The Stratoliner Appreciation Club {MODERN}

[moontheloon]

I was not lumping all modern stratoliner into one group.

I was speaking of the modern Royal grade stratoliners I have handled and stated that they are in no way something I would buy when for a few more dollars you could buy a Premier which is worlds better

Just one mans opinion

 

[moontheloon]

Word from employees is that the open crown Premier Stratoliner is getting hard to get supposedly because the bodies are getting hard to get. The Excellent may have already been dropped from the line. As we know, if you special order a Premier the wait time is long; employees say it's because of the lack of Premier grade bodies. They think the 150th anniversary line of hats is being reduced down to one model each: creased, no open crowns; leather sweats, just not sheepskin leather; no more Stratoliner pins. They will all be labeled Royal Quality. The 150th anniversary thing has almost run its course.

I recently handpicked a Royal Quality Stratoliner. From the ribbon out the brim is nice & soft, has a good hand. The pounce on the crown is not as nice but feels no worse than some Akubra CD's. Colors were limited & I found the best in stock to be either Caribou or black, so I bought Caribou. These were all prime hats & not seconds.

They had a nice Tawny Premier Whippett in my size but it had a terrible divot in the top side of the brim. It apparently had been there in stock a while. They were only willing to discount it $20/off but the divot was so deep I thought it could soon become a hole.

I only found one Stratoliner straw (7-3/4 gray) so wasn't able to evaluate the quality based on one hat.

At St. Joe they sell a lot of western straws & they said more & more straws are coming in with cloth sweats. They said expect that trend to continue & spread to other mid grade hats as well.

Are we talking about employees of Stetson or employees of a hat shop?

Your post prompted me to call and talk to Jose at JJ hat who had no knowledge of anything you mentioned.
I am waiting on a call back from him after he digs around a bit for some info

 

[Frunobulax]

you folks in this Modern Strat Appreciation thread are making me ashamed to wear my first ever fur felt fedora!!
My first hat!! Now I will be embarrassed to wear it in public......who has a real vintage strat in 7 1/8 to trade so I can be seen
in public again???? :>)

Oh well!!! Next week I'll have a Gus Miller on my noggin.....
tom

Please, please post about your experiences with Mr. Miller and photos of your new hat. I hope to finally get down to talk to Mr. Miller about making a hat for me in the next few weeks. I've been trying to keep my finger off the vintage trigger (and failing, BTW) for a while so I can justify one from Batsakes. I do not think we have a Batsakes thread, unfortunately. Some questions:

How long ago did you order your hat?
Can you please describe the process? Did you sit down with Mr. Miller and "design" your hat? How was he to work with on specifics?
Many have said he and the staff down there can be a bit gruff and off-putting. I have never found that to be the case. They are certainly a bit opinionated, but my dealings with them have always been cordial. I look forward to hearing of your experience.

Are we talking about employees of Stetson or employees of a hat shop?

Your post prompted me to call and talk to Jose at JJ hat who had no knowledge of anything you mentioned.
I am waiting on a call back from him after he digs around a bit for some info

Thank you. The Excellent Strat was not in the 2016 catalogue, but any of us that have visited Deckard's Instagram have seen posts of Excellent Quality hats, including the Temple. He posted an Excellent Quality hat with a triple stitch brim just this morning. I only wish he was more forthcoming with what he is posting and how to get them. That thing today is a real beaut! As somebody who has been very satisfied with the quality of the Royal DeLuxe Stetsonian and my factory second Racine, I only hope HJ is mistaken.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BD5wGleotnb/?taken-by=mattdeckard

 

[moontheloon]

Thank you. The Excellent Strat was not in the 2016 catalogue, but any of us that have visited Deckard's Instagram have seen posts of Excellent Quality hats, including the Temple. He posted an Excellent Quality hat with a triple stitch brim just this morning. I only wish he was more forthcoming with what he is posting and how to get them. That thing today is a real beaut! As somebody who has been very satisfied with the quality of the Royal DeLuxe Stetsonian and my factory second Racine, I only hope HJ is mistaken.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BD5wGleotnb/?taken-by=mattdeckard

