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What is your favorite hat crease?

Sort of off topic....but then again on topic...saw a scene the other morning on a "Leave it to Beaver" episode. The father is going away and is standing at the front door talking to a taxi driver and yells up the stairs for the brother Walley to bring down his suitcase.....well with the suitcase Walley brings down his dad's hat and says "I tried to crease it for you, but I am not very good with hats" and it was a mess, but the dad takes it pops the crown back out and puts a real nice center crease in it, then puts it on.....
It was a cool scene!! Very much like a real life episode you could see in many homes "back in the day" as they say......
Cheers,
M
 

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,592
Location
NJ
Sort of off topic....but then again on topic...saw a scene the other morning on a "Leave it to Beaver" episode. The father is going away and is standing at the front door talking to a taxi driver and yells up the stairs for the brother Walley to bring down his suitcase.....well with the suitcase Walley brings down his dad's hat and says "I tried to crease it for you, but I am not very good with hats" and it was a mess, but the dad takes it pops the crown back out and puts a real nice center crease in it, then puts it on.....
It was a cool scene!! Very much like a real life episode you could see in many homes "back in the day" as they say......
Cheers,
M
my man ... you need to rewind that and capture it on your phone to post here ... I'll now be searching endlessly to find this
 
Messages
12,005
Location
Southern California
Sort of off topic....but then again on topic...saw a scene the other morning on a "Leave it to Beaver" episode. The father is going away and is standing at the front door talking to a taxi driver and yells up the stairs for the brother Walley to bring down his suitcase.....well with the suitcase Walley brings down his dad's hat and says "I tried to crease it for you, but I am not very good with hats" and it was a mess, but the dad takes it pops the crown back out and puts a real nice center crease in it, then puts it on.....
It was a cool scene!! Very much like a real life episode you could see in many homes "back in the day" as they say......
Cheers,
M
Not long ago I re-watched It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on TCM, and caught something I had never paid attention to before. In the scene near the end of the movie in which Captain Culpepper (Spencer Tracy) arrives at the fictional Santa Rosita State Park he gets out of his car, retrieves his hat, and casually re-shapes the crown by giving it a "karate chop" center dent and side dents before placing it on his head. It's one of those great little character moments that could just as easily have not been included in the movie, but it speaks to Culpepper's complete lack of urgency in that moment while showing how common it was for hat-wearers to do such a thing; Mr. Tracy performs the act so casually that it's immediately obvious that he had done it countless times during his life.
 
my man ... you need to rewind that and capture it on your phone to post here ... I'll now be searching endlessly to find this
Yep.....would love a copy too.........took me by surprise......was not really watching as I was grinding my morning coffee......lt good thing I was not yet drinking it......probably would have spit it out....yes....really cool scene.....by the by, it was the episode where Beaver aparenty says some of "those words" at school and is overheard by the teacher......oh my.......glad that NEVER happened to me......;-) yep......the days when the wrath of the parents was Far Worst than what the school would do......
M
 
Not long ago I re-watched It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on TCM, and caught something I had never paid attention to before. In the scene near the end of the movie in which Captain Culpepper (Spencer Tracy) arrives at the fictional Santa Rosita State Park he gets out of his car, retrieves his hat, and casually re-shapes the crown by giving it a "karate chop" center dent and side dents before placing it on his head. It's one of those great little character moments that could just as easily have not been included in the movie, but it speaks to Culpepper's complete lack of urgency in that moment while showing how common it was for hat-wearers to do such a thing; Mr. Tracy performs the act so casually that it's immediately obvious that he had done it countless times during his life.
You know there are a few Spencer Tracy movies where he casually plays with his hats.......and Yes......I am noticing the hat scenes more and more too.....
I actually often have the tetevision on "in the background" as they say....and it is often tuned to the "retro" channels.........while I do not always really watch the shows (often I am on the computor working) I do like to see the clothes, the cars.....and the hats of course......and I must admit....shows like Leave it to Beaver do bring back fond childhood memories........
Cheers,
M
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,788
Location
Central Ohio
Aside from the creases you guys have some pretty impressive lids on display. Some of them you just can't find so easily.

With that said, here's a modern reproduction Premier Whippet that I took apart, reblocked and recreased. I also swapped out the original 1 1/2 ribbon for this lighter brown mid ribbon. It now has a taller and more straight sided crown with a Tear Drop crease. The open crown height went from the original 5 1/2 inches tall to now being 5 3/4 inches tall. I'll post more pics in the Buying A New Hat Block thread, and elsewhere.

