Help Me Pick a Borsalino!

[Felt]

I'm going to order a Como, Como II, or Bellagio from Bencraft. I'm not going to be in NYC before the summer at the earliest and the hat bug is biting me now, so I plan to order online.

I'm looking for comments from owners of any of these Borsos. I'm a size 60, and I've been told the Bellagio's run big, so I'm curious whether I should worry about this. From force of habit, I also tend to wear hats high on my forehead, at the hairline. This is known as the "yeshivish" look in circles I used to run in. (But I'm ordering steel gray to avoid the haredi "black hat" look.) Yeah, I know it's not the Bogart-look but it works for me.

So, here are my thoughts on these. Please feel free to contradict or give opinions on them!

1) Como -- Perfect brim size for my tastes. Crown is perhaps too high. I've also seen complaints (here) that the stitching on these is particularly uncomfortable for people who wear them high.

2) Como II -- Brim is slightly largely than I'd like. Crown is a little lower, which is fine with me. (A 3" brim is a little too "yeshivish" for me.)

3) Bellagio -- Brim is perhaps too small. The crown is shorter and "tapered." That sounds nice but I'm not sure what "tapered" means for my big head.

Can anyone help our this poor slob who can't get to Brooklyn right now? My local hat store's best offerings are Stetson furs. I have one; it's a nice hat but too stiff for my taste.

Thanks!

 

[alanfgag]

The Como is a nicely styled hat. The sweatband stitching on mine was an irritation if the fit is snug. Make sure that you can return it if you are unhappy with the fit or feel of it. Bencraft Hats (Besdor) is a member here. I'm sure they would try to give you good service and advice via phone.

 

[Felt]

Thanks! I will call Bencraft before ordering but I really enjoy hearing firsthand accounts of owners. Seems to me the most reliable source of info!

 

[alanfgag]

Not that you've asked, but I have bought a fair number of vintage Borsalinos since the Como. I almost never wear the Como now.

 

[Felt]

I'm definitely happy to hear suggestions or comments for other options, e.g., the Astuccio. Vintages in size 60 seem somewhat infrequent on Ebay, at least when I last checked. I also like thinner ribbons than I see on older hats, but I guess that's fixable. (Speaking of vintage, I really really wish someone had kept my grandfather's hat collection. They were all black, but I would have loved to wear them now.)

 

[Genuine Classic Gangster]

I bought a Bellagio last November and wore it throughout the winter.

I got caught in the rain with it about 3 or 4 times.

As of now, in April, it looks horrible. It has become shrunken and misshapen. I don't mean the sweatband; I mean the crown.

If I had it re-blocked, it could probably be made to look slightly better, but I doubt it could be made again to look anywhere near as good as it did when I first got it, nor could it be restored to its original size.

After I bought it, I read comments from many others on this site who said to avoid modern Borsalinos because they are not of good quality. As a result of my first-hand experience with mine, I now strongly concur.

 

[Felt]

Consigliere, thanks for your sharing your experience. I've seen this sentiment voiced in the forum. (In communities where men wear black Borsalinos all the time, they typically wear ugly plastic covers on them in the rain.) But I have a couple of fur fedoras and they have all held up well in rain and snow. I use a steamer to reshape crowns and brims when necessary or if I just feel like playing with styles. There are some posts here that say lighter dyed colors are less resilient, and the hats I have now are black or dark gray. This one will be my first light gray so I'll find out how it goes.

 

[Mulceber]

I concur with eloquentConsigliere - I'd avoid Borsalino. If you want to go for a factory-produced hat, Akubra would be your best bet. I would also highly encourage you to talk to some of the custom hatters on the lounge - some of them would not be much more expensive than a Borsalino, but the quality would be a big step up. Also, it would be a hat made FOR YOU, so you could detail everything you want out of it, or just take the hatter's advice as to what would look good.

-M

 

[-30-]

"but the quality would be a big step up. Also, it would be a hat made FOR YOU, "
QUOTE: Mulceber.

+ 1


Regards,
-30-

 

[Felt]

Ah, but I love Borsalinos... Here's a question which maybe should go in a different thread: Are the "religious" Borsalinos made to a higher quality than their other hats? My logic is that they are worn and handled constantly in all weather conditions and must withstand that. I assume (but have no real idea) that these are likely among their best selling (i.e., most profitable) lines, so they would not want to annoy this customer base. (Plus, I've really never heard these issues raised with them.)

