I have what I think to be a good conversation question....forgive me if this has been conversed already...
Is the primary reason for the initial distaste for new production hats because of a noticeable quality difference from back in the day?? I will try to be brief with my analysis, but bear with me...
From what I can find in my research, EVERYBODY wore hats in the 30's, 40's 50's, so obviously production demand had to be high. Department stores carried ample stock and hat shops were on every corner, so although they probably weren't produced on mass automated machinery to the degree they are today, they definately weren't all "hand crafted." Also, again from what I can tell, a good quality hat (one that would be actively sought out today by any one of us) cost about $7-12 back in the day. Today, a "quality" hat will cost $200-300 from a custom maker in most cases and the $75-150 mass production line (Stetson, Dobbs, etc...) are generally discussed as noticeably lacking in quality. I am definately not an economic major, but I don't think $7-12 back in the 40's is equivilent to $250-300 today is it??
So my question for conversation is this.....is our de-valuing of modern production hats based upon actual quality differences or is it mostly out of (forgive the term) ignorant bias? I don't think grandad bought his hat in the 40's with the idea that it would last for 20-30, or even 10 years, but because his did, we seem to expect that from our modern hats? Does that make sense??
Please don't get me wrong...I am not bashing (pun intended) new hats or one's preference for vintage. I own a collection that includes modern production Stetsons, a vintage Dobbs, and an Art Fawcett custom. While my VS definately feels superior, I just can't imagine that his quality was standard type in the 30's, 40's or 50's.
Again, I am not trying to be confrontational....just picking brains and thought processes.
I look forward to your comments.
Is the primary reason for the initial distaste for new production hats because of a noticeable quality difference from back in the day?? I will try to be brief with my analysis, but bear with me...
From what I can find in my research, EVERYBODY wore hats in the 30's, 40's 50's, so obviously production demand had to be high. Department stores carried ample stock and hat shops were on every corner, so although they probably weren't produced on mass automated machinery to the degree they are today, they definately weren't all "hand crafted." Also, again from what I can tell, a good quality hat (one that would be actively sought out today by any one of us) cost about $7-12 back in the day. Today, a "quality" hat will cost $200-300 from a custom maker in most cases and the $75-150 mass production line (Stetson, Dobbs, etc...) are generally discussed as noticeably lacking in quality. I am definately not an economic major, but I don't think $7-12 back in the 40's is equivilent to $250-300 today is it??
So my question for conversation is this.....is our de-valuing of modern production hats based upon actual quality differences or is it mostly out of (forgive the term) ignorant bias? I don't think grandad bought his hat in the 40's with the idea that it would last for 20-30, or even 10 years, but because his did, we seem to expect that from our modern hats? Does that make sense??
Please don't get me wrong...I am not bashing (pun intended) new hats or one's preference for vintage. I own a collection that includes modern production Stetsons, a vintage Dobbs, and an Art Fawcett custom. While my VS definately feels superior, I just can't imagine that his quality was standard type in the 30's, 40's or 50's.
Again, I am not trying to be confrontational....just picking brains and thought processes.
I look forward to your comments.