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The BORSALINO BROTHERHOOD

Air Wing Marine

One of the Regulars
Messages
122
Location
Houston
borbrim2.jpg borbrim2.jpg borbrim1.jpg borbrim3.jpg
 
Messages
18,272
Location
Nederland
Thanks to Terry's and Daniel's posts about a Fedora Borsalino, I've been encouraged to look afresh at a Borsalino Homburg I bought a couple of years or so ago.

The brim was very flat and wide (7cm) and the crown quite high at 15cm, which led me to speculate that it was a Borsalino made for my brethren in the Orthodox Jewish Community.

I'm still not sure about this, perhaps the brim just went floppy due to storage issues, but the "before" photos posted below will either confirm or deny my speculation regarding its religious hat origin.

I'm not orthodox and don't need to look more Jewish than my heritage says I am, not that I'm at all ashamed of that, so I wanted to give this Borsa a new, more classic Homburg shape. The after photos hopefully show how my attempts turned out.

I forgot to take photos of me with the hat in its flat brim state, but hope the brim change from flat to curl can be seen.
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It does look good both ways, Steve, but I'm like you: I like my homburgs to have some curve.
 
Messages
18,272
Location
Nederland
This came in today. Not looking the way it does now; had to take care of a very generous amount of dust first. It will be going back to its roots.
Borsalino Export Qualität Gran Lusso lobbia (or homburg if you will). Gulaela model in size 60 with the brim a little over 6cm and the crown a commanding 12cm in front (it looked at me like it did not want to be pinched). Nice touch is the : "gegenüber dem ratskeller" on the sweat and liner; like the hat wearer wouldn't know where the hatshop was.
borsalino-gran-lusso60_01-jpg.143836
borsalino-gran-lusso60_02-jpg.143837
borsalino-gran-lusso60_03-jpg.143838
borsalino-gran-lusso60_04-jpg.143839
borsalino-gran-lusso60_05-jpg.143840
borsalino-gran-lusso60_06-jpg.143841
borsalino-gran-lusso60_07-jpg.143842
borsalino-gran-lusso60_08-jpg.143843
borsalino-gran-lusso60_09-jpg.143844
borsalino-gran-lusso60_10-jpg.143845
 
Messages
12,384
Location
Albany Oregon
This came in today. Not looking the way it does now; had to take care of a very generous amount of dust first. It will be going back to its roots.
Borsalino Export Qualität Gran Lusso lobbia (or homburg if you will). Gulaela model in size 60 with the brim a little over 6cm and the crown a commanding 12cm in front (it looked at me like it did not want to be pinched). Nice touch is the : "gegenüber dem ratskeller" on the sweat and liner; like the hat wearer wouldn't know where the hatshop was.
borsalino-gran-lusso60_01-jpg.143836
borsalino-gran-lusso60_02-jpg.143837
borsalino-gran-lusso60_03-jpg.143838
borsalino-gran-lusso60_04-jpg.143839
borsalino-gran-lusso60_05-jpg.143840
borsalino-gran-lusso60_06-jpg.143841
borsalino-gran-lusso60_07-jpg.143842
borsalino-gran-lusso60_08-jpg.143843
borsalino-gran-lusso60_09-jpg.143844
borsalino-gran-lusso60_10-jpg.143845
There is one of those different wind trolleys again. No button, but cool anyway. How old is this one? Sure cleaned up nice.
 

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,748
Location
Denmark
This came in today. Not looking the way it does now; had to take care of a very generous amount of dust first. It will be going back to its roots.
Borsalino Export Qualität Gran Lusso lobbia (or homburg if you will). Gulaela model in size 60 with the brim a little over 6cm and the crown a commanding 12cm in front (it looked at me like it did not want to be pinched). Nice touch is the : "gegenüber dem ratskeller" on the sweat and liner; like the hat wearer wouldn't know where the hatshop was.
borsalino-gran-lusso60_01-jpg.143836
borsalino-gran-lusso60_02-jpg.143837
borsalino-gran-lusso60_03-jpg.143838
borsalino-gran-lusso60_04-jpg.143839
borsalino-gran-lusso60_05-jpg.143840
borsalino-gran-lusso60_06-jpg.143841
borsalino-gran-lusso60_07-jpg.143842
borsalino-gran-lusso60_08-jpg.143843
borsalino-gran-lusso60_09-jpg.143844
borsalino-gran-lusso60_10-jpg.143845
Or maybe that was the bar to meet in [emoji4]. Whatever, a very unique wording, Stefan.
I find it so interesting that some hats just say "pinch" when you look and absorb them, while others say "no way".