Deckard is vague on purpose.... He wants to dangle the carrot so you seek out the vegetable garden

 

[jonkertb]

Please, please post about your experiences with Mr. Miller and photos of your new hat. I hope to finally get down to talk to Mr. Miller about making a hat for me in the next few weeks. I've been trying to keep my finger off the vintage trigger (and failing, BTW) for a while so I can justify one from Batsakes. I do not think we have a Batsakes thread, unfortunately. Some questions:

How long ago did you order your hat?
Can you please describe the process? Did you sit down with Mr. Miller and "design" your hat? How was he to work with on specifics?
Many have said he and the staff down there can be a bit gruff and off-putting. I have never found that to be the case. They are certainly a bit opinionated, but my dealings with them have always been cordial. I look forward to hearing of your experience.

My wife and I visited the shop 3 weeks ago or so. Having read about the ladies I stepped very lightly and politely LOL
I tried on some typical fedora styles by him and the Italian maker Borsa and since they were close in price I obviously wanted one from "the man". The one they had was just a bit large......at that point Gus himself came over and began talking and took over. We chose a darker grey and larger brim together with him saying when we pick it up it could be trimmed to our liking He was very talkative and we had a great conversation. I think what folks are experiencing with the "gruff" staff is their attempt to shelter Gus from talkers cause I think he would have chatted all day. I have to remember to wear some shoes that require a polish so I can enjoy a conversation with the shoe shine side of the shop too.

been hitting the resale shops looking too for the new addiction...found a Dobbs that fit for $25 but had a pin hole from moths and some nibbling so passed....to continue to wear my new strat :>)

 

[moontheloon]

you folks in this Modern Strat Appreciation thread are making me ashamed to wear my first ever fur felt fedora!!
My first hat!! Now I will be embarrassed to wear it in public......who has a real vintage strat in 7 1/8 to trade so I can be seen
in public again???? :>)

Oh well!!! Next week I'll have a Gus Miller on my noggin.....
tom

My friend , nothing I typed should make you enjoy your hat any less.
This is just one idiots opinion.
Wear it with pride

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Are we talking about employees of Stetson or employees of a hat shop?

Your post prompted me to call and talk to Jose at JJ hat who had no knowledge of anything you mentioned.
I am waiting on a call back from him after he digs around a bit for some info

Employees of Stetson. I have no doubt that the better hat shops such as JJ's would get the available Premiers first (assuming they have ordered) over a company outlet store. The whole point is that the employees KNOW FOR A FACT that better grade bodies used in the Primier have been harder to get for sometime, therefore availability of the Primier has been greatly reduced. And they FEEL like the grades of hats within the 150 anniversary like (Strat, Whippett, 150 OR, any others I am forgetting?) will be reduced to one grade each.

 

[safetyfast]

I bought a Premier from Nordstroms for $120. Clearance price. It was a no-brainier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jonkertb]

My friend , nothing I typed should make you enjoy your hat any less.
This is just one idiots opinion.
Wear it with pride

I understand.....I will enjoy it ....just wish I knew more before pulling the trigger on it......so some tuition is always being paid!
no offense taken....still learning cause I'm still breathing

 

[Frunobulax]

Deckard is vague on purpose.... He wants to dangle the carrot so you seek out the vegetable garden

Yeah, well, I can't even find the neighborhood the garden is in, so...

 

[Frunobulax]

My wife and I visited the shop 3 weeks ago or so. Having read about the ladies I stepped very lightly and politely LOL
I tried on some typical fedora styles by him and the Italian maker Borsa and since they were close in price I obviously wanted one from "the man". The one they had was just a bit large......at that point Gus himself came over and began talking and took over. We chose a darker grey and larger brim together with him saying when we pick it up it could be trimmed to our liking He was very talkative and we had a great conversation. I think what folks are experiencing with the "gruff" staff is their attempt to shelter Gus from talkers cause I think he would have chatted all day. I have to remember to wear some shoes that require a polish so I can enjoy a conversation with the shoe shine side of the shop too.

