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The Art of the Open Road

Pilgrim

One Too Many
Messages
1,719
Location
Fort Collins, CO
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.

P1010008-1.jpg


P1010007-1.jpg


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:
P1010010.jpg


P1010009-1.jpg


And here''s after:

P1010016.jpg


P1010013.jpg


P1010012.jpg


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

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,690
Location
On Hiatus. Really. Or Not.
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

Head Bartender
Staff member
Messages
14,392
Location
Small Town Ohio, USA
P1010008-1.jpg



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

One of the Regulars
Messages
247
Location
Central Texas
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.
 

RBH

Bartender
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
 

Davidson

One of the Regulars
Messages
153
Location
US
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!
 

Rooster

Practically Family
Messages
917
Location
Iowa
That's a sharp look.
I prefer to wear mine with the cattleman's bash too. Something about it just says "old timey Iowa....."
rwest6.jpg
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epic610

One of the Regulars
Messages
299
Location
suburban philadelphia
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.
 

Nigel

One of the Regulars
Messages
240
Location
East Yorkshire, England
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.
 

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