Homburg Nation

[steur]

From fezzes (had to get that out of my system) back to common hats, but this hat is anything but common. Robert Heath of 37-39 Knightsbridge London was a high end hatter to Royalty. The shop lasted until the mid sixties as far as information goes. Size 56, 6,5cm brim and 11 cm crown at the pinch. Very high quality finishing (have look at that liner). Stamp on the inside sweatband dates this one 1957.

 

[steur]

Yesterday I went of a hathunting spree and came back with eight hats (and left some that I now think I should have brought back as well). I've have some posting to do to share the spoils with you. I'll start off with this one and kind of work up my way on the ladder. Echter Mayser Spezial homburg in grey, size 59 (Daniele Tanto asked me to bring this one along), 5,5 cm brim and 10,5 cm crown at the pinch. Nice midgrey colour with a lighter grey ribbon and brim binding. Apart from some wrinkles in the ribbon as good as new. Hettlage und Lampe was a haberdashery in Kiel. I believe the hat dates from the late fifties to mid-sixties.

 

[steur]

Third one for today. In one of my recent posts I advised everyone to buy a hat made by T&W Lees of Stockport, England, if they spotted one. Practise what you preach (the Robert Heath hat above seems to be made by Lees as well, judging by the label). But this one certainly is made by them. G.A. Dunn&Co homburg in black, size 59 (not my size), 6cm brim and 11 cm crown at the front (didn't pinch this one - yet). As usual the high quality felt and finishing I've come to expect from Lees. I think mid forties to mid fifties, but it might very well be before WWII. Exceptional hat.

 

[M Hatman]

Ok, as promised, here are the tag and "under the sweat" photo's of my "Cromwell" "Lords Hat" by Churchill Hats.
Mine has the thin plastic like onion skin behind the sweat and the lining is sewn in. Has the origional price tag of $20 too......and yes, as Red says about his.....the felt is inky black, soft, clay like....it is a great hat!
M

 

[belfastboy]

Third one for today. In one of my recent posts I advised everyone to buy a hat made by T&W Lees of Stockport, England, if they spotted one. Practise what you preach (the Robert Heath hat above seems to be made by Lees as well, judging by the label). But this one certainly is made by them. G.A. Dunn&Co homburg in black, size 59 (not my size), 6cm brim and 11 cm crown at the front (didn't pinch this one - yet). As usual the high quality felt and finishing I've come to expect from Lees. I think mid forties to mid fifties, but it might very well be before WWII. Exceptional hat.


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Steur, those are amazing finds. My first thought is damn I wish there these kinds of treasures to be found in this neck of the woods but a nanosecond later I thought NO!, it is a damn good thing that they don't! My hat addiction takes up enough time and resources as it is. I do not need any further temptations. Great finds all of them, congrats!

 

[steur]

Steur, those are amazing finds. My first thought is damn I wish there these kinds of treasures to be found in this neck of the woods but a nanosecond later I thought NO!, it is a damn good thing that they don't! My hat addiction takes up enough time and resources as it is. I do not need any further temptations. Great finds all of them, congrats!

Belfastboy, thanks. I share your sentiments completely and I have more hats than I can ever wear in this lifetime (and a few of the next ones). However, distances in the Netherlands are short by default (blink twice and you're in another country) and I did find a chain of vintage stores that somehow have a good supply of vintage hats (lots and lots of bad ones and a few good ones). My thinking is that if I don't buy them now there might never be another chance, because hats like these are just not made anymore and more than likely never will be. I think I read it here on the lounge and it stuck with me: "if you find a good vintage hat in your size: buy it!"

 

[Redfokker]

Ok, as promised, here are the tag and "under the sweat" photo's of my "Cromwell" "Lords Hat" by Churchill Hats.
Mine has the thin plastic like onion skin behind the sweat and the lining is sewn in. Has the origional price tag of $20 too......and yes, as Red says about his.....the felt is inky black, soft, clay like....it is a great hat!
M
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This hat has a more vintage feel than mine. No onion skin and it appears to have a glued liner (no sign of stitching) They are great hats, and so far, my only opportunity to have a Lord's Hat. I would love to find an original, English one in a rich brown.

 

[Redfokker]

Belfastboy, thanks. I share your sentiments completely and I have more hats than I can ever wear in this lifetime (and a few of the next ones). However, distances in the Netherlands are short by default (blink twice and you're in another country) and I did find a chain of vintage stores that somehow have a good supply of vintage hats (lots and lots of bad ones and a few good ones). My thinking is that if I don't buy them now there might never be another chance, because hats like these are just not made anymore and more than likely never will be. I think I read it here on the lounge and it stuck with me: "if you find a good vintage hat in your size: buy it!"

With the pickings available around here, I'd take the "bad" ones you find. They are probably head and shoulders above.

 

[steur]

With the pickings available around here, I'd take the "bad" ones you find. They are probably head and shoulders above.

You'd think that, but you would be stuck with an incredible amount of tapered and stingy brimmed hats from the seventies and eighties with mediocre felt quatilty at best. Good enough if you're in a ska-band, but other than that...not so much.

