Questions Concerning Biltmore Hats

[gtdean48]

Thanks to everyone for your advice and encouragement. I'm so glad I got this new hat (also posted on the New Hat thread, of course):

Details, specs, impresssions, etc. [huh]

 

[Blackthorn]

Details, specs, impresssions, etc. [huh]

Ah, good point, GTD. It has a 2 3/4 brim and the tallest point of the brim is only 4 5/8, so it's not as tall as many here, but I like it quite a bit. The color had me a bit worried until several posted here to reassure me that Black Oak isn't really black, nor even close. And they were right. It's a deep rich brown. The brim isn't exactly bound, but it IS stitched, like so:

It fits perfectly, also, which I have come to treasure in hats ordered on line.

 

[gtdean48]

...
It fits perfectly, also, which I have come to treasure in hats ordered on line.

Amen Brother BT! Very nice lid... :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Dewhurst]

The brim isn't exactly bound, but it IS stitched...

Whipstitched. I believe.

 

[BlackBrim]

Going out of business? What are you talking about???

http://www.thestar.com/living/fashion/article/702945

I like the look of the hats being displayed in this picture.I would like to get one.It looks like the hats in this picture are olive green.However,when I looked at the websites that sell Biltmore I didn't see olive green as a color option.Also when I looked at the Biltmore catalogs I didn't see olive as a color option.So what color are the hats in the picture?Is the color perhaps sage?

 

[Undertow]

My first pure fur felt fedora was a hunter green Miller, I believe, but the brim was simply too large and the felt seemed low quality. I purchased my second and third hats together at a relic once known as Bonds of Beaverdale. What an amazing shop! Opened in the first quarter of the 1900's (not clear on when, the '20's I believe). The shop was closing down after decades of faithful service, having been the only source of fine suits, hats, shoes and accessories in a once thriving neighborhood.

I purchased navy and dark brown Biltmores (the "model" escapes me but I keep wanting to call them Senators - or something like that, they resemble Stetson Temples). They were originally something like $120+, marked down to $60 and finally marked down to $30.

They are 100% fur felt, and fairly stiff. I was able to reshape them after considerable steaming, but I believe they were satisfactory with the original center dent crease and slight pinch. The navy hat has a folded-over brim, about 2.5" snap, grosgrain ribbon and fine silk liner. The brown was similar except with a bound brim. I have to agree with the previous poster in that the leather sweatband is the absolute best quality I've personally encountered in a modern hat, or any Stetson (even vintage). Both hats were made specifically for Bonds of Beaverdale, and the brown hat even has "Made for Bonds of Beaverdale" stamped in gold in the sweat band.

The hat was quite comfortable and luxurious, well made and durable. The crown isn't particularly tall so reshaping with a new crease may not be desirable. My purchase at $30 was more than a steal - it was downright criminal! But I believe I would easily pay $60-100 for a hat like this again. I would hesitate to pay more, but not due to quality, merely due to crown height and felt stiffness. (ps and I already own entirely too many hats!)

 

[Blackthorn]

Amen Brother BT! Very nice lid... :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Thanks GTD, I didn't see this until today. Much appreciated.

 

[besdor]

Biltmore is NOT closing. I have spoken to the owner several time in the past few weeks. They are reopening after a downtime of a few months. I hope that they have fixed their financial situation and will be able to once again start producing a good hat. The summer was a dissapointment for us as they closed down and we couldn't get anything. But the winter season should be much better.
Buy a Biltmore hat! Keep the factory in business.


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Undertow]

Buy a Biltmore hat! Keep the factory in business.

:eusa_clap

Hooray!

 

[BlackBrim]

Well, I pulled the trigger. I'm getting the black oak.

I am also wanting to get a Biltmore.But it seems that some online merchants no longer carry Biltmore.I see that menhats.com carries Biltmore but they don't have my size.Which websites can Biltmore hats be ordered from?

 

[Neophyte]

Does the hat have taper? I'd very much like to have the Biltmore Canadian Suede or an Eleganza or a Rosselini. I could deal with a shorter crown, but if the hat has taper, I'm out (I already have an Akubra Squatter for that)...

 

[Chris Dillon]

Im lucky in the fact that I live mere blocks from a Biltmore dealer in Oakland. They make some fine lids.

Here is a link to the Hat Guys in Oakland with some Biltmores to sell:
http://www.hatguys.com/onlineStore.cfm

 

[Mr E Train]

I am also wanting to get a Biltmore.But it seems that some online merchants no longer carry Biltmore.I see that menhats.com carries Biltmore but they don't have my size.Which websites can Biltmore hats be ordered from?

