An Italian Opera Impressario!

[Pilgrim]

My midnight blue borsalino arrived today, and it is absolutely gorgeous. It doesn't appear to have ever been worn, and it is indeed a deep, midnight, blue.

It's soft but has definite body to the felt. Brim is 3.5 inches, crown is 5" tall, and the ribbon is 1 3/4".

It turns out to be a 7 1/8, but I can put it on although it's tight - so the old hat stretcher will jump into action and it will be a 7 1/4 withtin a week.

But GEEZ! With this wide brim, I feel like I ought to be swashbuckling around in a dark blue cape with a red lining, directing an opera on stage in Italy! This hat would fit right in!

I think a trim-down to Whippet dimensions is in this brims future.

Here are two photos:

What do you think, friends? Am I ready to start rounding up singers for the production?lol

Oh, I almost forgot - some of you were curious about the liner. Here's a picture...it's a pure white, with no sign of wear....

It does indeed say "Borsalino Trionfo", and below that: "Imported exclusively for Bencraft hats". The sweatband on the left side is imprinted Borsalino - made in Italy Fondata NEL 1875. Right in the very front of the sweatband, it's imprinted "BARI". There is a sticker on the sweatband saying 7 1/8 - 5 1/2 - 58. Trionfo translates as "Triumph".

 

[PutALidOnIt]

Well, Pilgrim, that's one nifty lid, and I wouldn't change a thing about that one - maybe a bit more of a jaunty tilt to the side.

My old olive-colored Borsalino is proportionally my widest-brimmed non-western fedora (it's the one in my avatar, and keep in mind that I'm only 5'6") but it gets the highest number of positive comments of any of my lids. You appear a bit taller than me, so IMHO I would give it a chance before committing it to major surgery...I'll be happy to take it off your hands and relieve you of the burden of decision on it since it would be a perfect fit for yours truly!

I'll take a penny for my thoughts, but if I put in my 2 cents worth, do I get change???

 

[besdor]

Pilgrim ,where did you get one of our hats ?



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Pilgrim]

Hey Steve, I bought it on Ebay from an Ebay auction seller in Saddle Brook, NJ. The Ebay auction is here.

Here's a photo showing the hat (very different light, it is indeed a midnight blue close to black) and the box. The sticker on the box says Bencraft Hatters, so I assume it's a box that your company provided.

Do you have any idea how old the hat/box might be? I checked your website and don't see the Trionfo as a current model.

 

[Pilgrim]

A shameless bump, looking for a reply from Besdor....

 

[John in Covina]

I think a trim-down to Whippet dimensions is in this brims future.

******
Please don't rush into anything! Give it some time! It really looks great, dashing and mysterious with a touch of Jaunty. Don't trim it for a least (I don't know) a year, at least a couple of months! i think you'll like it more as time goes by.

Best wishes,

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

If you cut that hat, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.

 

[jake_fink]

You don't quite have the profile, but the hat is sort of Shadowy.

 

[Pilgrim]

Looking at that classic illustration I AM glad I don't have that profile - at least when it comes to the nose!

Just to show you what a geezer I am, I remember the old Mad magazine lampoon of "The Shadow" in which they called the chief character "Lamont Shadowskeedeeboomboom".

Don't ask me why I remembered that edition, or especially why I could still spell the name correctly after 40+ years. I don't wanna think about it.

 

[jake_fink]

Just to show you what a geezer I am, I remember the old Mad magazine lampoon of "The Shadow" in which they called the chief character "Lamont Shadowskeedeeboomboom".

Don't ask me why I remembered that edition, or especially why I could still spell the name correctly after 40+ years. I don't wanna think about it.

Coz it was so funny!

 

[Pilgrim]

Agreed!

I don't think Mad has ever been better than when Harvey Kurtzman was the editor and did all the lampoons of books, movies and TV shows. The man was absolutely brilliant, and his work when teamed with Will Elder is priceless.

And I must admit I also got a huge charge out of the Little Annie Fanny series that Playboy published. I have a collection of those stories and they're a hoot!

lol lol lol lol

I'll try to be patient with that Borsalino, but I must admit that I can't see myself wearing it in its current configuration. It's just too much for my taste.

 

[RedPop4]

WOW, that is one fantastic hat. I, too, would change nothing about it. The color is beautiful as is that profile and brim. It suits you, as well.

 

[feltfan]

Borsalino: uncut

I have found it difficult to get my mind around a new
hat style before... but I have come around. Then again,
sometimes the hat just doesn't suit.

I think you'll find you get comfortable with the brim
over time. I think you'll also find, as I do, that it
can be handy to have one or two very wide brims
around for days when you need the protection or
with particular outfits.

Very nice lid.

 

[Pilgrim]

Thanks - I'm more than a little torn, because the dark blue color is lovely (the pix I took didn't show it well) and I'd like to start wearing it, but I'm honestly not comfortable with the current brim...and I need to stretch it a bit anyway.

The felt is a great compromise between softness and body. The gent at Greeley Hatworks who does most of their walk-in and shop work (Jay) says that he's not fond of the current Borsalinos because some are so soft that he finds they won't hold their shape. This one won't have that problem at all.

I'm thinking that I'll hold it for a few days then decide what to do with the brim, and maybe have it stretched and blocked professionally. :fedora:

 

[Burma Shave]

My 2 cents:

Please don't cut down that hat! It's rare enough to find a decent hat with a wide brim. IMO, that would be like cutting the tops off of a 10-foot-tall canopy bed so it will fit in an 8-foot-ceiling room: Yes, it would fit the room, but it would be a long-term mistake. Besides that, I don't think it looks bad on you at all.

 

[Pilgrim]

Well, this thought crosses my mind - does anyone who really likes the wide brim have a Midnight Blue Borsalino or equivalent quality and color hat in 7 1/4 they'd like to trade??

I'm not committing to do this, just thought I'd offer the thought.

 

[scotrace]

It's all in the attitude

Wear that hat with the slightest bit of doubt and it'll look too big for your noggin. Wear it like you mean it and don't give a damn what any pipsqueak weenie thinks, and you'll pull it off.
Personally, I really like it, and it looks good on you. Very dignified yet playful. In short, you'll be a Chick Magnet. :eusa_clap
I'd wear it in Vail and stop by the Gorsuch store to show them what REAL hats look like!

 

[Magus]

Or...

Hi there Pligrim..I understand your hesitation...I felt the same when my newest chappeau came...the 2 3/4 brim is a bit larger than i usually wear. But after a day in it I simply love it.

OR....


Perhaps


You just need a change a location to get the feel for it.

Say Italy...Umbria or Tuscany in the springtime..sipping an espresso al fresco at a sidwalk cafe a few hours before dinner as people are strolling .... Might just be the PERFECT hat then! lol

Enjoy,
M