Weird Optimo Hat

[Judgmentalist]

I bought this hat. Mostly because it annoys me.

1.) It doesn’t match anything Optimo currently offers
2.) As far as I can tell, Optimo never made a wool hat - I assume mislabeled
3.) This site is good at authentication but absolutely horrible at sizing and photos. I want to see the inside.
4.) They have a good return policy - as long as something isn’t listed as no returns, which this isn’t.

If you aren’t familiar, The Real Real does curated consignment. You send them a box of stuff you can’t sell or won’t sell otherwise, and they photograph and list it for you. Upside, easy. Downside, the money split is tiered such that your return on the first $1k sales or so is hot garbage, and they are in complete control of initial pricing and price drops for stagnant inventory. It mostly only works for people with high volume well-known luxury brand turnover, or if you have a closet full of lessons learned that you just want to go away with a minimum of fuss. This hat doesn’t belong with them. Somebody’s wife probably chucked it in a box along with the rest of her husband’s stuff, if I had to guess. Nightmare fuel lol

That is what I know. Now hopefully you guys can help me figure out some things I don’t know.

I can’t find anything from Optimo that looks like this hat.

Maybe some folks with longer memories can help out. Surely they could make this hat if they wanted to, but I imagine it would be a custom order - unless this is a recognizable form factor from an earlier era or product line or whatever.

FYI, assuming the hat gets here and doesn’t fit me, or I otherwise decide I don’t want it, anybody from FTL that wants it can have it for what I’ve got in it, but you’d have to move quick to clear funds while I’m still inside the return window.

I will post a bunch of pics as soon as it gets here.

 

[jeffgarf]

I bought this hat. Mostly because it annoys me.

1.) It doesn’t match anything Optimo currently offers
2.) As far as I can tell, Optimo never made a wool hat - I assume mislabeled
3.) This site is good at authentication but absolutely horrible at sizing and photos. I want to see the inside.
4.) They have a good return policy - as long as something isn’t listed as no returns, which this isn’t.

If you aren’t familiar, The Real Real does curated consignment. You send them a box of stuff you can’t sell or won’t sell otherwise, and they photograph and list it for you. Upside, easy. Downside, the money split is tiered such that your return on the first $1k sales or so is hot garbage, and they are in complete control of initial pricing and price drops for stagnant inventory. It mostly only works for people with high volume well-known luxury brand turnover, or if you have a closet full of lessons learned that you just want to go away with a minimum of fuss. This hat doesn’t belong with them. Somebody’s wife probably chucked it in a box along with the rest of her husband’s stuff, if I had to guess. Nightmare fuel lol

That is what I know. Now hopefully you guys can help me figure out some things I don’t know.

I can’t find anything from Optimo that looks like this hat.

Maybe some folks with longer memories can help out. Surely they could make this hat if they wanted to, but I imagine it would be a custom order - unless this is a recognizable form factor from an earlier era or product line or whatever.

FYI, assuming the hat gets here and doesn’t fit me, or I otherwise decide I don’t want it, anybody from FTL that wants it can have it for what I’ve got in it, but you’d have to move quick to clear funds while I’m still inside the return window.

I will post a bunch of pics as soon as it gets here.

View attachment 781776

Many hats will be listed as "wool," despite being fur felt on these sites, simply because people do not know that the hats are made of fur (or a wool/fur mixture). I have trouble buying from TRR because of the information they do not provide and the pictures they don't have, but bargains can be found their occasionally and customer service had responded to my requests for sizing info in some cases. The return policy helps, though.

 

[Judgmentalist]

Many hats will be listed as "wool," despite being fur felt on these sites, simply because people do not know that the hats are made of fur (or a wool/fur mixture). I have trouble buying from TRR because of the information they do not provide and the pictures they don't have, but bargains can be found their occasionally and customer service had responded to my requests for sizing info in some cases. The return policy helps, though.

I'm not normally a fan of buying stuff with the intention of sending it back, but in my opinion if a big shop like TRR can't be bothered to take the minimum required literally 1 additional photo, to avoid unnecessary shipping fees, that's on them. They do this with a ton of stuff.

I also bought this one because I was annoyed at the one I missed at $280 last night. At a minimum I should have put a speculative snipe in, but I was waffling and ran out the clock.

That one was a perfect storm, brand, form factor, size, poor presentation, auction format. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for one of those to come back around.

 

[belfastboy]

I'm not normally a fan of buying stuff with the intention of sending it back, but in my opinion if a big shop like TRR can't be bothered to take the minimum required literally 1 additional photo, to avoid unnecessary shipping fees, that's on them. They do this with a ton of stuff.

I also bought this one because I was annoyed at the one I missed at $280 last night. At a minimum I should have put a speculative snipe in, but I was waffling and ran out the clock.

That one was a perfect storm, brand, form factor, size, poor presentation, auction format. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for one of those to come back around.

The most cost effective approach to buying used hats (or new cars or just about anything)...don't fall in love with it before buying. Used stuff...if you miss out...well they are like busses....miss one another will come by soon enough.

 

[Judgmentalist]

The most cost effective approach to buying used hats (or new cars or just about anything)...don't fall in love with it before buying. Used stuff...if you miss out...well they are like busses....miss one another will come by soon enough.

Agreed - cost effective isn’t my strong suit - I’ll get there but apparently I have to go around the hard way. Ugh

 

[Judgmentalist]

The most cost effective approach to buying used hats (or new cars or just about anything)...don't fall in love with it before buying. Used stuff...if you miss out...well they are like busses....miss one another will come by soon enough.

