HNC Hatworks (formerly known as Agnoulita Hats)

[drmaxtejeda]

Wow, great questions that would take volumes to answer, still be subjective, and require someone more educated that me.

I’ve only admired Optimos from afar so I don’t know what your baseline is. For me, vintage felt falls into one of two categories: 1) soft easily moved felt that is just shy of floppy. 2) dense felt that is like clay in that it will take and keep any shape you give it; push your finger into it and the indentation remains.

The general consensus is that felt quality started going down in the 1950s, but there are exceptions. The pre-War hats are the most desirable, but the hardest to find and bring the biggest prices. I’m only a novice and not at all qualified to pose as an expert, but there are some real experts here. As for brands, Stetson, Knox, Cavanaugh, Mallory, Borsalino, and a whole list of others made some truly exceptional hats. The best thing to do is to stick around the Lounge and read and read. The old threads are great even if the photos are no longer working. I also look forward every day to seeing what others are wearing and seeing new hats. Like cars and most everything else, there were a lot more brands 70+ years ago and even those truly knowledgeable come across a new hat now and then.

As a rule, if you see something being posted by Short Balding Guy, alanfgag, Mayserwegener, Strur, Moontheloon, and others you’ll come to recognize you’ll know the hats are top shelf.

You can also find more online at The Hatted Professor

If you let the fellows here know your size, what type of hat you’re after, and your price range I bet you would receive some great recommendations for hats currently on sale/auction. The Lounge’s classifieds also sometimes produce gems.

Good luck, Brent

Thanks, Brent. I am off to read the Hatted Professor.

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[Perry Underwood]

I was informed by Mr. P. a short time ago that my hat has shipped. Now the wait begins.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Agnoulita contacted me and asked about getting permission to use the FL logo and name for a special run of satin liners and for a stamp for the leather sweatband. I passed it on to the webmaster et al. No response yet. The shop has no desire to run afoul of trade mark rules or to ruffle the feathers of his potential clients.

Mr. P’s current thinking is to make a new Etsy listing and then to send Lounge members a discount code. I’m not sure if the hats will have any special branding, but I think he’ll be able to offer us a reduced price. I’ll keep you informed when I learn more.

I invited the proprietor to introduce himself on a his thread, but he’s a busy guy and I don’t know if he’ll take me up on it.

Brent


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[Perry Underwood]

Brent, thank you for keeping us up-to-date on the possible offer from Agnoulita. I also wanted to add that Mr. P. gave me a free upgrade to International Express Mail due to being a member of the forum.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Brent, thank you for keeping us up-to-date on the possible offer from Agnoulita. I also wanted to add that Mr. P. gave me a free upgrade to International Express Mail due to being a member of the forum.

Nice! He seems to be interested in growing his business and is receptive to suggestions. I hope to have the discount code this weekend and the transactions will still be through Etsy. And despite the heat I want to try a velour just to see what he can do.

 

[rogerstg]

Roger, have you received your Milan? I’d love to see the photos!

Brent

Sorry for the delay replying: I've been away for a couple weeks. I don't have the hat yet, but have a package at the post office that they tried to deliver last Friday. Hopefully it's the hat.

Roger

 

[Perry Underwood]

My hat was delivered last night! I needed to wait until today to have enough light to take photos. I'll start with the package as it was delivered. The hat came in a nice sturdy hat box wrapped in plastic. Fortunately, I did not need to pay import duties or taxes. I was concerned about this when Mr. P. gave me a free upgrade to international express shipping. I thought this would automatically send a red flag to customs officials in Taiwan.

This is how the inside of the hat box looked when I opened it. There was no insert in the box that the hat rested on. This kind of surprised me. However, the hat was in this nice cover.

The hat I selected is called the Drover. I saw it as a possible platform to have a boater-style hat made in rabbit fur. I requested a light grey hat with charcoal ribbon and brim binding. The ribbon is 25mm wide, and the binding is 12mm. I also requested extra pouncing.

