The Art of the Open Road

[Pilgrim]

Maybe the title of the thread is too self-important, but I wanted to post a couple of pix in support of wearing an Open Road in the original Cattleman's Bash.

If a guy lives in Colorado, seems to me that wearing a cattleman's bash is appropriate just about any time, any place.

The hat above is my tan Open Road Twenty-Five. I have an identical dark grey Open Road with the same bash, so there's one for any dressy occasion when I'm in the right frame of mind. And in Colorado, I believe that an Open Road with cattleman's bash can be worn with anything up to and including a suit and oxfords.

But lest you think I'm only a cattleman bash guy, below are before and after photos of this evening's project, a late 70's Open Road I've had for about a year. The tag is still in it, identifying it as color #304 Silver Mist. It has a black sweatband and fairly stiff felt. I decided to remodel it this evening, changing from cattleman style to a fedora bash.

Here's before:

And here''s after:

I figure that I have a bit of fine-tuning to do, and perhaps a bit of brushing. It took a fair amount of finger work and steam to moderate the marks of the old bash, and I may have to work on it a bit more.

However, I now have two traditional Open Roads in tan and dark grey, plus one light grey with a fedora bash.

 

[Zemke Fan]

Great photos...

Glad to see the before-and-afters of this, Pilgrim. Being an old Idaho boy myself, I can see me wearing the cattleman's bash, but wouldn't have been caught DEAD in such a hat for the first 18/54s of my life!

 

[scotrace]

Man alive is that sharp! That hat looks like it was made for you.

There's a well-known auctioneer in my area who wears a cattleman's bash Open Road (modern) and it's his trademark. That hat would be all but impossible to get away with here.

Great hat!

 

[varga49]

nice!

Pilgrim, You make that hat look really really good! Just yesterday I took my vintage 50's OpenRoad in to San Antonio to get cleaned and blocked into a fedora style...now you've got me rethinking that choice. Still today, A lot of folks around here, from Ranchers to Guitar Troubadour continue to wear open roads...in fact I'd never seen so many open roads...I guess it's a LBJ legacy of sorts.

 

[John in Covina]

I think it looks pretty sharp and if you are looking for a classy western flair, it fits the bill!

 

[Razzman]

That's a very smart look Pilgrim. Very nice indeed.:eusa_clap

 

[Feraud]

This is what they mean by "owning the look". :eusa_clap
Pilgrim, you look sharp.

 

[RBH]

WOW... great Open Road Pilgrim !!
You really have a classy western look going there!
You also did a great job on the crown on your newer OR, can you post a photo of you wearing that one also?
:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Duck]

Very nice, Pilgrim. :eusa_clap

 

[deanglen]

Yes. Looking sharp! Very, very nice!

dean

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I see a little John Huston in Chinatown there. Or maybe John Huston in Treasure of the Sierra Madre? Either way, it's a great look and makes me want to wear my Cattleman's creased Open Road more.

 

[Davidson]

Dark gray too please!

YES. That top photo, from that angle, the Open Road has a "softened Homburg" look. Never thought about it that way before. Anyway, you've nailed it.

The next time you have the dark gray one one, remember to take a photo for us please!

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

A very nice look. All of my ORs have the Alpine/Cattleman's crease

 

[plain old dave]

With the OR like in the pic you'd fit right in in an old time string band. Think Bill Monroe or the Stanley Brothers...

 

[deanglen]

Here's a shot I've posted elsewhere, an ancestor of the OR ,and shows a variation of the cattleman's.

And these,

dean

 

[Rooster]

That's a sharp look.
I prefer to wear mine with the cattleman's bash too. Something about it just says "old timey Iowa....."

[/IMG]

 

[epic610]

Pilgrim...

that is a really, really good look! one of the best i have ever seen for the traditional "open road".

Rooster's not bad either; that's how i wear mine.

 

[Mark G]

That is truly a great look, Pilgrim and Rooster. You both pull it off in spades.

 

[Nigel]

That looks good Pilgrim. I've always liked the cattleman bash. The problem is over here in England the cattleman crown doesn't fly, you get all the usual sarcastic comments:rage: . I have a Milano 20X Bangora in CC style and these days only tend to wear it when out walking in the countryside away from the morons. Either way it's bashed, an OR looks good and I have room for at least one on my wish list.