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[Frunobulax]

Oh, there are some spots that want to be cleaned. I was thinking of taking it apart and trying that naptha bath thing. The ribbon isn't in the greatest shape. Getting the sweatband put back together would take some work. I might try to do something with cleaning the liner. I don't know really. I'm open to suggestions, etc.

I had also considered sending it to a hat guy to clean it up for me, but that is before I learned that most of the hat guys (as far as I can tell in my limited experience) don't really want to do much refurb work.

Initially the refurb process seemed to me to be fairly straightforward. Then I realized I was dealing with survivor bias... only reading the success stories. Apparently there is a fair amount of risk involved in messing with these hats, and the outcome is not certain. We shall see how it goes.

If the sweat's in decent shape (still pliable), you don't have to take it apart. That's an unreeded sweat, so getting it back in would take some skill.

Just toss the whole thing in, swish it around, and let it soak for a bit. Then let it dry outside.

Don't overthink it. Heck, you only paid fifty bucks for it.

 

[Judgmentalist]

If the sweat's in decent shape (still pliable), you don't have to take it apart. That's an unreeded sweat, so getting it back in would take some skill.

Just toss the whole thing in, swish it around, and let it soak for a bit. Then let it dry outside.

Don't overthink it. Heck, you only paid fifty bucks for it.

Thank you.

 

[blewnote]

Without further adieu... may I present the "White Borsalino!" Featuring the classic and very-much-not-a-later-repair visible reed construction lol.

I had an interesting experience today. The mail lady handed me a package, as I was outside when she arrived. I was very much anticipating this hat, and then when I opened the package, inside was the $50 "beater Borsa" I posted earlier. I never got a notification to expect that one today. Then I get a ding on my phone saying this "definitely not $50" hat had been delivered.

With visions of nation-wide multi-cell hat ****mer rings dancing in my head, I started spazzing out and calling my congressman with little success, then decided it must not have made it onto the truck this morning, and moved on. About 30 minutes later the mail lady swung back by and dropped this hat off.

This is a very nice hat. My immediate frustration upon opening the package came from two things:

1.) The felt is stiff. Stiff compared to the very soft and lovely felt on the aforementioned $50 beater Borsa from earlier. Right or wrong this just gave me an impression of lower quality. Feel free to educate me as needed.

2.) The brim is just a smidge wide for my taste - in this style of hat - at this exact moment. So, I put it on, and imagined my wife (who happens to be out of town at the moment) once again grimacing in my general direction prior to suggesting that I may, in fact, be the world's first actual "not a hat guy". She is coming around. My brims are getting wider bit by bit.

Now that this hat is definitely mine, it is starting to agree with me a little more. You may note that in one of the pictures there is a "61" written inside this hat. This is the third time, across multiple different brands, that I have found sizing information written inside the hat that disagrees slightly with the tag. If anybody knows anything about this, or if I am wrong about something, please let me know.

It would make sense if it is a UK sized hat 7 1/2 which is a US 7 5/8 and is 61 in EU units. It doesn't make sense that a UK sized hat would be sold in Arizona though, so I'm perplexed.

The brim suits you fine... in my opinion the sweet spot for me is 2" to 2 3/4" (2.5" is perfect), but I'm a only 7 1/4 and I think with a larger head a wider brim doesn't seem so wide. That said, I also started on the smaller side and worked my way up. It is the kind of thing that you may have to get comfortable with, like wearing a jacket/tie/trousers when everyone else is in jeans.

My friend has a silverbelly Allessandria and she wears it with everything, jeans, dresses, fatigues, jean jackets, western shirts, etc. It (and Ethan Newton's, founder of Brycelands, silverbelly Stratoliner) made me want to get either a stratoliner or open road and then crease it like a Stratoliner. Kind of a C crown with a pronounced pinch with a nice rake from front to back. I've got 2 that I just love wearing now and I feel like they go with everything from jeans or chinos to tailoring.

Here's the Resitol Italia in Silverbelly (at least that's my guess on the model):

And here's a Stetson Open Road in taupe:

 

[Judgmentalist]

It would make sense if it is a UK sized hat 7 1/2 which is a US 7 5/8 and is 61 in EU units. It doesn't make sense that a UK sized hat would be sold in Arizona though, so I'm perplexed.

