A ladies hat question

[android]

Sorry for interrupting, but I am trying to have a hat like this made for my wife.

I've only got a few Seabiscuit screen captures and can't really figure out what's going on with the crease or fold on the top.

If any of you ladies know about this kind of hat or can point me at some photos I would be most appreciative.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[ITG]

Have you tried Art Fawcett...he actually has the hat that Bridges wore and who knows he may have supplied this hat as well or may be able to make one up for you And if not try Baron hats in Burbank, CA. I heard they made up some hats for the movie. Is that a Panama hat? It's a beauty for sure!

 

[android]

I've contacted Art, but he didn't supply this hat for the movie. He's trying to figure out how to make one. I'll call Baron's, but their website seems to be all about the men's Seabiscuit hats. The do make wonderful "My Fair Lady" hat though.

 

[Matt Deckard]

The crease was usually there so the hat could be rolled up and stored.

 

[ITG]

android, have you tried contacting Baron's and asking or did they already tell you they didn't make any of the women's hats?

 

[BellyTank]

That swirling crease looks more like a decorative styling feature to me, seen ones similar to that before, like a full spiral that's steam-formed into the hat...

BT.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Could be decorative. I have seen french ads where they show those womens hats sold next to tubes for roll up travel.

They have used creases for decoration as well, though usually it is several creases.

 

[android]

I spoke with Mark at Baron's. He doesn't know if you made *that* hat, but he assured me he can make one and has the block and all. The crease is actually an under/over fold to reduce the dome of the crown. They double steam it so it lays flat and holds its shape.

I went ahead and ordered it, hoping we can take delivery by Mother's Day.

Thanks for the leads, I'll let you know how it turns out and post pictures.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Cool beans, can't wait to another cool ladies hat in the lounge.

 

[Wild Root]

I love that hat! Hopefully they have a way to reproduce that cool art deco detail on the ribbon!

Root.

 

[android]

Results From Baron Hats Not Very Good

When we saw Seabiscuit, my wife really liked the hat in one of the stable scenes. I decided to try and find one for her. I started by calling Art, but he didn't know about the hat. Since Baron did a lot of Seabiscuit work, I called and spoke with Mark about making the hat. He told me he knew how to do it and had blocks for it. I had some additional questions about the hat which I sent by email. Here's my questions and Mark's reply:

Preliminary Questions:

1) Is this a Panama straw body?
a) Montecristi or Cuenca?
b) backwoven edge?
ANSWER: We will use Cuenca or Brisa, and yes, it has a backwoven edge.

2) Will it have the fold/seam/whatever across the top like the picture?
ANSWER: YES

3) What about the ornament on the ribbon?
ANSWER: We will find something as close as possible to the original.

Base on this information, I ordered the hat on April 13th. It cost $338 including $40 for shipping. I was hoping to get the hat for Mother's Day, but this was a soft deadline. I understand that handmade hats sometimes take a while.

Didn't hear from Mark and it looked like it wasn't going to show up for Mother's day. I gave him a call and he said it might take a few more weeks. He was trying to get it just right and it wasn't coming out to his liking. OK, I can live with that, I'd rather it be right than rushed.

A few more weeks go by and I give them a call. Now he's having trouble with the block and he also wants to try and get a different body. Needs a few more weeks. OK.

A few more weeks go by and I give him a call. He needs to make a new block. The one he has isn't working right. Fine.

I finally talk to him in late June. The block is done, the hat is almost done and he says it will ship soon. We discuss finishing and the hat pin. I make it clear it doesn't have to be exactly the same, just some kind of hat pin about the same size to finish off the ribbon nicely. Mark says he'll get one.

I let him know I'm going on vacation and give them an alternate address to ship to for the next two weeks.

Hat doesn't come to where we're staying on vacation. I get home and find an email from Kevin in my spam filter (How many AOL addresses do these guys have?). He's sent some pictures for my approval.

I take a look and notice the edge is not backwoven as promised. I email him about it and here is his response:


In a message dated 7/11/2005 9:24:18 AM Pacific Standard Time, xxx@xxx.rr.com writes:
Kevin,

I was just looking over the pictures and it looks like this hat has a stitched edge.

In my original discussions with Mark (see attached), he had said this would have a backwoven edge. I'm not sure what to make of this since I tend to think of a stitched edge as a sign of an inferior hat body. Can you please discuss with Mark and let me know what's up?

Thanks,
Andy
Andy,

We were unable to find a hat body with a bockwoven edge in that specific brim width. This in no way means you are getting an inferior hat body. For us to have a custom hat woven to your exact specifications... we MIGHT find someone to hand weave it (which would cost $400!) and they would provide a backweave!

Thanks,

Kevin



Not that I can really do much at this point because they've already shipped it. I also asked about the hat pin which is not show on the pictures and they told me they didn't find one.

I think we all know what a crock of bull that is, but I do believe they might have the nerve to try and charge $400 for a grosso Cuenca body!

UPS lady brings the hat the next day (UPS Ground, nowhere near the $40 I was charge and it's in a 50 cent box). Wife adores it, that's the only good part of the story.

But I am pretty disappointed in the overall quality here. I notice the weave of the crown doesn't seem to be the same as the brim. Nope, it's not. That's because it's stitched on under the sweatband. Take a look:

This is a very coarse body:

and the edge stitching is pretty tacky:

So, I will not be ordering from Baron again and I would advise others to try and find a different hatter.

Here's a link to high resolution images for those who are interested.
Seabiscuit Hat

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Andy

 

[ITG]

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience with them. I'm assuming they charged you the same price quoted before they made the hat. If that is the case, that really stinks because the agreed upon specifications weren't met on several details. It's a beautiful style though and am glad to hear your wife adores it.