Northwest Hats, Eugene, Ore.

[T Jones]

Good point to make. I was just thinking of asking Mike if he could send pictures of the felt with some ribbon that is closer to matching the felt.... close, but not exactly. I've seen a Sahara felt with vintage "champagne" ribbon that looked very nice, and a silverbelly felt with matching ribbon that looked sweet.

The Kangaroo felt looks to me like it's headed the way of less contrast and that's why I was thinking about it.

Dang possibilities are endless.... hard to decide.

Have you thought of maybe going with a mid ribbon for your custom, something similar to a Playboy or a Wanderer? I think it would look really good on you. Mid ribbons are very versatile and can be worn nicely with either dressy or casual attire. If you're going with Silverbelly maybe a matching ribbon, like you
mentioned, would work.

I put this one on the Silverbelly conversion I just finished. I don't know the color, though. There's a contrast but it doesn't seem over the top and it matches up well with the undertones. But, if I had either a matching mid ribbon or a matching thin ribbon to put on it I would have probably used one of those instead. But, then again, that's just me.....

 

[Benzadmiral]

A mid ribbon is something we don't see around here very much. Thin ribbons and wide, yes, but the mid-width ribbon is fairly rare. It stands out.

 

[DesertDan]

My latest is a mid ribbon. I have plenty of thins and wides and was feeling the need for a change.
I really like the mid ribbon look.

 

[FedOregon]

To me a mid-ribbon would be about 1 inch. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts, guys and you especially, T Jones for going into depth. Mike and I have opened a new dialogue, a flurry of emails again on ribbons.

 

[Redfokker]

Have you thought of maybe going with a mid ribbon for your custom, something similar to a Playboy or a Wanderer? I think it would look really good on you. Mid ribbons are very versatile and can be worn nicely with either dressy or casual attire. If you're going with Silverbelly maybe a matching ribbon, like you
mentioned, would work.

I put this one on the Silverbelly conversion I just finished. I don't know the color, though. There's a contrast but it doesn't seem over the top and it matches up well with the undertones. But, if I had either a matching mid ribbon or a matching thin ribbon to put on it I would have probably used one of those instead. But, then again, that's just me.....

Although I like the thin contrasting ribbon. A mid ribbon of the same color or a little lighter would be killer on this great hat. Does it fit me?

 

[T Jones]

Although I like the thin contrasting ribbon. A mid ribbon of the same color or a little lighter would be killer on this great hat. Does it fit me?

Ha! If you're a 7 1/4 it would fit you! Unfortunately, My ribbon supply has dwindled and I'm limited on my choices at the moment. I think the ribbon I put on it is a bronze like color. It picks up the undertones fairly nice. But, I agree. If I had a matching mid ribbon or a matching thin ribbon, or the bronzy mid ribbon I would probably have went with one of those instead.

 

[T Jones]

To me a mid-ribbon would be about 1 inch. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts, guys and you especially, T Jones for going into depth. Mike and I have opened a new dialogue, a flurry of emails again on ribbons.

You're welcome, buddy. Yup. 1 inch would be right for a mid ribbon. I've often found, at times, it's best to have fewer choices than to have too many....and especially since the options I gave and the opinions I expressed are my personal preferences in hat styles, which may or may not be in line with what you like in hat styles. My personal preferences in fedoras gravitate more toward the '40sish to early '50s styles of mid and thin ribbons like the Playboys, the Wanderers, Strats, and ORs, although I don't discount wider ribbons, either. Just because I like those styles doesn't mean the next guy does. Unfortunately, I think I only aided in creating unnecessary confusion. As we've all seen many times on the forum each member has their own personal preference. Most importantly, you're the person who has to be satisfied. Mike's a good guy to work with and his creations are some of the best, ( just look at the Campaign hat he finished, i.e.). He does very crisp, clean work.

With that said, here's more to add to the confusion! This is a custom that Mike made up for me. It has an 1 1/2 ribbon width and the hat has a '40s - early '50s vibe. The open crown on this is 5 3/4, 4 3/4 at the pinch, and a rake sloping back to 4 1/4. The brim width is 2 3/4. This hat can also be worn with either dressy attire, or with casual wear. I like to try and choose hat styles than can be versatile....I told Mike the style I was after and he nailed it! Perfectly! The only drawback was my decision in the color choice. I don't seem to pull off Pecan as well as others do. Nonetheless, you can clearly see the artistry in Mike's work. Very clean and very crisp.

Dress it up...

Wear it casual...my avatar pic

 

[Benzadmiral]

. . .

Dress it up...

. . .

"Why, uh, yes, Detective, I can prove where I was on the night Miles Archer was murdered. . . ."

 

[Redfokker]

Ha! If you're a 7 1/4 it would fit you! Unfortunately, My ribbon supply has dwindled and I'm limited on my choices at the moment. I think the ribbon I put on it is a bronze like color. It picks up the undertones fairly nice. But, I agree. If I had a matching mid ribbon or a matching thin ribbon, or the bronzy mid ribbon I would probably have went with one of those instead.

Just the right size, do you need my address?

 

[FedOregon]

@T Jones Yes, sir, that's a gorgeous hat. Thank you for all your input. I'm a firm believer that your mind never expands if you shut out all external critique. When I first came here I had an Indy hat, and that's all I was interested in. I never thought I'd buy a flashy hat, or especially not a Homburg. Now I have both.

I agree about the mid-ribbon hats. I have a 50's Royal Stetson that is just about the coolest hat ever, IMO. Kind of taupe felt with a brownish-burgundy ribbon. Yum!

 

[T Jones]

"Why, uh, yes, Detective, I can prove where I was on the night Miles Archer was murdered. . . ."

"Hmm. I didn't say he was murdered. We kept that out of the papers. Only the murderer of Archie Miles would know that. You have a lot of proving to do."

 

[T Jones]

Just the right size, do you need my address?

Ha! I can't seem to take it off my head!

 

[Benzadmiral]

"Hmm. I didn't say he was murdered. We kept that out of the papers. Only the murderer of Archie Miles would know that. You have a lot of proving to do."

"I want a lawyer!"

 

[Knotten]

Just got my new hat from Mike. A Whippet style in silver mist with 6-inch open crown and 2 5/8-inch brim. Threw a quick diamond bash into it. Needless to say, I am very pleased with how this turned out. Worth the wait!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bob Roberts]

You should be pleased. It's beautiful. Nice to see someone getting open crown customs and creasing themselves.

 

[moontheloon]

Beautiful piece Knotten

 

[FedOregon]

Just got my new hat from Mike. A Whippet style in silver mist with 6-inch open crown and 2 5/8-inch brim. Threw a quick diamond bash into it. Needless to say, I am very pleased with how this turned out. Worth the wait!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What color ribbon did you get? Beautiful hat, and you gave it a grand crease!!!

 

[Knotten]

Thanks, guys. The ribbon is grey.


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[FedOregon]

Mike's got a silverbelly on the block for me right now... I've been looking back and forth at 9 or 10 different ribbon colors trying to decide. I'm a fool for eye-popping contrast, but I love the pure, clean lines of other colors too. I'm afraid I'm going with the Old Copper ribbon Mike emailed to me a couple days ago.

Boy, oh, boy do I like that Whippet clone of yours!

 

[Bob Roberts]

Don't be "afraid."