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Art Fawcett VS Hall of Fame

Rabbit

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,561
Location
Germany
Does anyone have a "Natural" from VS?

VSs Natural owned by other Loungers:

VS-natural_Loungers_post.jpg


Full resolution image
 

barrowjh

One Too Many
Messages
1,398
Location
Maryville Tennessee
Yes, Naturals are undyed, and I think you can only get 100% beaver in the undyed natural. If I remember correctly, natural rabbit is not consistent and therefore each batch of rabbit Naturals (and maybe within a single run?) would look different. I'm not sure, but the inconsistency may even show up within a single felt. So, the Naturals have to be 100% beaver for the color to have some consistency.
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
Yes, Naturals are undyed, and I think you can only get 100% beaver in the undyed natural. If I remember correctly, natural rabbit is not consistent and therefore each batch of rabbit Naturals (and maybe within a single run?) would look different. I'm not sure, but the inconsistency may even show up within a single felt. So, the Naturals have to be 100% beaver for the color to have some consistency.
Art offers his Hitchhiker in Natural but it is a Nutria/Rabbit blend instead of beaver...that Natural is a different hue than pure beaver Natural.
I have Natural in Nutria blend, ArtLite beaver, & dress weight beaver....they are all 3 different shades...
 

LoveMyHats2

I’ll Lock Up.
Messages
5,196
Location
Michigan
OMG! Rabbit! You sure placed a lot of effort into showing us such a collective coverage of Art's works! Geez now you have me wanting to rob a bank and buy one of each! lol! You are not making it easy for me to pick out a hat now from Art, but I am going to start with a black cherry similar, if not exactly like Mike's Open Road clone. Thank you for all these pictures. WOW!
 

Short Balding Guy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,871
Location
Minnesota, USA
Let me introduce you to my VS Stratoliner inspired sage colored felt fedora. This is spectacular! IT IS BRILLIANT, and a TOTALLY SMASHING hat!

IMG_4047-M.jpg


I had been torn between having a silverbelly Wanderer in light weight felt and a sage Stratoliner clone. I was inspired to consider a sage fedora by the one showcased on this thread by the Vintage Silhouette client Jauntyone, http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/client_des/client_des_start.htm , residing in France. I have debated this color felt for months. Instinctively I loved sage in the pics shown by Jauntyone, loved the felt sample, but wondered if it would just be TOO much color. I worried that sage would not be a subtle color, but a standing tall color saying LOOK AT ME. Art helped me off the fence by suggesting we could do both hats. Both hats, what a concept! Cheers to Art’s salesmanship and my impulsive nature when it comes to VS hats.

In my travels to Europe and Great Britain this past year, folks recognize the Stratoliner style as an American styled hat. I end up wearing this style hat traveling frequently. My wife's horse and dog crowd see the hat as distinctive and styling in their world. Heading out to the gymnastics gym for my coaching duties in street clothes (slacks, shirt, v-neck sweater mostly), hanging in the yard (Pendleton wool shirt, slacks) and when visiting downtown MPLS/St.Paul, MN wearing the hat, blazer, dress slacks and dress shoes I am very comfortable. It is versatile for my corners of the world. We all occupy different corners of the earth and no hat can work for all.

Art has helped me by adjusting the size of the last couple of VS hats. I asked for them to be sized bigger so that I can securely pull them on when the wind off the lake picks up and threatens to do the same to my fedoras. Art knew exactly what to do. He worked his fit magic and NO WORRIES they fits spectacularly. Could not be better, IMO. Between tipping the hat back on my head (keeping the sunlight from my eyes) and the angle of the camera when I took the above pic, the hat appears to be high on my forehead. This is not the case for daily wear. I admit I enjoy wearing my hats straight across my forehead, no angles for this guy.

This felt will require some more work on my part to capture the accurate color with a camera. The sage felt is a fully saturated color. This sage is more grayish green vs. Blue-green for sure. Within the felt I see hints of a warmer brown addition. It is certainly not a sea foam green. I find myself struggling to concisely describe this color. Perhaps other owners of this felt can chime in and offer their reflections. Today the cold, low humidity and the bright sun reflecting off the snow made it hard to get pics. Most shots ended up either too saturated or with too many dark shadows.

Totally ART - the ribbon. This ribbon design has the look of a couple of vintage ribboned Stetsons noted on this thread by Alanfgag. Western origion, but designed to be headed more downtown. Love the simplicity, look and class.

IMG_4039-M.jpg


IMG_4032-M.jpg


The hat has a 2 1/2 " brim width that has, like the Stetson Stratoliner, a small bound edge. The liner is stunning black. The dark leather band is totally cool. I asked for the darker colors as having a bald head and really wearing my VS's makes discolorations of the liner a distinct possibility. Yes they do get cleaned, but the dark colors hide the marks longer.

IMG_4028-M.jpg


The crease that came in the felt is what I am showing in the pics. I like the subtle dent on the top and the lighter creases on the sides. Classy and subtle works for this hat. A moderate "tugboat" draws attention to my trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, cheerful, thrifty, brave and reverent face.

