (fits more like a 57 though) in a nice rich brown colour called Pacha. Brim at 6cm and the crown at 10,5cm at the center dent. Stitches still in the ribbon. It had a cellophane covering of the liner originally (a sliver of which can be seen on the liner pic). I'm going with later forties to mid-fifties for this one. Not a lightweight homburg though: weighs 155 grams. Felt and finishing are fantastic.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Nice find, Mike. You don't see these Flechet velour hats every day. I think it might be a bit later; fifties or maybe late forties.

Thank you, Stefan, for your assessment:
You already had some French beauties in your hands,
so could you explain to me what the indicators are for you?
The logo I would have estimated older than 50s,
so is it the "foil" on the top of the lining or do
the dimensions point to the 50s? Or is it
- as so often with me - rather a diffuse feeling?
Thank you!

 

[steur]

Thank you, Stefan, for your assessment:
You already had some French beauties in your hands,
so could you explain to me what the indicators are for you?
The logo I would have estimated older than 50s,
so is it the "foil" on the top of the lining or do
the dimensions point to the 50s? Or is it
- as so often with me - rather a diffuse feeling?
Thank you!

A bit of "all of the above" really. I'm not a Fléchet expert by any means, but from what I've seen of them the one posted seemed to be an in-between hat, menaing not very old and not very new either. I tend to look for a combination of liner, shape of the hat, sweatband logo, bow treatment and size label.
Here are some examples of the Fléchet hats in what I think order of appearance. I could be totally wrong of course, but alors as the French would say

The oldest are the ones with the B Fléchet on the sweatband (I think late teens and early twenties)

The one above with the B. Fléchet on the crown patch as well. The one below with a liner made for the retailer.

After that The Fléchet appears with the same crown patch, but with an art deco inspired sweatband logo

It still has the Établissements Fléchet Frères.." on the sweatband. The "1ère marque" appears on the sweatband as well (late twenties to mid thirties, I think).

Slightly later I think a more sober design for the sweatband and the liner logo/crown patch is printed instead of embroidered (probably mid thirties to mid forties).

What I consider the in-between period (forties to late fifties I'm guessing), where the brand name appears in a robust sans serif font. The liner is the detailed coat of arms.

On the modern ones the sweatband stays more or less the same as before, sometimes with a designation like "speciale", "selection" or "de luxe" below the brand name. The liner eventually chnages to the one below.

That's my assessment; I could be off by miles of course, because I haven't seen any Fléchets that had a date inside them.