@belfastboy Let me know when you are back in the hat-building business, by the way

 

[moehawk]

It has a strong resemblance to the Bulldog...

https://optimo.com/hats/#formal

 

[Judgmentalist]

It has a strong resemblance to the Bulldog...

https://optimo.com/hats/#formal

You know, I didn’t notice that the Bulldog doesn’t have a bound brim, and I was assuming it was rigid, not soft. Could be wrong. I can’t click the link or get to any ad copy on the Bulldog. I wonder if they disable links when the hats are not available or something?

 

[moehawk]

You know, I don’t notice that the Bulldog doesn’t have a bound brim, and I was assuming it was rigid, not soft. Could be wrong. I can’t click the link or get to any ad copy on the Bulldog. I wonder if they disable links when the hats are not available or something?

I would guess (but a guess only) that being a Lord's hat it is kind of an obscure style, perhaps they are only made to order.,with no back stock.

 

[Judgmentalist]

I would guess (but a guess only) that being a Lord's hat it is kind of an obscure style, perhaps they are only made to order.,with no back stock.

Ah, Lord’s hat - that’s it thank you

 

[jlee562]

They used to be much more amenable to customization too. Not so much anymore as I understand it, but it might also just be someone's custom order.

 

[belfastboy]

@belfastboy Let me know when you are back in the hat-building business, by the way

The last leg of the trip. Back in the shop next Thursday.

 

[jeffgarf]

The last leg of the trip. Back in the shop next Thursday.

Tip one more back for those of us on the Lounge.

 

[Judgmentalist]

The last leg of the trip. Back in the shop next Thursday.

Ah now this is awesome.

 

[blewnote]

The most cost effective approach to buying used hats (or new cars or just about anything)...don't fall in love with it before buying. Used stuff...if you miss out...well they are like busses....miss one another will come by soon enough.

This, 100%.

I was going to post this to you in reply to something else you (Judgementalist, not Robert) said, but here's as good a place as any.

You've got a few hats now. Maybe if you want one more look for one in a more casual style like a porkpie or open road/stratoliner, but other than that... slow down! Unless you just wanna drop money willy nilly.

The thing about the used hat market is that it's always changing. New stuff pops up constantly. Things that are desirable and priced well generally sell fast, sometimes before you even see them... even if you're obsessively searching for something in particular. There's one guy in Florida that hoovers things up and then flips them as "part of dads collection" for a lot more than he pays for them. And quite honestly, even if you *are* willing to drop money to get something you want it has to be available on the market, and sometimes it just isnt.

Yes, you have a larger hat size and those are harder to come by. But fellow forum members like Bob Hufford, Brent (Deadlyhandsome although I don't see him post here anymore), Ross (whose handle I don't remember but tends towards westerns), and I think PacificNW all are dudes with larger noggins and have had great luck finding fantastic hats from the 30s/40s/50s (and even earlier). And I'm absolutely positive they didn't buy them all within a week or two of deciding they wanted to get some hats.

 

[Judgmentalist]

This, 100%.

I was going to post this to you in reply to something else you (Judgementalist, not Robert) said, but here's as good a place as any.

You've got a few hats now. Maybe if you want one more look for one in a more casual style like a porkpie or open road/stratoliner, but other than that... slow down! Unless you just wanna drop money willy nilly.

The thing about the used hat market is that it's always changing. New stuff pops up constantly. Things that are desirable and priced well generally sell fast, sometimes before you even see them... even if you're obsessively searching for something in particular. There's one guy in Florida that hoovers things up and then flips them as "part of dads collection" for a lot more than he pays for them. And quite honestly, even if you *are* willing to drop money to get something you want it has to be available on the market, and sometimes it just isnt.

Yes, you have a larger hat size and those are harder to come by. But fellow forum members like Bob Hufford, Brent (Deadlyhandsome although I don't see him post here anymore), Ross (whose handle I don't remember but tends towards westerns), and I think PacificNW all are dudes with larger noggins and have had great luck finding fantastic hats from the 30s/40s/50s (and even earlier). And I'm absolutely positive they didn't buy them all within a week or two of deciding they wanted to get some hats.

Got it, thank you sir I know it doesn’t look like it but I am actually aware of the problem and working on it. (a little).

 

[One Drop]

The last leg of the trip. Back in the shop next Thursday.

Sorry for the hijack, but what does Ballindalloch taste like? Does it resemble other Speyside malts? This is the first I'd heard of it, I had no idea a new single malt distillery had been created so recently.

 

[belfastboy]

Sorry for the hijack, but what does Ballindalloch taste like? Does it resemble other Speyside malts? This is the first I'd heard of it, I had no idea a new single malt distillery had been created so recently.

As they are so new they specialize in Non Age Statement whisky. I bought a bottle ...the only one I am. bringing back with me. Not as big Sherry as the typical Speyside offering. It is cask strength . Money is being spent in the Speyside...Glendronach is spending $30 million on upgrades. Two new distilleries have opened on Islay. But sales overall are down as folks are not drinking as much theses days. We visited 27 distilleries in our 5 weeks....Islay...Speyside and a few Highland malts.

 

[One Drop]

As they are so new they specialize in Non Age Statement whisky. I bought a bottle ...the only one I am. bringing back with me. Not as big Sherry as the typical Speyside offering. It is cask strength . Money is being spent in the Speyside...Glendronach is spending $30 million on upgrades. Two new distilleries have opened on Islay. But sales overall are down as folks are not drinking as much theses days. We visited 27 distilleries in our 5 weeks....Islay...Speyside and a few Highland malts.

Wow, what a trip! Islays are usually my favourite, or at least the maltier and peatier ones. Great news about the new distilleries, I had lost touch.

 

[belfastboy]

Wow, what a trip! Islays are usually my favourite, or at least the maltier and peatier ones. Great news about the new distilleries, I had lost touch.

Ardbeg and Bruichladdich were my two faves.