 

[steur]

Well, onwards and upwards. I'll pick up where I left off yesterday with fridays' haul of hats. Had to choose between a nice looking but lower crowned Wegener and this one (I am not too big a fan of Wegener hats for some reason). Tirard Opéra homburg in what the label wonderfully calls "Bleu de nuit" (nightblue). Size 57 (it has a 58 size tag too, but fits me like a dream), 6 cm brim and 11 cm crown at the pinch. High quality hat but a bit heavier than for instance the Ward hat I posted earlier. Wonderful coloured liner and made for the German market, namely Carl Kellner of Hamburg. Google the name Carl Kellner and you come up with the founder of the Leitz company (camera lenses of stellar quality). Not the same man I'd imagine. Maybe Steve (Mayserwegener) has some more information. I think this one might be pre WWII.
As a sidenote to adding this one to my collection it has occurred to me that I see very few French hats on the market here in the Netherlands, which is odd because the hatting business here was heavily influenced by the French (all the terminology used was either directly French or derived from it). German (Mayser especially), Austrian and Italian hats outnumber the French by far, both in auctions and in vintage clothing shops. Maybe the French hatting industry was already more in decline after WWII than the German, Austrian and Italian industries. I'm open for theories on that subject, but you came here looking for nice hats, so here it is.

 

[steur]

I posted this one in the German and Austrian Hutmachers thread earlier. There is one on Mayserwegeners' site that was owned by RLK on the lounge and I was very pleased to find this one. Hückel "standard" in heathered grey, made for A. Breiter Munich. Not exactly a homburg, but a curled brim early dress hat. Size 5 1/2 (58 european), with a 6cm brim and 11cm crown at the pinch. Reeded sweatband (some damage there, with the reed sticking through the reedband in places). Nice clean liner and unstitched double bow (no signs of it ever having been stitched to the hat). Gorgeous soft felt with an overwelt edge that has been worked into a D'Orsay curl. The hat takes on a wonderful swooping curve if you put it on, which doesn't really show in the pictures. I think 1915 to 1925 (the world was still in black and white back then).

 

[Redfokker]

You'd think that, but you would be stuck with an incredible amount of tapered and stingy brimmed hats from the seventies and eighties with mediocre felt quatilty at best. Good enough if you're in a ska-band, but other than that...not so much.

I'm probably in the minority around here, but a high quality 60s stingy, like my Cavanagh 30, can have a bit of style. The key is to not wear it with skinny jeans and pushed back on your noggin. Of course, skinny jeans are not a pretty image in my case. Embrace the stingy.

 

[Redfokker]

This Mossant Diplomatique was posted by Daniele a few pages back, but it is now ensconced here in the USA. Interesting color in the light, deep rich gray, but it has some brown tones in different light. Unlined with a ghost of a logo in the tip. There has been dating theories from the gurus around the pre and post WWII era. Fits like a custom. Perfect lines of a European soft felt dress hat. It will be a celebratory unveiling for our 15th Anniversary dinner tomorrow night.

 

[M Hatman]

This Mossant Diplomatique was posted by Daniele a few pages back, but it is now ensconced here in the USA. Interesting color in the light, deep rich gray, but it has some brown tones in different light. Unlined with a ghost of a logo in the tip. There has been dating theories from the gurus around the pre and post WWII era. Fits like a custom. Perfect lines of a European soft felt dress hat. It will be a celebratory unveiling for our 15th Anniversary dinner tomorrow night.

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Nice one Red!!!!!
M

 

[KarlCrow]

^^ lovely hat

 

[belfastboy]

Belfastboy, thanks. I share your sentiments completely and I have more hats than I can ever wear in this lifetime (and a few of the next ones). However, distances in the Netherlands are short by default (blink twice and you're in another country) and I did find a chain of vintage stores that somehow have a good supply of vintage hats (lots and lots of bad ones and a few good ones). My thinking is that if I don't buy them now there might never be another chance, because hats like these are just not made anymore and more than likely never will be. I think I read it here on the lounge and it stuck with me: "if you find a good vintage hat in your size: buy it!"

Yes I agree and in my mind would justify it by the fact you are saving them from an unknown fate and perhaps saving them for future generations of hat people.

 

[steur]

Yes I agree and in my mind would justify it by the fact you are saving them from an unknown fate and perhaps saving them for future generations of hat people.

Exactly: of some of these hats we are only the caretakers.

 

[Chepstow]

Nicely done M . A lovely long hair.


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[steur]

While I'm on the hunt for hats to keep the European hat exchange going with Daniele Tanto, here are some pictures of one homburg in his size that I (unfortunately) no longer own. Panizza homburg in grey, size 59, brom 5,5 cm and crown 11 cm in front. I think it was made in the sixties.

 

[40Cal]

This is a Mallory from the !930's... possibly early 1940's , if I am not mistaken. I'm not a Homburg wearer but couldn't pass this one up as I am a fan of all hats Mallory!