Any Akubra's in Melbourne?

[ADHD librarian]

this is the world of the Akubra...

 

[Alucard73]

Looks like Texas. Good to know they can take a beating. I (my family) have a game fenced ranch, to include cattle, exotic deer, horses, lakes and such and while I dont think I will be wearing my hat in any rough conditions, it is good to know i could.

 

[DrSpeed]

Thanks ADHD :cool2: , now I have to get one of those coats (Drizabone I presume?) to get the look right.

 

[cookie]

Thanks ADHD :cool2: , now I have to get one of those coats (Drizabone I presume?) to get the look right.

You can get 'em in London at the RM Williams store or on the Internet by post. You will not be sorry when them storms start hitting the Netherlands IMHO:eusa_doh: :eusa_doh:

 

[ADHD librarian]

Drizabone oilskins are better than the RM williams ones (IMHO).
But to complete the outfit you also need a pair of elastic sided boots (RM Williams or Baxter) and a pair of moleskin trousers (definately RMs).

 

[splatt]

Spot on again ADHD

My oldest "still working" Driza-Bone is from around 1986, and is a mid-length Bushmans jacket that i still wear when i'm working in the wet.

Over the years it's been used while i've been horse-riding, motor bike riding, bush walking, working as a roadie, making timber fences on winery's while camping in the paddock for a week...and a heap of other things from the WA desert to the NSW alpine region. It certainly is one hardy little jacket

During winter in 2007 i picked up a full-length riding coat which is spectacular as well

Some of my R.M Williams moleskin pants have also lasted since around 1988 with a fair amount of abuse as well. It's a shame that i only get about 2-3 years out of a pair of R.M. Williams boots before the need a resole...though i do wear them everyday and rotate them with another pair at the beginning of each week. Not that i'm complaining about them...they are by far my favourite (and only) shoe maker

 

[Will Morgan]

The Akubra Adventurer was actually originally made exclusively for a Sydney clothing store called "Gowings" and then licensed to David Morgan in the US. When the Gowings store closed in 2006 and the license expired, they then started selling it through "Strand Hatters" in Sydney, which is the only place you can buy it in Australia over the counter from what i understand.

Strand Hatters is by far the best hat store in Sydney and has a large range of Akubra hats as it is the only store owned by Akubra themselves. Unfortunately the website isn't really a true indication of what they stock in store

I had the pleasure of visiting Strand Hatters last month, buying a Tablelands that is my main hat now! They indeed had some old style Adventurers in stock.

Thanks for the background on this original Adventurer!

Some clarification, we at David Morgan didn't license that design, rather we worked with Akubra to design a new hat based on information we were given by the movie's prop master in 2007, we had good communication with him because David Morgan whips are used in each of the movies.

Because the original Adventurer was not selling much anymore, and the name is quite appropriate for such a brown fedora, Akubra christened this new hat "Adventurer" .

We offer the Adventurer to any of our dealers in the US and Canada.

www.akubra-usa.com

 

[Will Morgan]

Thanks ADHD :cool2: , now I have to get one of those coats (Drizabone I presume?) to get the look right.

Driza-bone http://www.drizabone.com.au/ has recently got Driza-bone USA up and running so brand awareness and distribution in the US should improve shortly, to get the best fit, ask for these great coats at a store near you.

We have long been a Driza-Bone dealer and carry full length and three quarter length coats and a vest.

We are excited about the upcoming Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman movie, "Australia", it looks to combine the iconic Australian coats, hats and whips in quite a grand form. Set in WWII, so it's got a vintage twist too.

http://www.australiamovie.com/ will be released in mid November.

www.davidmorgan.com

 

[splatt]

Some clarification, we at David Morgan didn't license that design, rather we worked with Akubra to design a new hat based on information we were given by the movie's prop master in 2007, we had good communication with him because David Morgan whips are used in each of the movies.

Because the original Adventurer was not selling much anymore, and the name is quite appropriate for such a brown fedora, Akubra christened this new hat "Adventurer" .