The brim suits you fine... in my opinion the sweet spot for me is 2" to 2 3/4" (2.5" is perfect), but I'm a only 7 1/4 and I think with a larger head a wider brim doesn't seem so wide. That said, I also started on the smaller side and worked my way up. It is the kind of thing that you may have to get comfortable with, like wearing a jacket/tie/trousers when everyone else is in jeans.

My friend has a silverbelly Allessandria and she wears it with everything, jeans, dresses, fatigues, jean jackets, western shirts, etc. It (and Ethan Newton's, founder of Brycelands, silverbelly Stratoliner) made me want to get either a stratoliner or open road and then crease it like a Stratoliner. Kind of a C crown with a pronounced pinch with a nice rake from front to back. I've got 2 that I just love wearing now and I feel like they go with everything from jeans or chinos to tailoring.

Here's the Resitol Italia in Silverbelly (at least that's my guess on the model):

View attachment 786860 View attachment 786861 View attachment 786862

And here's a Stetson Open Road in taupe:

View attachment 786863 View attachment 786864 View attachment 786865

Those are some cool hats. Above my pay grade. I am gradually learning to accept less rigidity in my shapes, but it doesn’t come naturally lol.

I want an old school OR with a Cattleman’s crease and a Stratoliner, just waiting for the right one to come along in my size. I really like the Stratoliner shape.

 

[Judgmentalist]

It would make sense if it is a UK sized hat 7 1/2 which is a US 7 5/8 and is 61 in EU units. It doesn't make sense that a UK sized hat would be sold in Arizona though, so I'm perplexed.

The brim suits you fine... in my opinion the sweet spot for me is 2" to 2 3/4" (2.5" is perfect), but I'm a only 7 1/4 and I think with a larger head a wider brim doesn't seem so wide. That said, I also started on the smaller side and worked my way up. It is the kind of thing that you may have to get comfortable with, like wearing a jacket/tie/trousers when everyone else is in jeans.

My friend has a silverbelly Allessandria and she wears it with everything, jeans, dresses, fatigues, jean jackets, western shirts, etc. It (and Ethan Newton's, founder of Brycelands, silverbelly Stratoliner) made me want to get either a stratoliner or open road and then crease it like a Stratoliner. Kind of a C crown with a pronounced pinch with a nice rake from front to back. I've got 2 that I just love wearing now and I feel like they go with everything from jeans or chinos to tailoring.

Here's the Resitol Italia in Silverbelly (at least that's my guess on the model):

View attachment 786860 View attachment 786861 View attachment 786862

And here's a Stetson Open Road in taupe:

View attachment 786863 View attachment 786864 View attachment 786865

Now that you bring it to my attention I’m sure that what I’ve noticed has to do with the UK/US sizing thing - thank you.

 

[blewnote]

Both of the ones I just posted above are newish but I don't think I've posted here before. But here's one that just got dropped off today. I initially disregarded it because the seller thought it was a 6 7/8, but some photos of the interior length and width were posted that made me think it was in the 7 1/4 range. It showed up today and although it doesn't have any tags under the sweatband (aside from a Stetson Employees Factory Store Reject stamp) it seems like it was a 7 1/4 that shrunk just a tad, which means it fits me perfectly.

It's a nice light grey P l a y b o y that I'm guessing is from around the early to mid 50s based on the liner and sweat debossment. It has a raw edge with a stitch just inside the edge and that lovely thin-ish ribbon treatment. Has some verdigris at the sweatband seam that bled through to the ribbon but otherwise seems to be in great shape. Definitely looking forward to wearing it (and I'll take some better photos and post in the P l a y b o y thread.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Ooooh…. I like it.

 

[blewnote]

Those are some cool hats. Above my pay grade. I am gradually learning to accept less rigidity in my shapes, but it doesn’t come naturally lol.

I want an old school OR with a Cattleman’s crease and a Stratoliner, just waiting for the right one to come along in my size. I really like the Stratoliner shape.

I have 2 hats (a Resistol that may be a San Antonio and another 3X Open Road) that I've kept in the cattlemen crease, but I find I'm not as tempted by them when I reach for a hat, even wearing casual clothes, as I am by the Stratoliner style crease ones I posted above. I think I would reach for a cattlemen crease if I was wearing work wear inspired outfits, but I just don't do that as often. And I just dig the kinda individual character that each of those hats has in that their creases are very organic and not perfect, yet have a nice square profile from the front with a sharp pinch and then that great looking rake from front to back.