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Just Daniel

One Too Many
Messages
1,451
Beautiful hat. In what time period do you place it?


This came in today. Not looking the way it does now; had to take care of a very generous amount of dust first. It will be going back to its roots.
Borsalino Export Qualität Gran Lusso lobbia (or homburg if you will). Gulaela model in size 60 with the brim a little over 6cm and the crown a commanding 12cm in front (it looked at me like it did not want to be pinched). Nice touch is the : "gegenüber dem ratskeller" on the sweat and liner; like the hat wearer wouldn't know where the hatshop was.
borsalino-gran-lusso60_01-jpg.143836
borsalino-gran-lusso60_02-jpg.143837
borsalino-gran-lusso60_03-jpg.143838
borsalino-gran-lusso60_04-jpg.143839
borsalino-gran-lusso60_05-jpg.143840
borsalino-gran-lusso60_06-jpg.143841
borsalino-gran-lusso60_07-jpg.143842
borsalino-gran-lusso60_08-jpg.143843
borsalino-gran-lusso60_09-jpg.143844
borsalino-gran-lusso60_10-jpg.143845
 
Messages
18,272
Location
Nederland
There is one of those different wind trolleys again. No button, but cool anyway. How old is this one? Sure cleaned up nice.
Beautiful hat. In what time period do you place it?
Thanks, gentlemen. Like Steve said, no-button windcords are quite common. This liner, combined with the label puts it somewhere between 1955 and 1965 I'd say. The yellow oilskin covered liners seem to be replaced somewhere in the mid sixties and the borsalino designation on the label disappeared somewhere in the mid fifties. The seller had it listed as "over thirty years old" which is not wrong, but not exactly right either. But based on that probably early sixties.
There still was a hatshop on the address in Hamburg in 2014 but under the name of Falkenhagen. They were there since 1979. So Louis Grude was there before that time. I have found some undated reference to the man (and his shop) being located at Steindamm 72 in Hamburg. It does list however "english hat magazine" ; a side job maybe?
 

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,748
Location
Denmark
Thanks, gentlemen. Like Steve said, no-button windcords are quite common. This liner, combined with the label puts it somewhere between 1955 and 1965 I'd say. The yellow oilskin covered liners seem to be replaced somewhere in the mid sixties and the borsalino designation on the label disappeared somewhere in the mid fifties. The seller had it listed as "over thirty years old" which is not wrong, but not exactly right either. But based on that probably early sixties.
There still was a hatshop on the address in Hamburg in 2014 but under the name of Falkenhagen. They were there since 1979. So Louis Grude was there before that time. I have found some undated reference to the man (and his shop) being located at Steindamm 72 in Hamburg. It does list however "english hat magazine" ; a side job maybe?
Interesting info, Stefan. Thanks for sharing.
I think perhaps that the term "magazine" here means store/depot (Magazin in German) and not a periodical as we automatically assume the word to mean today.

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Messages
18,272
Location
Nederland
Interesting info, Stefan. Thanks for sharing.
I think perhaps that the term "magazine" here means store/depot (Magazin in German) and not a periodical as we automatically assume the word to mean today.

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It could be, but I not sure "magazine" is used that way here. "Hutgeschäft" is named specifically right after it. Pity I can't find anything else about the shop.
louis grude.jpg
 

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,748
Location
Denmark
It could be, but I not sure "magazine" is used that way here. "Hutgeschäft" is named specifically right after it. Pity I can't find anything else about the shop. View attachment 143905
Interesting, Stefan, thanks. Maybe they didn't want to repeat the same word, or maybe he did produce a periodical about English hats. Doesn't seem likely though. The hat industry in general and the English ditto in particular was in decline from the mid 50s to mid 60s.
If, however, he did produce a magazine about English hats, how great would it be to get hold of one? On a scale of 1-10, I'd say, 11 [emoji4]

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