Post New Hats Here!

[Frunobulax]

Yesterday was New Hat Day (Merry Christmas to me)! A roll of the dice for this mystery brand paid off. Fifth Avenue Hats of NYC. Turns out it's made by GW Alexander, and it's the nicest Alexander I've handled (sample size = 3). Thin, easily formed felt that responds very well. The sweat is thin and supple. I got some ghost creases out with relative ease and the condition is pristine. No stains, critter nibbles or anything.

5.5" crown, 2 5/8" bound brim. Just a great hat.

Interestingly enough, it was originally purchased in Coshocton, Ohio, and I got it from a guy in WA who sent it back to me in Dayton.

Hakuna Matata and all that.

 

[Bamaboots]

Yesterday was New Hat Day (Merry Christmas to me)! A roll of the dice for this mystery brand paid off. Fifth Avenue Hats of NYC. Turns out it's made by GW Alexander, and it's the nicest Alexander I've handled (sample size = 3). Thin, easily formed felt that responds very well. The sweat is thin and supple. I got some ghost creases out with relative ease and the condition is pristine. No stains, critter nibbles or anything.

5.5" crown, 2 5/8" bound brim. Just a great hat.

View attachment 475764 View attachment 475765 View attachment 475766 View attachment 475767 View attachment 475768 View attachment 475769 View attachment 475770 View attachment 475771

Interestingly enough, it was originally purchased in Coshocton, Ohio, and I got it from a guy in WA who sent it back to me in Dayton.

Hakuna Matata and all that.

Great looking TAR, Jim. I really like the color and The Buckeye stamping is cool as a fan.

 

[Frunobulax]

Great looking TAR, Jim. I really like the color and The Buckeye stamping is cool as a fan.

Thanks, Greg! It's really a bit darker than the pics.

Merry Christmas, my friend.

 

[Bamaboots]

bit darker than the pics.

Even better! Merry Christmas to you and yours.

 

[Blare]

Yesterday was New Hat Day (Merry Christmas to me)! A roll of the dice for this mystery brand paid off. Fifth Avenue Hats of NYC. Turns out it's made by GW Alexander, and it's the nicest Alexander I've handled (sample size = 3). Thin, easily formed felt that responds very well. The sweat is thin and supple. I got some ghost creases out with relative ease and the condition is pristine. No stains, critter nibbles or anything.

5.5" crown, 2 5/8" bound brim. Just a great hat.

View attachment 475764 View attachment 475765 View attachment 475766 View attachment 475767 View attachment 475768 View attachment 475769 View attachment 475770 View attachment 475771

Interestingly enough, it was originally purchased in Coshocton, Ohio, and I got it from a guy in WA who sent it back to me in Dayton.

Hakuna Matata and all that.

A fine looking hat, Jim. Merry Christmas

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Today I am introducing you to a velour hat which has the particularity of having certainly been made in Italy

We saw with Steve during our visit to the Panizza museum in Ghiffa the machines for obtaining this type of felt finish

The hat is a Panizza De Luxe size 57cm or 7 3/8 in the US.

The type of the felt finish is called "melousine" French word to define this finish

The color of the felt is a dark honey, although there's no paper label to spell it out for sure, but it's very similar to another one I acquired last year

The felt has a medium-long fur, particularly soft and with an excellent texture.
The peculiarity, in addition to the color, is the ribbon which is in brown velour with visible stitching

These are the measurements of the Panizza De Luxe: the raw brims are 6 centimeters, the very short pile vlor ribbon is 4 centimeters and the fully open crown is 14.5 centimeters.
If any velour enthusiast is interested, the hat needs a new home.

 

[Steve1857]

Yesterday was New Hat Day (Merry Christmas to me)! A roll of the dice for this mystery brand paid off. Fifth Avenue Hats of NYC. Turns out it's made by GW Alexander, and it's the nicest Alexander I've handled (sample size = 3). Thin, easily formed felt that responds very well. The sweat is thin and supple. I got some ghost creases out with relative ease and the condition is pristine. No stains, critter nibbles or anything.

5.5" crown, 2 5/8" bound brim. Just a great hat.

View attachment 475764 View attachment 475765 View attachment 475766 View attachment 475767 View attachment 475768 View attachment 475769 View attachment 475770 View attachment 475771

Interestingly enough, it was originally purchased in Coshocton, Ohio, and I got it from a guy in WA who sent it back to me in Dayton.

Hakuna Matata and all that.

That is one great Christmas present, Jim. Congrats and hope you're having a merry one.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Today I am introducing you to a velour hat which has the particularity of having certainly been made in Italy
View attachment 475893
We saw with Steve during our visit to the Panizza museum in Ghiffa the machines for obtaining this type of felt finish
View attachment 475894
The hat is a Panizza De Luxe size 57cm or 7 3/8 in the US.
View attachment 475895
The type of the felt finish is called "melousine" French word to define this finish
View attachment 475900
The color of the felt is a dark honey, although there's no paper label to spell it out for sure, but it's very similar to another one I acquired last year
View attachment 475896
The felt has a medium-long fur, particularly soft and with an excellent texture.
The peculiarity, in addition to the color, is the ribbon which is in brown velour with visible stitching
View attachment 475899
These are the measurements of the Panizza De Luxe: the raw brims are 6 centimeters, the very short pile vlor ribbon is 4 centimeters and the fully open crown is 14.5 centimeters.
If any velour enthusiast is interested, the hat needs a new home.