That's not to say you shouldn't get one, because it's always nice to have options lol.

As far as being above your pay grade, I suppose a larger size would end up being more expensive, but the taupe Stetson ran me $110 and the silverbelly Resistol was $120 (shipping was $65 so I feel like I have to include it in the purchase price) and came with an extra hat, so neither of them was terribly expensive, I just got lucky after some persistent searching.

 

[jeffgarf]

Ordered back in March, prior to hostilities here in Israel, I finally received this Windsor upon my return today. It still needs work (my belongings including hat tools are set to arrive 5/20) by boat), but it is a great velour fur hat with a lovely hatband treatment and a bound brim. I see both @Pellie and @mayserwegener have posted about them in the past, but it's love to know more about the brand itself.

 

[Pellie]

Ordered back in March, prior to hostilities here in Israel, I finally received this Windsor upon my return today. It still needs work (my belongings including hat tools are set to arrive 5/20) by boat), but it is a great velour fut hat with a lovely hatband treatment and a bound brim. I see both @Pellie and @mayserwegener have posted about them in the past, but it's love to know more about the brand itself.

View attachment 787026 View attachment 787027 View attachment 787028 View attachment 787029 View attachment 787030 View attachment 787031

Nice, i thought the german ones are made by Peschel. Mine (and yours) are made in France. I don't know who made the french ones actually.

Edit: my Windsor.....

 

[mayserwegener]

J. Hückel´s Söhne "Plume", 59 cm, possibly mid to late 1930s. The weight of the entire hat is 58 grams so about 2 ounces! The Off White Smooth Finish Felt is tissue like so super pliable, and there are triangular Vents on the sides of the taller Crown . It has a Thin Ribbon with a sharp looking Bow design. The Sweat Band is made of Fabric, possibly to reduce weight. I have only seen this once before from JHS and it was a Women's Stiff Felt. Whoever owned this Soft Felt wore it hard in the Summer because there are sweat issues to the Sweatband and Band / Bow. This is definitely one of my better + interesting recent finds.

The Paper Label doesn't have JHS but based on the numbers it's definitely JHS.

Open Crown

Natural Light

58 Grams ~ 2.0 Ounces

C. Louis Weber Hannover Geogr.str 17 (1937)

Always Impeccably Dressed

Ladies' and Men's Fashion, Furs, uniforms

by C. Louis Weber, The House of Fine Clothing, Hanover 1862-1937, Georgstr. 17

 

[Judgmentalist]

PHD Montecristi.

I like the hat body fine. I suspect I don't know enough about the rest of the finishing to disapprove, with one exception.

As expected, I hate, hate, despise the fact that PHD glues their ribbons on.

I wanted a PHD hat I could hold in my hands so I could decide for myself, and I'm glad I have it. I may prevail upon a kind-hearted hat maker to replace the ribbon and otherwise spruce this thing up at some point, but it's not a priority.

I didn't care for the red ribbon, and I don't particularly care for this ribbon form factor, although that may be partially impacted by the fact that I can see the glue holding it in place. I'm not sure if this ribbon style has a name.

Nothing against the lovely eBayer that sold me this hat - the hat is exactly as described, and exactly what I expected. Now when someone asks about PHD hats - I can honestly say "I like the hat bodies fine; not a fan of the finishing." Objective complete. I'll wear it out this weekend.

 

[Judgmentalist]

2007 (according to the ad) "Brown Borsalino".

Lovely hat. Wonderful felt. Hat #2 of mine that has the little wind cord; a detail which I like.

While it is not as "vintage" as I will be hoping to acquire with my next Borsalino, sometime off in the misty distance, it is a lovely, quality hat.

I love this hat. From the same guy that sold me the PHD. I'll be wearing this one to dinner with my wife in a couple hours.

 

[Pellie]

PHD Montecristi.

I like the hat body fine. I suspect I don't know enough about the rest of the finishing to disapprove, with one exception.

As expected, I hate, hate, despise the fact that PHD glues their ribbons on.

I wanted a PHD hat I could hold in my hands so I could decide for myself, and I'm glad I have it. I may prevail upon a kind-hearted hat maker to replace the ribbon and otherwise spruce this thing up at some point, but it's not a priority.