IMG_4041-M.jpg


Art is the BEST! Love Sage! This is a hat that needs to be outed.

Thanks for letting me share, Eric -
 
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barrowjh

One Too Many
Messages
1,398
Location
Maryville Tennessee
Looks awesome to me! I have often spoken of desire for a light olive color, and the light sage looks like what I want. I wonder if the light sage Art has in stock is different from the light green at Buckaroo Hatters, since both would be coming from Winchester, TN. At Buckaroo the light green looks a little too much 'apple' green to me (too bright, too bluish) but you indicate the color is a green-gray, which is what I want. Two of your pictures are the same shade of green as the light green at Buckaroo, so maybe it is more a matter of individual taste.

I'm trying to match up to the light olive grey-greens from vintage hats; in particular, there is a Stetson Bantam out there somewhere (I think it passed through Zetwal's hands?) that is just about the perfect color, although I have seen that color on a Barbisio and several others that show up in TFL. I always get out-bid when they come up for auction, I know there is some substantial demand for that color of felt.
 
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Short Balding Guy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,871
Location
Minnesota, USA
Looks awesome to me! I have often spoken of desire for a light olive color, and the light sage looks like what I want...... I wonder if the light sage Art has in stock is different from the light green at Buckaroo Hatters, since both would be coming from Winchester, TN......I'm trying to match up to the light olive grey-greens from vintage hats...

John; I do not think that this is the olive green you are after. I know that Barbiso and Bantam color and that is different. I concur those hats are olive green. Additionally, Art will have to comment as to the Winchester bodies. I never asked about the felt bodies.

Olive green felt; I will stand in line right after you for an olive green VS hat!

Eric -
 

MikeP

New in Town
Messages
27
Location
Colorado
Rabbit,
Thank you so much for your time and effort. It is a great help to all of us trying to figure out which color(s) to go with.
M.P.
 

Rabbit

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,561
Location
Germany
You're most welcome, barrowjh and MikeP.

Let me introduce you to my VS Stratoliner inspired sage colored felt fedora. This is spectacular! IT IS BRILLIANT, and a TOTALLY SMASHING hat!

Thank you for a most interesting post, Eric.

From the felt samples the light sage looks to be decidedly on the cool side of the spectrum. Interesting to learn that it has brownish undertones beneath the slightly minty greyish-green.

I'm looking forward to more pictures of the light sage felt. Once the days are longer and the light less harsh, color accuracy will be less difficult to achieve. The strange light of high winter is a tough time for proper color rendition, just like the scorching summer sun at high noon - in a totally different way, of course.
 

barrowjh

One Too Many
Messages
1,398
Location
Maryville Tennessee
SBG - yeah, a bazillion different shades going from grey to blue, wow, we got the choices in that color spectrum. Almost as good going in the brown direction, with pecan, whiskey, sahara, etc. Art has fleshed out the red spectrum some with the black cherry, oxblood, sunset. Grey to green . . . furgeddaboutit.

We talked with Jeff Teters (Plant Supervisor at Winchester) about this at the Fedorafest last spring in Covington (Buckaroo Hatters) and he described how difficult it was to match those old colors. Even if you have the formulas, some of those chemicals are not available or illegal (safety). We looked at one vintage example of a light olive and his comment was that it looked like it had some yellow in it to get the olive tint. Winchester would have to experiment with several runs to get the color right, expensive to do, at a time when they are fairly busy, according to him, operating at capacity at that time. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting on fresh new light olive felts!
 

majormoore

Vendor
Messages
802
Winchester will run any color for a hatter, the hatter just has to spend about $5000.00 at one time on the custom color he wants custom done.
The money has to be paid before they will ship the hat bodies.
Major Moore
 

barrowjh

One Too Many
Messages
1,398
Location
Maryville Tennessee
Wow, that is high risk when the new custom color is an unknown.

I think I am guilty of steering this discussion further and further away from SBG's new VS custom, not appropriate on my part. It is an awesome hat, looks really nice IMHO. First time I have seen a VS OR/Strat using the light sage, well executed.
 
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mikespens

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,913
Location
Tacoma, Wa
Add me to the appreciation of Nik's felt color guide gift.

Eric, your exuberance for Sage is contagious. Congrats on your fine new VS.
 

Short Balding Guy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,871
Location
Minnesota, USA
John, Rabbit, Perry and Che; Thanks fellows for your kind words. I appreciate your taking a look at my new sage hat.

Hatted in VS comfort thanks to Art! Everybody needs at least one Art Fawcett VS fedora.

Best, Eric -
 

Short Balding Guy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,871
Location
Minnesota, USA
Mike; Thanks. ( .....Inspired by your signature line, I too cast my vote for Pedro! What a great movie.)

John; I wanted to add that your query into the offering of the green shades was not diverting at all. I too wish that color would have greater variety. The shades all the way from phthalo green (blue-grass), forest green, asparagus green, pine green (crayola crayon color), moss green, sage, light green, olive green,and ultimately ending with brunswick green (dark green almost black) could be colors that would be delightfull to the eye.

These are enough green thoughts for tonight, Eric -
 

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