Stetson "Nostalgia"? (now with pics)

[jamespowers]

Well, presumable a competent hatter will iron the brim prior to adding the binding, so that should take care of the ripples. The binding should significantly reduce the tendency to ripple. This slight rippling is the only drawback to my Chatham, and my pair of Ashlands with welted brims have exhibited no problems. I see no reason to once again lament 'the demise of Stetson' over a minor issue.

A competent hatter might but it would still be a risk if the hat were to be subject to wear again. I have had brims bound on hats that had rippled edges and it did not solve the problem. It might in some cases though. [huh]
What might be a minor issue to you is not for some. Obviously it is a problem if it is costing you money or time to have the problem fixed. It might not be the demise of Stetson but how will they correct problems if they do not know they are out there?

 

[carldelo]

If the ribbon keeps riding up the crown then it is likely not sewn on well enough in enough places.
The rippling brim seems to be a common problem. Sounds like a blocking problem at the factory.

When mine arrived, it was fine and had a nice snap to it. I've noticed that the felt is quite thick (feels physically thicker than my other hats) and is really buttery. I wonder if maybe it missed a compression step in the felting process, and so the over time the felt has been able to stretch more than it should, resulting in some ripples and loss of the snappy-snap. Hopefully a binding will help cure it. On the positive side, the crown has softened up nicely over time and is more malleable than my other lids.

A competent hatter might but it would still be a risk if the hat were to be subject to wear again. I have had brims bound on hats that had rippled edges and it did not solve the problem. It might in some cases though. [huh]
What might be a minor issue to you is not for some. Obviously it is a problem if it is costing you money or time to have the problem fixed. It might not be the demise of Stetson but how will they correct problems if they do not know they are out there?

Fair enough - you make some good points. I think I will have the brim bound anyway, just because my hat is sage green so doesn't get that much wear, I got it on sale for half (!) of what they're going for now, and it will be a good experiment. It doesn't go particularly well with my current wardrobe, so a brim binding will give me an excuse to swap out the main ribbon as well and make it a more versatile lid.

 

[jamespowers]

Fair enough - you make some good points. I think I will have the brim bound anyway, just because my hat is sage green so doesn't get that much wear, I got it on sale for half (!) of what they're going for now, and it will be a good experiment. It doesn't go particularly well with my current wardrobe, so a brim binding will give me an excuse to swap out the main ribbon as well and make it a more versatile lid.

I have a green thin bound edge Stetson I picked up a year ago for about half as well. I think I know what the allure was.
The crown is not as high as the Chatham though. It might be worth having it revamped if you will use it more. An unused hat would not be worth much to you.

 

[ScottF]

I've had two Akubra (Sydney and Stylemaster), and the felt on the Chatham (Sovereign) and Ashland (Royal) is nicer in my opinion. I haven't seen a Fed Deluxe in person, but I do hear the felt is better than the others. The sweatbands in Akubra hats are far superior, also. I think one of the reasons Akubra hold their shape well is the prevalence of brim binding - most of them have it. I'm to the point where I really don't care for a raw edge - give me a welt or ribbon, or better yet, a Cav-edge.

Comparing a new Chatham to a new Fed Deluxe, I actually preferred the Chatham. But after the Chatham went through minor rain a few times, it started having problems. The Fed Deluxe, on the other hand, started off very stiff, but each time it gets soaked, dries, then gets a re-brush, it's even softer than before. The Fed Deluxe is turning out to be one of my favorites (even over some vintage ones) - I'm considering ordering another in a different color.

Regarding raw brims, the Fed Deluxe raw brim has held up great, as have almost all raw-brim vintage fedoras I've had. The Chatham is the exception.

 

[marvelgoose]

Did you receive a hat marked 7 1/2? So it was not true to the marked size? :eusa_doh:

I am exactly 23" and it was marked 7 3/8" which was correct. Unlike my Chatham, though, it did not have the little extra room to allow for shrinkage.

Sure wish I could walk into a hat store and try on a hat before buying. Nearest is St Augustine and they mostly do straws.

 

[ScottF]

Sure wish I could walk into a hat store and try on a hat before buying. Nearest is St Augustine and they mostly do straws.

My Chatham fits better than any non-Optimo hats I've owned (Optimo hits my size dead-on, every time). But the reason is that when I bought it, the store owner brought out all four 7 1/4's that he had in stock - and they each fit me differently! So yes, big advantage to being able to try the hat on in the store.

 

[marvelgoose]

Regarding raw brims, the Fed Deluxe raw brim has held up great, as have almost all raw-brim vintage fedoras I've had. The Chatham is the exception.

Being my first real felt, I had played around a good bit with the brim and noticed it was getting a bit floppy. As I was going to have it cleaned, blocked, and bound, I did not worry much. I figured all that would bring it back up to snuff.

When it came, it was very snappy. The hat brushes up well, too. I've been in the rain -- not soaking -- and it held up fine. I believe I brushed all the powder out of it before it got wet!