I couldn't quite get the light grey correct in the above photo. It is perhaps a little darker than it appears. Here is the detail where the edge binding overlaps itself. This photo also shows the light grey better.

The last photo is of the lining inside the hat. It's rather non-descript. Certainly nothing special like what is in some of Brent's hats from Mr. P. By the way, the size I ordered was a 58.5 in long oval. I think it was a good choice, for the hat fits very well. This was one of my concerns before getting the hat.

My general impression is favorable. There are, however, a few things I wish were different. For one, the brim is not as stiff as I expected. In my mind. boaters should be very stiff to hold their shape. While the brim is mostly flat, I would prefer it to be completely flat and, if it was stiffer, it would hold that shape better. When I feel brave, I might try to iron it flat. The only other slight disappointment is that there is more taper to the crown than I wanted. Photo 3 above doesn't show the taper, but it's there. I had requested very straight sides. It's not a big deal, but something I had asked for.

I'll try to post photos within a couple of days with me wearing the hat. I'm not really a selfie person, but I know the cause is good.

 

[rogerstg]

I picked up my Milan yesterday. It was packed like the other hats previously listed. The material is not too stiff, unlike some cardboard hard straw/hemp hats I've experienced. I like the 2 inch wide soft leather sweat and the gauze like cotton liner that keeps things very breathable. It fit my 57.5 long oval head perfectly. I'm very pleased with this hat.
Roger

 

[deadlyhandsome]

My hat was delivered last night! I needed to wait until today to have enough light to take photos. I'll start with the package as it was delivered. The hat came in a nice sturdy hat box wrapped in plastic. Fortunately, I did not need to pay import duties or taxes. I was concerned about this when Mr. P. gave me a free upgrade to international express shipping. I thought this would automatically send a red flag to customs officials in Taiwan.

View attachment 120619

This is how the inside of the hat box looked when I opened it. There was no insert in the box that the hat rested on. This kind of surprised me. However, the hat was in this nice cover.

View attachment 120620

The hat I selected is called the Drover. I saw it as a possible platform to have a boater-style hat made in rabbit fur. I requested a light grey hat with charcoal ribbon and brim binding. The ribbon is 25mm wide, and the binding is 12mm. I also requested extra pouncing.

View attachment 120621

I couldn't quite get the light grey correct in the above photo. It is perhaps a little darker than it appears. Here is the detail where the edge binding overlaps itself. This photo also shows the light grey better.

View attachment 120622

The last photo is of the lining inside the hat. It's rather non-descript. Certainly nothing special like what is in some of Brent's hats from Mr. P. By the way, the size I ordered was a 58.5 in long oval. I think it was a good choice, for the hat fits very well. This was one of my concerns before getting the hat.

View attachment 120623

My general impression is favorable. There are, however, a few things I wish were different. For one, the brim is not as stiff as I expected. In my mind. boaters should be very stiff to hold their shape. While the brim is mostly flat, I would prefer it to be completely flat and, if it was stiffer, it would hold that shape better. When I feel brave, I might try to iron it flat. The only other slight disappointment is that there is more taper to the crown than I wanted. Photo 3 above doesn't show the taper, but it's there. I had requested very straight sides. It's not a big deal, but something I had asked for.

I'll try to post photos within a couple of days with me wearing the hat. I'm not really a selfie person, but I know the cause is good.

Great hat, Perry! I’m glad the sizing worked out as that’s always a concern with such a long distance purchase. My experience has been if you want something from Agnoulita you have to specifically ask for it, but I don’t get the taper if you told him you wanted it straight sided. Most all blocks have some taper but in a fedora or a western it isn’t very noticeable. In a boater style I think any taper would stand out.

If you get daring you can add stiffeners to the brim etc. if you feel it needs them. In any case, you ended up with a unique hat. I’ll look forward to the head shots.