I always got the impression that, not only were they screening for Mr. Miller, but they might little suffer those who aren't a bit serious about getting something, or at least serious about hats. I gained a lot of "street cred" by first buying a Selentino from them, then taking a 40s Dalton in for a refurb after. But they also watch the customers like a hawk - likely due to their downtown location.

Mr. Miller will talk your ear off if you give him a chance.

Did you and your wife go in on a Saturday? I get the impression he isn't there every day anymore.

 

[Frunobulax]

I bought a Premier from Nordstroms for $120. Clearance price. It was a no-brainier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How long ago? I had been keeping an eye on them, hoping for a sale, but they suddenly showed up out of stock a few weeks ago. Had I seen that price, I'd have jumped on it.
(sad trombone)

 

[moontheloon]

Employees of Stetson. I have no doubt that the better hat shops such as JJ's would get the available Premiers first (assuming they have ordered) over a company outlet store. The whole point is that the employees KNOW FOR A FACT that better grade bodies used in the Primier have been harder to get for sometime, therefore availability of the Primier has been greatly reduced. And they FEEL like the grades of hats within the 150 anniversary like (Strat, Whippett, 150 OR, any others I am forgetting?) will be reduced to one grade each.

Very interesting

 

[Frunobulax]

Very interesting

It might partially explain our waits for hats last year. I just figured, in my case, it was the color.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Very interesting

The 150th anniversary yr was last yr. Sales for the Excellent Strat probably fell off quickly leaving the Premier Strat & the Special Edition Royal Strat. Even the SER Strat had a sheepskin leather sweat. I believe the Royal Quality Strat that I bought is a SER Strat. It was only in Caribou or black, has the lazered 150th sticker, & a nice sweat.

As far as I know the Whippet was limited to just two grades: the Premier Whippet (sheepskin leather sweat) & the Royal Quality Whippet. The Open Road limited to just two also: the Special Edition 150th Anniversary Open Road (just a 6X) & the 6X Open Road.

Why is it unreasonable to think now that the 150th anniversary yr has come & gone that multiple grades within the same model hat would be consolidated and/or dropped?

 

[moontheloon]

The 150th anniversary yr was last yr. Sales for the Excellent Strat probably fell off quickly leaving the Premier Strat & the Special Edition Royal Strat. Even the SER Strat had a sheepskin leather sweat. I believe the Royal Quality Strat that I bought is a SER Strat. It was only in Caribou or black, has the lazered 150th sticker, & a nice sweat.

As far as I know the Whippet was limited to just two grades: the Premier Whippet (sheepskin leather sweat) & the Royal Quality Whippet. The Open Road limited to just two also: the Special Edition 150th Anniversary Open Road (just a 6X) & the 6X Open Road.

Why is it unreasonable to think now that the 150th anniversary yr has come & gone that multiple grades within the same model hat would be consolidated and/or dropped?

What seems unreasonable is that they would only offer that low grade horrible felt of the Royal aside from special order.

Especially when their creative director of dress hats posts racks of Excellent Quality hats from the factory on the internet almost daily

 

[safetyfast]

How long ago? I had been keeping an eye on them, hoping for a sale, but they suddenly showed up out of stock a few weeks ago. Had I seen that price, I'd have jumped on it.
(sad trombone)

A few weeks ago.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Especially when their creative director of dress hats posts racks of Excellent Quality hats from the factory on the internet almost daily

I may be way off base but I can't imagine the Excellent Quality Strat sold in numbers big enough to sustain itself. I see it as having been more of a celebratory grade for those wanting it. Maybe those pics of racks he posts are leftovers he's still trying to unload?

I got the distinct impression that Hatco may be cutting costs & streamlining within the Stetson product line to remain profitable with what sells. YMMV.

 

[moontheloon]

I may be way off base but I can't imagine the Excellent Quality Strat sold in numbers big enough to sustain itself. I see it as having been more of a celebratory grade for those wanting it. Maybe those pics of racks he posts are leftovers he's still trying to unload?

I got the distinct impression that Hatco may be cutting costs & streamlining within the Stetson product line to remain profitable with what sells. YMMV.

Sounds logical to me

Unfortunate but logical

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Sounds logical to me

Unfortunate but logical

I don't own any nor will I be buying any Hatco stock.