 

[jamespowers]

I am exactly 23" and it was marked 7 3/8" which was correct. Unlike my Chatham, though, it did not have the little extra room to allow for shrinkage.

Sure wish I could walk into a hat store and try on a hat before buying. Nearest is St Augustine and they mostly do straws.

Ah, I see the problem now. Too bad they don't make hats in Long Oval and Extra Long Oval like they used to do back in the day when hats were common on every head.

 

[marvelgoose]

Moving over a thread here. There has been much conversation in this thread about the Chatham -- which is not a Nostalgia. My upgrades to my Chatham arrived by post last night. Full pictures and discussion now up

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=45376

 

[marvelgoose]

Nostalgia Back

Back from Optimo. New hat band and new binding on the brim. I asked them to put in a standard single dent with front pinch. They reblocked it for size as well.

6 linge binding in silver blue grey
19 ligne ribbon in matching color (stock is 22 ligne)







How many people do you know who will go to all the trouble to make sure their dog matches their hat?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Did Optimo lower the crown on that?

 

[marvelgoose]

Did Optimo lower the crown on that?

They did do a stretch on it (did my head get fatter?) and it did drop the crown height about 1/4". While I like the hat, I feel that it looks more like an Optimo hat with this blocking than the Nostalgia. In my icon I'm wearing the same hat before it was sent off.

I don't really like the darker colors for obvious south georgia sun reasons, if they had a Tawny brown I might get another one.

fftopic:
As it is, I'm thinking about your hat. Will your gray be ready for ship before Christmas? Can I get one with a contrasting ribbon? You are a tailor, surely you can do a custom and charge me! ;-)

 

[Blackthorn]

this is my new Stetson Nostalgia

I left it as is, after the initial bash. I like it with the minimal required bashing (it comes open crown).

 

[RBH]

I left it as is, after the initial bash. I like it with the minimal required bashing (it comes open crown).

That looks nice!!!

 

[cybergentleman]

nice hat

wow, i thought the low crown height of the nostalgia would make it look off- but its actually a very sharp looking lid. maybe i'll get hold of one of those when i get home.

getting back to our rant on the christy's thread- why cant they offer these things in a number of their felt colors, with interchangeable ribbons/bindings- these would be a hot number if they did i think.

 

[Blackthorn]

wow, i thought the low crown height of the nostalgia would make it look off- but its actually a very sharp looking lid. maybe i'll get hold of one of those when i get home.

getting back to our rant on the christy's thread- why cant they offer these things in a number of their felt colors, with interchangeable ribbons/bindings- these would be a hot number if they did i think.

Thanks for the kind words, guys!

You're right, Cybergent, they should. At least in this case, you can get 3 different colors of Nostalia ranging from this grey (ok, caribou) to brown (they call it mink) and black. That at least covers most of the main colors that match our clothes.

Cybergent, where's home when you're not in Haifa?

 

[Duper]

Hi Blackthorn, nice hat! How does the Nostalgia compare to your Temple for the size and feel of felt? I have a Temple in sage that I like very much. Also, do you own a Fed IV that you can compare it to?

Thanks!

 

[Bird's One View]

Hi Blackthorn, nice hat! How does the Nostalgia compare to your Temple for the size and feel of felt? I have a Temple in sage that I like very much. Also, do you own a Fed IV that you can compare it to?

I'm not Blackthorn but I have all three of these hats. The felt of the Nostalgia is similar to the Temple ... possibly a little softer. The Nostalgia's crown is higher and straighter (less tapered), and the brim is not dimensionally cut.

The Fed IV is slightly higher and straighter (less tapered) than the Nostalgia but has a dimensional brim. Fed IV felt is slightly stiffer and rougher. The difference in the felt texture is more pronounced in the Fed IV Standard than the Deluxe.

I have posted pictures of a new Nostalgia side by side with a new Fed IV Deluxe. See post #332 in this thread.

The overall shape and crown height of the Nostalgia and Fed IV are more similar to each other than to the Temple.

 

[Blackthorn]

Hi Blackthorn, nice hat! How does the Nostalgia compare to your Temple for the size and feel of felt? I have a Temple in sage that I like very much. Also, do you own a Fed IV that you can compare it to?

Thanks!

Hi Duper, thanks for the kind words. I do indeed have all 3 hats that you mentioned. As to the feel of the felt, the Temple felt is thicker but the Nostalgia is stiffer, in the ball park with the Heritage grade felt of the Fed IV, IMHO. I like the feel of the softness of the Temple felt.

As to the size and shape of the hats, the Temple is designed to have a slight taper, but the Nostalgia (mine at least) has no taper at all. It may develop some in time, but right now it's straight up from the brim. And I'd say that the Nostalgia is just a bit taller than the Temple.

They each have a different look, and I like both of these Stetsons.

 

[Duper]

Thanks Blackthorn and Bird's One View for the comparisons on these 3 hats. I'm looking for a nice grey hat and I also think Steston makes some good product, so it is definately in the short list.