Stratoliner

[jamespowers]

STETSON STRATOLINER

I thought I would take this time to remind people that many vintage hats were named after cool things in the old days. The Stetson Stratoliner is just one of these but I thought I would give you just an idea what it was that inspired the hat.
The stratoliner was an airplane produced in the late 1930s that was very deco and well appointed for the period. WWII came along and ended the production of the Stratoliner. I wonder how popular it could have been considering it cost $12,000 for a trip to the middle of the country! That is like paying a few hundred thousand now! The following pictures give you some idea about what the plane looked like and the resulting hat that it inspired.

Regards to all,

J

merged Stratoliner threads 01.31.10

 

[jamespowers]

A few more pictures for back ground.

 

[jamespowers]

and one more:

It is a shame that the only surviving Stratoliner is now a damned house boat! I suppose it is better than none surviving but I do not think Howard Hughes would be too happy with how his airplane ended up.
No, Actually I am being facetious. There is a house boat stratoliner but fortunately the Clipper Flying Cloud from good ol' PanAm was obtained by the Smithsonian and restored by Boening workers when they found it languishing in a warehouse. Check out the full story at:

http://members.clnk.com/k5cf/PanAm903/PanAm903.htm
and
http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/archive/2003/august/qt_ab.html

Regards to all,

J

 

[jeboat]

Stetson Stratoliner wool??

I saw a Stetson Stratoliner advertised on an online auction site advertised as made of wool. If that is correct, how can that model be so popular?

jeboat :cool2: :cool2: :cool2:

 

[BellyTank]

...the eBay vendor doesn't know that it's fur-felt- you see a lot of that- good hats described as wool. If it's a good brand and model and described as wool, then chances are it's not wool. just the vendor not knowing anything about hats. Unless it is a wool Stetson...? :rage:

B
T

 

[besdor]

i also see alot of people saying the hat is wool . The problem today is most people dont understand the difference between wool and fur . The reality is nobody for the most part wears hats except for us in the know . Thats why people need to be taught the difference . i was in a hat store in Chicago last year and another person was trying on a hat (Dobbs) . When the store salesman told the customer the price , the customer almost fell down . He didn't understand how a hat could be 100.00 .

 

[varga49]

wool

I bought a hat on ebay which actually was a wool..in the homburg style, made by the golden gate hat company from Los Angeles.

 

[feltfan]

You've gotta wonder about a hat company in
LOS ANGELES named "Golden Gate".

 

[varga49]

You've gotta wonder about a hat company in
LOS ANGELES named "Golden Gate".

heh heh....!

 

[besdor]

You win some ,you loose some . Generaly ,most of the hats seen on Ebay are fur felt ,but you need to be careful . Hats from companies such as Bollman, Dorfman Pacific and Golden Gate are made of wool .
Always ask questions when you buy .

 

[scotrace]

Then there's the one...

The early 50's Borsalino I got that had been listed as "suede."

Ninnyhammers.

 

[varga49]

the golden gate

You win some ,you loose some . Generaly ,most of the hats seen on Ebay are fur felt ,but you need to be careful . Hats from companies such as Bollman, Dorfman Pacific and Golden Gate are made of wool .
Always ask questions when you buy .

I was happy with my golden gate, knowing in advance the hat was a woolie..I did ask, the seller though, which is prudent advice...the golden gate found a new home with a fellow who promised to take good care of it!

 

[DanielJones]

It has been my esperience with all the Strtatoliner lids that I have incountered in antique malls, is that they are a fur felt. I haven't run across one in a wool. Also, it seems the ones in the antique malls were quite expensive. The owner is quite proud of what they are selling, even if it isn't in good shape.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[jeboat]

Brown/tan Stratoliner

Does anybody know if the Stratoliner was made in anything other than gray?

Gray ones seem to be plentiful (but expensive lately) but I wonder if there are any other colors?

jeboat:cool2: :cool2: :cool2:

 

[MattC]

Most colors

I have a light blue Stratoliner, and a medium brown. I have a grey so light it is almost white. I am pretty sure Fedoralover has a dark grey. I've seen a Sage one advertised. I've never seen a black Stratoliner (though I have seen black Open Roads).

 

[fedoralover]

Gray seems to have been the predominate color of Stratoliners (I have one) but I've seen them in brown (I have one) cream (had one) and the colors MattC mentioned. Don't know why.

fedoralover

 

[tonyb]

Had a blue one once, sniff

I bought a medium-blue Stratoliner at a thrift shop a coupla-three decades ago. I was but a callow youth at the time and had little appreciation for what I had. I'll take much better care of the next one, provided there ever is a next one.

 

[CasaBlancaChuck]

Stratoliner on eBay

There's a very good looking (unbashed?) (brown?) Stratoliner Royal on eBay item #8361870228 in a size 7 1/8. You don't see those everyday.

 

[jamespowers]

There's a very good looking (unbashed?) (brown?) Stratoliner Royal on eBay item #8361870228 in a size 7 1/8. You don't see those everyday.

Now that is interesting. I am wearing a Stratoliner of nearly the same color today. Quite a coincidence.
My hat smelled like chocolate when I first got it. It was the strangest thing. That hat isn't even chocolate brown.

Regards to all,

J

 

[jamespowers]

Here is an ad from 1946:

Yes, the hat is the ubiquitous gray.

Regards to all,

J