Lovely hat, Daniele. I could see through the photos just how soft it must be.
I’ve always thought melousine was a longer finish than velour…or is is just a longer velour?

 

[Frunobulax]

That is one great Christmas present, Jim. Congrats and hope you're having a merry one.

Thanks, Steve! Hope yours is merry also.

Now I just need this place to thaw out a bit so I feel like wearing my new hat somewhere.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Lovely hat, Daniele. I could see through the photos just how soft it must be.
I’ve always thought melousine was a longer finish than velour…or is is just a longer velour?

Thanks Brent. Yes indeed the felt is very soft and what I really like is the texture of the felt underneath the hair.
Melousine denotes both short and long velour in French, without much distinction, but is also used to denote the lustrous silk fabric that covers top hats. Let's say it must have shiny reflections to be considered melousine.
There are also, to add, the definitions borrowed from the language of the Italian hat makers which did not always respect the correct terminology of origin, see for example the term "Flamand" which is also used in Italy in the heyday of the Italian hat maker for a felt with very similar finish.
It should be kept in mind that Panizza was certainly the last Italian hats manufacturer to make velour in house having a production line dedicated to this felt finish.

 

[Mickey Q]

My Christmas present that I picked out.
View attachment 475655 View attachment 475657
3x Beaver OR

Such a beauty. Congrats on that find

 

[Bird Lives]

I've been talking about a new lightweight borsalino with a fabric sweatband and no lining. Wife picked up on it and picked one up at a Dept.Store in Istanbul. She has a rule about not surprising me with a hat...but letting me pick out my own hat surprises...But this one reached out and convinced her...

I love it. It's brand new...I was scared off of brand new Borsalinos from the bad press... But recently reading things Daniele has said has opened my mind.

Well, I for one haven't a proplem with the new Borsa's...I'm enjoying mine...I think they are like Lock & Co. The name makes them more expensive...But both Lock's now made by Isesa in Spain with Fepsa felt and Borsalino made with Borsalino felts or Fepsa felt in some cases I hear, correct me if I'm wrong)...But neither maker is making bad hats; I don't believe....This one is a lower level Borsa which I think is comparable to my higher level Isesa; fur quality wise at least...But this hat is even more malleable, I've been rebashing all afternoon, no steam...It's like modeling clay...Too much fun...lol...I better cool it ..my wife thinks Im going to wear a hole in it if I keep sculpting it, lol.

Addendum:
14cm with fully opened crown
5.5cm brim
Size 60

 

[Bird Lives]

My Christmas present that I picked out.
View attachment 475655 View attachment 475657
3x Beaver OR

Whew!! What a beauty!! Merry Christmas...hope she brings you many years of enjoyment.

 

[Bird Lives]

Another one of them dang 1/8 hats.
But this’n nearly fits. However, I imagine it’ll just sell with the rest of em later.
Somehow it’s more aggravating to have a hat that nearly fits than those that aren’t close to fitting.
Right now I suppose these one size too small hats, I’ve posted lately, will sit in my collection.
This time it’s a sweet late 40s/early 50s Bantam with the orange and red tags. 2 5/8” brim that has one row of stitching like the Playboy.
This Bantam, imo, is just a thinner, lighter Playboy. And man, is this one thin. Lightest felt fedora I’ve ever owned.
This hat may have belonged to LBJ’s brother…

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Beautiful colour...and love what you've done with it! Great looking bash!

 

[belfastboy]

Yesterday was New Hat Day (Merry Christmas to me)! A roll of the dice for this mystery brand paid off. Fifth Avenue Hats of NYC. Turns out it's made by GW Alexander, and it's the nicest Alexander I've handled (sample size = 3). Thin, easily formed felt that responds very well. The sweat is thin and supple. I got some ghost creases out with relative ease and the condition is pristine. No stains, critter nibbles or anything.

5.5" crown, 2 5/8" bound brim. Just a great hat.

View attachment 475764 View attachment 475765 View attachment 475766 View attachment 475767 View attachment 475768 View attachment 475769 View attachment 475770 View attachment 475771

Interestingly enough, it was originally purchased in Coshocton, Ohio, and I got it from a guy in WA who sent it back to me in Dayton.

Hakuna Matata and all that.

/the return of the prodigal fedora? Great colour.

 

[Frunobulax]

/the return of the prodigal fedora? Great colour.

I have a few that have obviously been on walkabout for a while. Always nice to find one from your own neck of the woods, though.

 

[BobHufford]

I got this Stetson No. 1 a while back. It was a way-too-small size 7 and the sweatband was toast. I sent it to Robert at Wolfbrae and it came back beautiful and identifying as a Resistol X Wolfbrae in a size 7-1/2 LO. I love it.

 

[BobHufford]

A couple hats that fit me from a recent auction lot of seven hats that were all stored in a flattened state in a single tall hat box. They will all need some cleaning and steaming. This one is a house brand (Charter House) made for Juster Brothers in Minneapolis. A really nice $5.00 hat in it's day!

 

[BobHufford]

And this 1950s Stetson Royal Deluxe Open Road in a size 7-5/8. Excuse the water marks ... the snow is finally melting.

 

[BobHufford]

This mystery model Borsalino came a while back as well. Despite its dirty appearance, the felt is amazing! It appears to be a 1950s Ga. Ludora (Ta. Ludora?) model in Muflone color.