Brent


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[deadlyhandsome]

I picked up my Milan yesterday. It was packed like the other hats previously listed. The material is not too stiff, unlike some cardboard hard straw/hemp hats I've experienced. I like the 2 inch wide soft leather sweat and the gauze like cotton liner that keeps things very breathable. It fit my 57.5 long oval head perfectly. I'm very pleased with this hat.
Roger

View attachment 120630 View attachment 120631

Wow, that’s a good looking Milan! Can you give us the dimensions and if he produced what you ordered? Congratulations on an excellent summer hat!


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[nagami]

Loving this thread! sub'd

 

[rogerstg]

Wow, that’s a good looking Milan! Can you give us the dimensions and if he produced what you ordered? Congratulations on an excellent summer hat!
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I ordered the standard as described https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1434478443
2.25" brim, 4 3/4 crown, 1.5 band.
I asked for a long oval and mentioned my size is 57.5 (ordered a 58).

Mr. Pappa delivered on all counts.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I ordered the standard as described https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1434478443
2.25" brim, 4 3/4 crown, 1.5 band.
I asked for a long oval and mentioned my size is 57.5 (ordered a 58).

Mr. Pappa delivered on all counts.

Thanks. It’s certainly an good looking hat. He blocks and trims his Milan hats himself and can make them to most any reasonable specifications. I’m on the fence...too many felts competing for my attention.

 

[Perry Underwood]

I've taken a few photos of the me wearing the hat. Please be forgiving of my selfie photographic skills.

From the side, you can see how the brim needs to be flattened more. Also, the taper is noticeable in this photo.

Detail of the bow.

I've been looking into how to stiffen the brim. Shellac seems to be the traditional approach. Finally, one last photo of the hat. I do like the hat very much. I'll need to wait until next fall or winter to begin wearing it. To me, the weight of the rabbit felt seems quite light, which is probably a good thing since winter in Taiwan can still be on the cool to warm side.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I've taken a few photos of the me wearing the hat. Please be forgiving of my selfie photographic skills.

View attachment 120850

From the side, you can see how the brim needs to be flattened more. Also, the taper is noticeable in this photo.

View attachment 120851

Detail of the bow.

View attachment 120852

I've been looking into how to stiffen the brim. Shellac seems to be the traditional approach. Finally, one last photo of the hat. I do like the hat very much. I'll need to wait until next fall or winter to begin wearing it. To me, the weight of the rabbit felt seems quite light, which is probably a good thing since winter in Taiwan can still be on the cool to warm side. View attachment 120853

Perry, it looks great. I can see the taper, but only because I’m looking for it. I agree that the brim could use some ironing, but it’s a keeper. I never would have thought of that style of hat...sort of a stingy brim Portuguese riding hat. You wear it well.


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[Perry Underwood]

Thank you, Brent. I'll try steam first to flatten the brim. I'd like to avoid using a stiffener just because finding it in Taiwan might be a challenge. I can find shellac, but it looks to be the wrong color. I believe blonde is what is used.

 

[rogerstg]

Thank you, Brent. I'll try steam first to flatten the brim. I'd like to avoid using a stiffener just because finding it in Taiwan might be a challenge. I can find shellac, but it looks to be the wrong color. I believe blonde is what is used.

You can easily find synthetic shellac in the form of hairspray. Use extra hold versions.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thank you, Brent. I'll try steam first to flatten the brim. I'd like to avoid using a stiffener just because finding it in Taiwan might be a challenge. I can find shellac, but it looks to be the wrong color. I believe blonde is what is used.

Bickmore and Scout sell hat stiffeners; although, I’ve never used either.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I intended to buy a Milan and ended up with this:

It’s another in antelope/suede finish. The felt color is “Iron” and it isn’t as black as the photo depicts...I hope.

Now I’m back to pondering a Milan.


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[jlee562]

As far as the brim, something I've been meaning to invest in for myself, would be a brim press. Depending on how handy one is with some basic woodworking, this may be able to be DIYed.

There are several variations on the theme available online, including one sold from Stratton hats.
https://strattonhats.com/products/accessories/brim-press/

Anyways, the hat looks quite nice! Good choices on proportions.