THE BEST OF 2008

[RBH]

BUT since several of you have voted for a "personal best," 2008 was my year as I have yet to personally beat the Royal DeLuxe Open Road that arrived in lieu of an expected "Champ" that I paid $15 for.

Very nice!

 

[RBH]

Champ Featherweight in beautiful condition. Thin ribbon and brim binding.
Weighing in at a whopping 2.9 oz.

Very very sharp fedora Mr F !!:eusa_clap
Only .2 oz. more than my Memphis Blues.

 

[Prairie Dog]

A Work Of ART

I'm voting for cooncatbob's extraordinary work of "Art" as one of THE BEST OF 2008.
Bob received this beauty back in mid-November and had the stamina not to open
the package until Christmas day. I would never have been able to hold out that long.

Cheers to a great hat, it's talented creator, and the gentleman that owns it. :eusa_clap

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

and this one, my own favorite of the year.

Lefty, droooooool.....the felt on that hat looks smoooooth...
BTW, that box looks the same type as the box my "100" came in. I am awaiting delivery from eBay of a Stetson XXXXXXX I won. It isn't, I believe, an "official" Open Road, but looks like an Open Road. I am mighty curious to see how good that hat will be...!

Season's Greetings to all...
Paul

 

[Feraud]

Very very sharp fedora Mr F !!:eusa_clap
Only .2 oz. more than my Memphis Blues.

Thanks RBH!
Of course I was thinking of your Memphis Blues as I put this one on the scale.

 

[jimmy the lid]

My own collection favorites of the year:
Optimo milan - cooler than a panama, looks good with everything

I forgot to mention this one when I posted last evening. This is really a gorgeous lid, Lefty. The hat body itself is beautiful -- but, man, that ribbon is just fantastic. The whole hat has the kind of vibe that you get from some of the old vintage Stetson ads for some of their straws. Very cool.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to finally hop across the Lake and visit Optimo in person. Is it possible to visit that shop and actually not spend all day there...? (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Lefty]

Thanks JtL, RBH, & Pablo.

I can't see walking out of Optimo without a lighter wallet, but the milan does the least damage. Spending a good amount of time there is fun, but too much time will just make you sad.

I was pretty nervous handling some of the panamas there. When someone puts an $8,000 hat in your hands, it's like holding her newborn - exciting, but nerve-wrecking.

As to the milan, I'm surprised that I like the styling of this one so much. It's a lower crown and the brim isn't very wide, but it looks great with wayfarers and my wife seems to like it.

 

[carouselvic]

Lefty, you look so different since you shaved.

 

[Lefty]

I've also been tanning...

ok, ok, it's a bronzer.

 

[RBH]

It really brings out the color in that milan!

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

I've also been tanning...

ok, ok, it's a bronzer.

Lefty, thy leaveth a literary (re)mark(able)...great :eusa_clap

 

[handlebar bart]

Lefty, the best photo of 2008.:eusa_clap

 

[Lefty]

Thanks, but I'm partial to this one. It's not a great photo, but when you're cleaning up your father in law's hunting property in nowhere Ohio (near Marietta), and a three legged dog that responds to the word "smile" trots over, the camera saves you from having to respond to the many comments of "no way, no way you saw that". I can't remember the dog's name - we later found that he belongs to the neighbors - but we called him Tripod.

 

[HungaryTom]

Panama hatworks of Montecristi - blocked by Art Fawcett

I like everything about this photo

 

[RBH]

I like everything about this photo

WOW!!!!!! Thats all I can say!!!!!!!

 

[carter]

I'm nominating the Triple Bow Navy Blue Fedora with Silver Grey Ribbon created by tonyb for Tom-n-Perris.