We offer the Adventurer to any of our dealers in the US and Canada.

www.akubra-usa.com

Thanks for the info on the "new" Adventurer Will.

The original Gowings Adventurer seemed to sell quite well, and i always wished i had picked one up while they were still around as Gowings was one of my favourite stores while living in Sydney...guess I'll just have to pick up one of the new ones anyway

 

[dr greg]

cutting it

The barber section at Gowing's was classic.

 

[ADHD librarian]

As a 16 year old working in Sydney I had a haircut at Gowings once a fortnight. And years later, even when I'd moved interstate, if I was back in Sydney I always made sure I popped into the barbers there for a dose of nostalgia.

Damn I miss Gowings.
Stupid poor management that made them go belly up.

I still have a shirt which I bought from there on my last visit...

 

[splatt]

The whole store was a classic and the barbershop looked like it hadn't changed since the 1930's

City of Sydney images - 1, 2

Apparently there was better money to be had in property development for the latest generation of owners. And the new owners/managers really stuffed it up...which was a real shame as the Gowings clothing line was pretty good and i still have a few of their oxford shirts and jeans that are in great condition

It still saddens me when i visit Sydney and walk past the building at the corner of George St and Market St and remember that they have long gone

For more info, here is a great article around the time of Gowings closure by the SMH (Sydney Morning Herald) newspaper

 

[Alucard73]

I went ahead and ordered a Federation IV in Moonstone. They told me it was back ordered and expect more in three weeks. I still expect my wife to surprise me with another Akubra. Is that wrong?

 

[ADHD librarian]

not wrong at all!

 

[Alucard73]

I will have a surprise for her when she returns...a lot less money.

 

[splatt]

I popped into City Hatters this morning to drop of my Akubra Stylemaster for a bit of a re-shaping, and after chatting to the sales guy for a while about the history of the place (in the same shop since the business started in 1910) and their long time missing website (coming soon i was told), he pointed out the Akubra Adventurer's sitting on the shelf...so i guess its not only sold at Strand Hatters in Australia after all

When i go and pick up my Stylemaster next week, i may have a chat to them and see if they have any old photos of the shop that they wouldn't mind sharing with us...as they had most definitely heard of the Lounge

 

[dr greg]

I say sir

Was that the gay guy who's been there for years? I used to have long chats about hats with him in the old days when the number of lids to be seen on the street was far fewer than today.

 

[splatt]

He was probably in his late 20's or really early 30's and i recall having seen him there on a few visits in the last two years...but i don't remember him from my frequent visits in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

He was dressed in a very spiffy suit...though that could mean anything these days [huh]

 

[swisslet]

you won't be sorry with that Fed IV, that's for sure. I've nothing but good things to say about Akubra full stop. If you hadn't ordered a Fed, I was going to say that if your wife was heading out Katoomba way (beyond Sydney in the Blue Mountains, so not quite Melbourne) then she could pop into the hattery and get you one from Ron personally.... but looks like you got that covered.

I'll also put in a good word here for the RM Williams elastic sided boots. Marvellous shoes. I bought a pair when I was down under a few years back -- yard boots, I think they're called -- and they're still going strong. I'm also a huge fan of my dress boots that I got from the RMW shop in London. Fantastic shoes that have served as my office shoes for a number of years. They're not quite like Triggers broom from Only Fools and Horses (you know... he had the same broom for 25 years....only replacing the handle 5 times and the head 7 times), but they have been re-soled and re-heeled a number of times, but the main shell of the boot is looking as good as ever.

Good stuff.

 

[Alucard73]

Thanks for all the input. I will have to wait on the Fed IV to be backordered but it was 103 degrees today, so I dont think I would be wearing it any time soon. I can wait but I wont enjoy it. As far as boots go. This is Texas and I can get a pair of boots a lot of places and can even have them handmade for a few pesos more. I have a ton of dress shoes. For me, boots are for working the ranch, riding horses and rounding up cattle...and the occasional two step. (all these thing I can do but generally avoid...not as much fun as it looks like)