Any thoughts?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Have you thought about the Alessandria (http://www.bencrafthats.com/product.php?pid=249&subcname=Borsalino ) or the Film (http://www.bencrafthats.com/product.php?pid=454&subcname=Borsalino)? They're each the same price as the hats you mention, and each comes in your size. The Film comes in three colors, the Alessandria in eight! And the Alessandria is delivered open crown, which will let you shape the hat to your liking.

 

[howardeye]

I concur with eloquentConsigliere and Mulceber- I'd avoid Borsalino. If you want to go for a factory-produced hat, Akubra would be your best bet. I would also highly encourage you to talk to some of the custom hatters on the lounge - some of them would not be much more expensive than a Borsalino, but the quality would be a big step up. Also, it would be a hat made FOR YOU, so you could detail everything you want out of it, or just take the hatter's advice as to what would look good.

-M

+100 I never wear mine nor would I buy another.

 

[splintercellsz]

I had a modern Borsalino Alessendria, and had is the keywrd here. Compared to vintage, and/or custom quality, that modern Borsalino wouldn't even come close!

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I don't know what I'd do if I lived close enough to NYC to go to a hat shop with Borsalino hats. I own two 100% beaver hats from TonyB and they've been in a mild rain with no after effects. I haven't gotten my 100% bunny fur hats wet because I wear the two hats Tony built me in bad weather. One is a purpose built beater and the other is named the "Seattle hat" cause that's where I originally planned on wearing it.

By the way, Tony (Tumwater hats) still charges $275 for a 100% beaver hat right?

Later

 

[Felt]

Hmmm, I'd love to hear from some Borso fans -- I know they exist here -- but these are interesting comments. Akubra's come across as too casual for my tastes. (My father has a large collection and none of them really tempt me.)

The idea of designing a custom makes me giddy. I'm not far from Optimo but they're too extravagant for my wallet. But the idea of another custom maker is really interesting. Tumwater's website looks really nice. Any recommendations for others to look at? (Yes, I've already spent time drooling over at Art Fawcett's...)

 

[jlee562]

I love my new to me vintage Borso. They just don't make them like they used to. If you're patient, you can usually score a vintage Borso for significantly less than the cost of one of the new models.

If you're deadset on buying a new Borso, my personal favorites are the Alessandria and the Film, as mentioned by Benzadmiral above.

I'd take a look at Art Fawcett's lightweight felts. They'd be very similar to a vintage Borso.

Other custom hatters include Penman Hats, Falcon Park Hattery, Paul's Hat Works, Northwest Hats, etc, etc.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The Giorgio (http://www.bencrafthats.com/product.php?pid=167&subcname=Borsalino ) also looks cool, rather like a Fed IV with a narrower ribbon -- but it has a wider brim, at 3", than Felt says he's interested in.

 

[alanfgag]

Though I collect only vintage hats, I don't find the modern Borsalinos to be as terrible as some portray here. The Como that I own has a felt more reminiscent of vintage character than any other modern production hat that I have handled. It is soft hare felt, relatively thin and supple. The feel is somewhat "mushy" and I found it took a good steaming to form and hold a crease. The inside finishing does not approach the quality found in vintage hats which hail from a time when production and craftsmanship serviced a market of many millions customers.

 

[Blackthorn]

The Giorgio (http://www.bencrafthats.com/product.php?pid=167&subcname=Borsalino ) also looks cool, rather like a Fed IV with a narrower ribbon -- but it has a wider brim, at 3", than Felt says he's interested in.

When Bencraft posts pics of these hats, I wish they'd post pics from the front, too, so we can see what degree of taper they have. I know some have it and some don't but I don't know which is which.

 

[rlk]

Though I collect only vintage hats, I don't find the modern Borsalinos to be as terrible as some portray here. The Como that I own has a felt more reminiscent of vintage character than any other modern production hat that I have handled. It is soft hare felt, relatively thin and supple. The feel is somewhat "mushy" and I found it took a good steaming to form and hold a crease. The inside finishing does not approach the quality found in vintage hats which hail from a time when production and craftsmanship serviced a market of many millions customers.

I could say the same exactly. The lighter weight felts are entirely different from any Akubra products(and most other modern) without making any quality judgements.
Watch out for extreme over-generalizations for a wide variety of products that do not and were not intended to be comparable.

"Borsalino felt" is about as specific as "Suit fabric" when we bring along vintage.