Whippet_Reblock_6.jpg


Whippet_Reblock_5.jpg
 
Last edited:

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,592
Location
NJ
Yep.....would love a copy too.........took me by surprise......was not really watching as I was grinding my morning coffee......lt good thing I was not yet drinking it......probably would have spit it out....yes....really cool scene.....by the by, it was the episode where Beaver aparenty says some of "those words" at school and is overheard by the teacher......oh my.......glad that NEVER happened to me......;-) yep......the days when the wrath of the parents was Far Worst than what the school would do......
M
Boom!!!

 

Short Balding Guy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,871
Location
Minnesota, USA
1940's Stetson Stratoliner

Whatever the circumstances and resources were expended acquiring this hat was well worth it in my opinion. The crease is gorgeous and the hat is a prize on any hat rack!

The 40-early 50's De Luxe Stratoliner is the best of the Stratoliner felts in my experience. As you know the felt is just clay-like in it's ability to take a new crease. While malleable it holds the crease. I have only seen them in silverbelly. I happen to really like the color. Something clean and crisp about the felt color and appointments.

Congrats sir. I tip the brim of my hat in your direction. Best, Eric -
 

Bob Roberts

I'll Lock Up
Messages
11,201
Location
milford ct
Aside from the creases you guys have some pretty impressive lids on display. Some of them you just can't find so easily.

With that said, here's a modern reproduction Premier Whippet that I took apart, reblocked and recreased. I also swapped out the original 1 1/2 ribbon for this lighter brown mid ribbon. It now has a taller and more straight sided crown with a Tear Drop crease. The open crown height went from the original 5 1/2 inches tall to now being 5 3/4 inches tall. I'll post more pics in the Buying A New Hat Block thread, and elsewhere.

Whippet_Reblock_6.jpg


Whippet_Reblock_5.jpg
Nice tall boxy crown block. Did you take some brim and give it to the crown?
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,788
Location
Central Ohio
Nice tall boxy crown block. Did you take some brim and give it to the crown?
Thanks Bob. It took some but not as much as I thought it would. I gained a 1/4 inch to the crown, going from 5 1/2 inches tall to 5 3/4. The hat was advertised as having a 2 1/2 brim width but it was more like 2 5/8. Going with the taller crown I only sacrificed 1/8 inch of brim, making it 2 1/2 inches wide, now. Flanging it on a 2 3/4 flange made the brim flatter with some curl and gave the appearance of a wider brim. It actually came out better than I expected for what it is. But, in my opinion, the Premier Whippet reproduction is not even close to being worth the $225+ price tag. Anyone thinking of buying one of these hats and expecting it to measure up to a vintage Whippet from the 1940s is going to be sorely disappointed. It took some work for me to get the hat to look like it does now. In fact, you could get a far higher quality custom made hat for around the same money or less.
 

Bob Roberts

I'll Lock Up
Messages
11,201
Location
milford ct
Thanks Bob. It took some but not as much as I thought it would. I gained a 1/4 inch to the crown, going from 5 1/2 inches tall to 5 3/4. The hat was advertised as having a 2 1/2 brim width but it was more like 2 5/8. Going with the taller crown I only sacrificed 1/8 inch of brim, making it 2 1/2 inches wide, now. Flanging it on a 2 3/4 flange made the brim flatter with some curl and gave the appearance of a wider brim. It actually came out better than I expected for what it is. But, in my opinion, the Premier Whippet reproduction is not even close to being worth the $225+ price tag. Anyone thinking of buying one of these hats and expecting it to measure up to a vintage Whippet from the 1940s is going to be sorely disappointed. It took some work for me to get the hat to look like it does now. In fact, you could get a far higher quality custom made hat for around the same money or less.
Welcome and thx. The crown did seem a bit higher and brim somewhat shorter. I like the flatter brim as well.
 

40Cal

One Too Many
Messages
1,689
Location
California
Whatever the circumstances and resources were expended acquiring this hat was well worth it in my opinion. The crease is gorgeous and the hat is a prize on any hat rack!

The 40-early 50's De Luxe Stratoliner is the best of the Stratoliner felts in my experience. As you know the felt is just clay-like in it's ability to take a new crease. While malleable it holds the crease. I have only seen them in silverbelly. I happen to really like the color. Something clean and crisp about the felt color and appointments.

Congrats sir. I tip the brim of my hat in your direction. Best, Eric -
Thank you, Eric! I agree 100% with your assessment of the late 40's Deluxe Strat felt.... it's incredible! This is by far the nicest Strat I own. I have become a fan of the Silverbelly color....... I wasn't sure I would like it . This hat changed my view!
 
Messages
19,409
Location
Funkytown, USA
New ribbon called for a new crease – so over the weekend I changed this one from a teardrop to a diamond. Here is my BGCD, just back getting the new copper-colored ribbon and edge binding at Texas Hatters in Lockhart, TX. A great job, as always, by Texas Hatters!

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1bgcd3_zpskmfj2tpz.jpg
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That's a great contrast. Good job.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.
 

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