I didn't care for the red ribbon, and I don't particularly care for this ribbon form factor, although that may be partially impacted by the fact that I can see the glue holding it in place. I'm not sure if this ribbon style has a name.

Nothing against the lovely eBayer that sold me this hat - the hat is exactly as described, and exactly what I expected. Now when someone asks about PHD hats - I can honestly say "I like the hat bodies fine; not a fan of the finishing." Objective complete. I'll wear it out this weekend.

View attachment 787129 View attachment 787130 View attachment 787131 View attachment 787132 View attachment 787133 View attachment 787134

Very nice!! Congrats!

 

[jeffgarf]

Another hat purchased from Ukraine that has made it to me in Israel after a 2 1/2 month delay, a Matador brand. All other hats I have seen with the "Exclusiv" and Rein Haar" designation of the sweatband, as shown here are German-made Tyrolean style hats. This one seems to be a camber style fedora, with a great hatband treatment. Rein Haar in German is pure hair, usually a fine felt designation, but if someone said it was wool or a wool blend, I would not be shocked. It is a fine hat and one I'd not encountered before.

 

[Blare]

J. Hückel´s Söhne "Plume", 59 cm, possibly mid to late 1930s. The weight of the entire hat is 58 grams so about 2 ounces! The Off White Smooth Finish Felt is tissue like so super pliable, and there are triangular Vents on the sides of the taller Crown . It has a Thin Ribbon with a sharp looking Bow design. The Sweat Band is made of Fabric, possibly to reduce weight. I have only seen this once before from JHS and it was a Women's Stiff Felt. Whoever owned this Soft Felt wore it hard in the Summer because there are sweat issues to the Sweatband and Band / Bow. This is definitely one of my better + interesting recent finds.

The Paper Label doesn't have JHS but based on the numbers it's definitely JHS.

Open Crown

Natural Light

58 Grams ~ 2.0 Ounces

C. Louis Weber Hannover Geogr.str 17 (1937)

Always Impeccably Dressed

Ladies' and Men's Fashion, Furs, uniforms

by C. Louis Weber, The House of Fine Clothing, Hanover 1862-1937, Georgstr. 17

What a fantastic find.

 

[Blare]

PHD Montecristi.

I like the hat body fine. I suspect I don't know enough about the rest of the finishing to disapprove, with one exception.

As expected, I hate, hate, despise the fact that PHD glues their ribbons on.

I wanted a PHD hat I could hold in my hands so I could decide for myself, and I'm glad I have it. I may prevail upon a kind-hearted hat maker to replace the ribbon and otherwise spruce this thing up at some point, but it's not a priority.

I didn't care for the red ribbon, and I don't particularly care for this ribbon form factor, although that may be partially impacted by the fact that I can see the glue holding it in place. I'm not sure if this ribbon style has a name.

Nothing against the lovely eBayer that sold me this hat - the hat is exactly as described, and exactly what I expected. Now when someone asks about PHD hats - I can honestly say "I like the hat bodies fine; not a fan of the finishing." Objective complete. I'll wear it out this weekend.

View attachment 787129 View attachment 787130 View attachment 787131 View attachment 787132 View attachment 787133 View attachment 787134

I am surprised that pug style had band would be glued Down. Most of them have little metal hooks at either end so you can self attach/reattach.

 

[Judgmentalist]

I am surprised that pug style had band would be glued Down. Most of them have little metal hooks at either end so you can self attach/reattach.

There is a metal thing that looks like the back of a staple and also this stuff that I assume is glue.

 

[Blare]

There is a metal thing that looks like the back of a staple and also this stuff that I assume is glue.
View attachment 787366

Hmm. That is what the hooks look like.… thin wire similar to the edge of a staple. Maybe they just reinforced with glue. Or could have been done by previous owner? I have one PHD hat myself. I don’t know that I checked how the ribbon was held on come to think of it.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Hmm. That is what the hooks look like.… thin wire similar to the edge of a staple. Maybe they just reinforced with glue. Or could have been done by previous owner? I have one PHD hat myself. I don’t know that I checked how the ribbon was held on come to think of it.

No idea, but thanks for bringing this to my attention. When my replacements get here I’ll start pulling it apart and see what I can see.