Miller Hats' house brand is made by Biltmore. They just have the Miller Hats label. Give them a try. http://www.millerhats.com

 

[Dewhurst]

Does the hat have taper? I'd very much like to have the Biltmore Canadian Suede or an Eleganza or a Rosselini.

The Rosellini does for sure (I have one). Looking at the other models that you list online, I'm pretty sure they all share the same basic shape and that they will have your standard contemporary dress hat taper as well.

Interesting that you prohibit tapered crowns in your purchases? A sensible taper has always looked more "dressy" to me than straight sided crowns. I may be in a minority here.

 

[Neophyte]

It's not that I don't like taper, it's just that I have only one hat with straight sides, and it has too narrow a brim and looks silly on me. I'm just trying to add to the variety of my hats in rotation. Also, my head shape unfortunately does not jive with certain features in a hat, specifically a low, tapered crown. As much as I like the style, it doesn't look good on me.

 

[seed]

The Rosellini does for sure (I have one). Looking at the other models that you list online, I'm pretty sure they all share the same basic shape and that they will have your standard contemporary dress hat taper as well.

Interesting that you prohibit tapered crowns in your purchases? A sensible taper has always looked more "dressy" to me than straight sided crowns. I may be in a minority here.

Low crowned, slightly tapered hats look good on me. I have some customs which have NO taper (two Art's and one John Penman) and they can sometimes look downright silly on me unless I am dressed much more formally than I usually dress (especially in warmer weather). Dressed nicely and they look really good. But when wearing a T-shirt and shorts, give me my one of my low-crowned, slightly tapered, stingy-brims. One happens to be a Biltmore Eleganza which I had cut to a stingy...The other is a 1965 Stetson Centennial I had refurbished by Optimo, and re-bashed by me.

 

[Dewhurst]

Low crowned, slightly tapered hats look good on me. I have some customs which have NO taper (two Art's and one John Penman) and they can sometimes look downright silly on me unless I am dressed much more formally than I usually dress (especially in warmer weather). Dressed nicely and they look really good. But when wearing a T-shirt and shorts, give me my one of my low-crowned, slightly tapered, stingy-brims. One happens to be a Biltmore Eleganza which I had cut to a stingy...The other is a 1965 Stetson Centennial I had refurbished by Optimo, and re-bashed by me.

Hmm, very interesting. I actually used to prefer high crowns with as little taper as possible, preferably straight as an arrow (I never liked the "mushroom" look that some people go for).

As things have gone, I have come to prefer a lower crown with sensible taper over the years of daily wear. Goes with more for me, and it looks a bit more dressy and a bit less hobo.

Go figure.

 

[seed]

Let's face it: the common thought on this site is that taper is almost down-right evil...to the point that some actually go so far as to seek out reverse taper (as you pointed out). The other common themes are high crowns and wide brims. Okay, I get it. But on me, those style hats don't as easily look good on me. I mean, I have to dress up to justify wearing a higher, stove-pipe shaped crown with any sort of long brim...and even then, my lower crown, slightly tapered hats can fill the role admirably.

Don't get me wrong: I am not hating on the forum's consensus popular style points, but rather saying that for me the Lounge's ideal style only works when I am dressed nicely...in fact, less tapered customs do look even better (compared to my more modern styled hats) when I am wearing a nice over-coat and slacks. But when I am as casual as can be (t-shirt or tank top and shorts for instance), they can sometimes look way too formal...way too over the top.

Sorry if the above was fftopic: but when it comes to Biltmores, they are definitely more along the lines of modern. Again, mine has held up very well and is my go to casual hat, even to the point of almost being a beater.

 

[Spats McGee]

seed, you've got to decide for yourself what looks right. You're right that high, straight crowns and wide brims are very popular here. I prefer a lower crown than many TFL members, but I still like the sides straight and the brim wide. My favorite brims run from about 2.5" to 3". I've got one as small as 2 inches, but that one's as small as I can go. Some of the guys around here look great in stingy brims. I don't. If you feel like high, straight crowns and wide brims are too formal looking, don't forget to factor the ribbon into the equation. My Camp Draft is one of my least formal hats, but it also has one of the highest crowns and widest brims. If you compare it to my Stylemaster, the CD is clearly less formal looking, but the brim is markedly bigger, the crown higher, and the sides straighter. The difference is in that thin ribbon.

 

[Neophyte]

I myself see nothing wrong with taper. If my face didn't have taper going towards my chin, I'd dare to say that I would have many tapered hats. As is, though, when you got taper up and taper down, your face tends to look something like this:
___
__ / \___
l l
l l
\___/

needless to say, it is not a flattering look...as I recently discovered with my Akubra Sydney. So, as much as I like the look of tapered hats, especially those of Biltmore, they don't look good on me.