Post New Hats Here!

[duggap]

I had Art do the HST in a powder blue without the pin and I asked that the ribbon be just a little taller, but the crease is the same. The powder blue is a little difficult to wear but the hat is a real beauty and becoming one of my favorites.

 

[MrFusion]

... the hat is a real beauty and becoming one of my favorites.

That is an understatement! :eusa_clap

 

[bolthead]

Duggap.....

you're Killing me.......

 

[AlanC]

duggap, post those pics in the Art Fawcett Hall of Fame thread, too. They really help as a reference.

Great hats, by the way!

 

[DOUGLAS]

Borsalino

I am going to keep the cattle bash in place. It is a standard Borsalino with all the details one would expect. A good cleaning and it will be right as rain.

The staining at the ribbon doesn't bother me really nor do the creases on the brim.

 

[Desdinova721]

Here's a new one, straight from Burlington Coat Factory. Not a quality hat, but I wanted something that was cheap and effectively disposable for rough days. I don't want my nice hat(s, i've got an eBay find on the way..) getting trashed. Also, I like the wider brim. It's been very sunny recently, but still cold enough in the mornings for the coat, a swiss military overcoat.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Here's a new one, straight from Burlington Coat Factory. Not a quality hat, but I wanted something that was cheap and effectively disposable for rough days. I don't want my nice hat(s, i've got an eBay find on the way..) getting trashed. Also, I like the wider brim. It's been very sunny recently, but still cold enough in the mornings for the coat, a swiss military overcoat.

That hat looks like a perfect match for the overcoat. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[flylot74]

Yesssssss!

 

[B R A N D X®]

Optimo, Sterling Beaver & Vintage Silhouette

The problem with ordering 3 custom hats within a week of one another is the obvious.......cash outlay. The advantage should be equally obvious.......3 new hats arriving back to back from three of the most highly regarded hat makers in the business today.

I'll not offer up a review of the three, but merely some photo's for your enjoyment. All of these shots have been white balanced to a gray card for accurate color representation....YMMV (Your Monitor May Vary).

Optimo Park Ave in English Gray. This hat arrived with a center dent and side pinch, but was pretty easy to rework. It also arrived with what appears to be a small, blue ink mark above the bow so it will most likely need to go back. I removed the ink spot in photoshop for the purpose of this posting:

Vintage Silhouette Trackside in Moss Green:

Sterling Beaver Custom in Medium Gray with Brown undertones. The bow combined with the wind trolley button is something that the hatter came up with to represent the X® in my screen name which is also the name of one of my photography companies. I thought that was an extremely thoughtful touch:

And a shot of the group:

 

[Viper Man]

Holy Crow! Stunning collection of customs, X! :eusa_clap

I'm not familiar with Sterling Beaver but that hat is gorgeous.

It's nice to see a "Trackside", too. All of those hats look great.

Do you have a favorite, yet?

 

[RBH]

Duggap really nice Fawcetts!!
Douglas you wear that cattleman well indeed!
Desdinova721, that fedora looks great and the coat just sets it off.

 

[Ande1964]

Wow!

Fantastic hats, Brandx!!! Congrats!

Anj

 

[B R A N D X®]

Holy Crow! Stunning collection of customs, X! :eusa_clap

I'm not familiar with Sterling Beaver but that hat is gorgeous.

It's nice to see a "Trackside", too. All of those hats look great.

Do you have a favorite, yet?

Viper Man, I won't state an outright favorite, but I will say that b/w the Optimo and the VS the VS represents the better value at a couple hundred dollars less. The vintage ribbon of the VS also makes it seem a bit more special and the rich red lining is gorgeous against the Moss Green felt. I also really like Art's diamond bash. The Optimo will be the most worn of the two primarily because its neutral color goes with nearly everything, but also because it would be the easiest to replace.

The Sterling Beaver is the hat that, for me, best represents my vision of the ideal hat in terms of color, weight, fit, rake and overall style. This has a lot to do, I think, with the communication b/w myself and the hatter which was nearly non-stop via email and telephone during the building process. It's a little too special to wear every day, but won't be reserved just for special occasions. It's an incredible hat.

I'm pleased with all three.

Thanks for the comment!

Fantastic hats, Brandx!!! Congrats!

Anj

Thanks Anj!

 

[J.T.Marcus]

The Sterling Beaver is the hat that, for me, best represents my vision of the ideal hat in terms of color, weight, fit, rake and overall style. This has a lot to do, I think, with the communication b/w myself and the hatter which was nearly non-stop via email and telephone during the building process. It's a little too special to wear every day, but won't be reserved just for special occasions. It's an incredible hat.

Is the Sterling Beaver from Gladhatter?

 

[HungaryTom]

Sir,

Congratulations to this fabulous collection to your photographic art and a grat thank you for sharing.


Flylot - the gray hat from Art is really fabulous and looks good on you - also very nice photos!

Thanks

Tom

 

[Delthayre]

I might need the services of a young Mel Brooks

The longer that I look at that image, Flylot47, the better I like the look of that hat on you. I especially like the combination of colors. It's the kind of fairly subtle contrast that I quite like.

Is the Sterling Beaver from Gladhatter?

Aye, it is. It a quite fine looking one at that and it is impressively well photographed.

 

[Mustang]

Carbon Grey Akubra Federation

And here's the crease (The carbon grey is a very dark grey. This photo shows shows, quite accurately, how dark the hat actually is):

I plan on changing it to a diamond crease.

I was wearing this hat the other day when I took the kids to McDonald's. While walking past a table, this kid, probably around 3 or 4 years old says, "Mom, look at that guy with the tall hat!". lol

 

[Ande1964]

Penn-Stuart "Hand Blocked" Light Gray

I was talking about this hat in my hat stretcher thread, but thought I should probably post it here, as well.

I won this last week, and really wasn't sure what I was getting. But, I've been wanting a light gray with a wide brim, and this certainly fit the bill.

When it arrived, it had a blue spot on the crown (as advertised). A little work with the yellow sponge took care of that. Next up was the size... it was about a size too small. I dunked it in cold water, took it to my stretcher, put in a new bash, and now I like it a lot.

The hat was made by Penn-Stuart. The model was the "Seven Fifty". It was sold by Moe Penn, in Brooklyn, which is still in operation. I was thinking about the date, and I really don't know. I can't find anything in searching for the Penn-Stuart, and there's no indication online as to when the store opened its doors.

The three inch brim is the widest I own. It takes a little getting used to, but I'm digging it. The hat has a few unique features: the wind trolley button is sewn onto the hat, with the cord wrapping around it, and the brim edge was stitched and then over welt, so that no stitching shows on the underside of the brim. The tag in the hat is also interesting... it says "7 1/2 - Hand Blocked". The sweat band is nice and tall... measuring a full two inches. All in all, it seems to be a well-made hat, so how and when did it sell for $7.50, assuming that's what the name means? If you made me guess right now, I'd date this to about 1950.

Crown- 5 1/2 open, 4 1/2 as bashed
Ribbon- 1 5/8
Brim- 3

The photo in the lower left corner is closest to the correct color.

Anj

 

[Viper Man]

Looks great! I love the dimensions of that one, Ande. I think it's time for me to get a hat with a wider brim. The widest I have is my Royal Stetson at 2 1/4" and it's probably my favorite hat.

 

[toobacat]

BRANDX, What are the crown heights on your hats? The Sterling Beaver looks a little higher. Is your dark moss VS hat color different than the felt samples? I have samples and my sample looks a little darker with a brown tint.

Thanks