2007 Cavanagh Park Avenue Review

[jimmy the lid]

This is the type post, I feel more of us are yearning for. A post that hearkens days of old. There are several Lounge members that have gone silent or just gone as of late. We lost the expertise of many knowledgeable hatters about a year ago. Since then, the void has been filled with a plethora of "Oh you look so good in that hat", type post. Very P.C., but tremendously lacking in substantive information. Lets hope you will inspire those that have the knowledge, to share with all who desire to be taught and informed.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Well said, Bud.


Cheers,
JtL

 

[Brad Bowers]

Thanks, folks, glad to be of service. I was hoping someone might find this information of value.

I've reblocked and reflanged the hat in an attempt to improve its appearance. I hesitated to test the integrity of the felt where the sweatband has been stitched on, so I left the sweat in to see what could be done without losing brim width. Because I used a more straight-sided block, a little of the height was lost, but not much. The thing still seems squat.

I'll stitch the liner back in, instead of gluing it.

I'm debating now about the ribbon. Since the crown is so short, I might put the old ribbon back on if the old thread holes will close up enough to look okay. If not, the shortest ribbon I have is 1 3/4" (sorry, guys, I'm just not a short ribbon fan), and it look all right, I suppose. A 1 1/4" ribbon might look even better.

I'll post some photos when I'm done with the "makeover," and then I think it's off to the Classified Section, and then eBay. I thought about keeping it as a souvenir of the rebirth of the Cavanagh name, but it's just too short for me to ever wear, and I'd rather see someone else get a bargain and get some use out of it. I was mostly just curious what HATCO had done with the name, and I have now satisfied my curiosity. If only they had talked to me first!lol


Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

An update

Here are some photos thus far. I'm leaning more towards putting the original ribbon back on, as it appears to be salvageable. Here, it's just laid around the crown.

I'm not a miracleworker, but a lot of the taper is gone. The top of the sides of the crown are about 4 1/4" tall.

The profile has a rakish look to it.

Here's the taller ribbon laid around the crown for comparison.

I hate trying to photograph black hats. No matter how clean it looks to the eye, the flash will show every speck of dust. And without fill lights, it's hard to get the right contrast so the hat shows up. I just end up increasing the balance on the photos to try to pull out the detail.


HATCO should have picked a different name for this model. Park Avenue evokes something very formal. bk, "Country Gentleman" is about what this hat brings to mind. It's not that Cavanagh wouldn't have offered a hat styled this way, because Cavanagh offered just about every style imaginable over the years, something for every occasion. But the name Cavanagh today should represent something really special, not something fairly generic.

Brad

 

[mingoslim]

Great review . . .

Disappointing news on the new Cav, though.

 

[thefedorastore]

Kudos Brad

A very nice, diplomatic and fair review worded in a most professional manner. I have to agree with you in many aspects. I have had the hat in my hands since I sell my share, and at least one came back to me. Felt quality is fairly nice, but the shape and block of the hat are most unusual. I still have to stick with what I find to be the best 'production' 100% Beaver Hat, the Beaver Brand sitting on my head. Custom made with personalized specs available, 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. My hat is lightweight, as they use the felt hoods that Borsalino uses. However, I have a new Borso I bought from a fellow lounger, and I no longer wear it because this BB is a much better quality. Especially the sweat and liner. I still sport the 100% beaver I got from Art last year, but because it is a much heavier beaver felt, I use it only when dressing up and going out. The BB 100% Beaver weighs 4 ounces, I can hand shape it for the occasion, and I can wear it all day.

The Cavanagh being what it is, is somewhat pricey in my opinion as well. The BB is much like many 100% beaver fedoras I have worked on for folks that were 50 years old. I love the BB. However, there is a hat for every head, and there is a head for every hat, and I wouldn't want it any other way.