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How 'bout spaces between 'graphs? Any easier on dem old eyes?
You'd better be careful, you may go home with fewer hats.spiridon said:Karl,
I'll bring you some "samples" of each to the herf in April for you to check out if you'd
like.
Joel Tunnah said:The attention to detail on some custom hats is superior to vintage; the felt is not, sadly.
Viper Man said:I have a handful of nice vintage lids but no customs. Every time I see one of Art's Hats, I just drool. Perhaps one day I will treat myself to a VS but the cost is holding me back right now. I typically spend between $25-$65 for good vintage hats in the auction market (I am usually very picky about bidding only on vintage hats that are described as mint, or NOS condition) and I'd say that currently my entire collection cost about as much as a single VS....
scotrace said:I don't agree, personally, that rumpled or dimpled has anything to do with quality. The most stubbornly rumpled and dimpled hat I ever owned (and sold on) was a very, very lovely late '40's Borsalino. It had simply given up every bit of stiffener and couldn't be tamed. The felt itself, however, was quite fine.
Extremely well said Felty......:eusa_clapfeltfan said:I have been happily avoiding this thread... but what the heck.
The vintage hat is extinct, like the dodo.
Back in the days of yore, a man with some dough
could choose between a dense, soft Cavanagh with its
rich, wide sweatband and felted edge. He could consider
an unreasonably light and airy Borsalino with its
strangely dry, crisp felt that held its
shape for decades to the tiniest detail, radiating Italian style
in its every detail, from their clever "corrugation" to keep
sweat off the ribbon to the jaunty bow and subtle colors.
Stetson offered a wide line of hats, covering just about
all needs, colors, and variation, all sturdy and some finer
in every detail than you can find today. Towns had their
own custom or "benchmade" hats from local hatters.
In the day, there were suppliers to support these businesses.
A choice of fine roan sweatbands, silk grosgrain ribbons, and,
of course, felt, for those who did not make their own signature
product (as so many did). As a result, the variety was stunning,
as is still reflected today in vintage hats.
Finally, as we look back we can see the design aesthetics
of decades. Decades, I should say, that prized a level of
design we rarely see today. So when we buy a vintage hat
we buy also the advantages of a mature industry and economy
of scale that as far as I know does not exist today. We are
offered a tiny window into a different time and state of mind.
Today most of the custom hats we talk about are made from
felt produced by one felter: Winchester. They make good felt.
But they are just one producer and there are things they
refuse to do (Hi Brad!).
All that said, for all the incredibly fine vintage hats I own, I did
order a VS hat for myself and one for a friend. It's not the be-all
and end-all of hats and I did not make a bonfire of Borsalinos,
Stetson clear beavers, and Cavanagh fedoras when it arrived.
But it's a very nice hat and it fits me well. I recognize that Art
is a superb craftsman and he understands colors in a way that
just plain makes me feel dumb. He also gets Winchester to widen
their felt selection just a little bit for his hats.
I don't think Art (or he and all the
current custom makers) are trying to be better than all the hatters
of the Golden Era. But they make a good product well worth
the price and worth wearing. They are different from the vintage,
but it's a nice bit of variety. I like the aesthetic of the Golden Era
and I respect and support talented craftsmen working today. The
solution, if you share my interests, is both carefully chosen
vintage and today's custom.
Too bad about production hats these days.