Art Fawcett VS Hall of Fame

[memphislawyer]

Thanks Brando and 1961. I am thinking that my ribbon treatment would have two colors. The brim would be bound in almost a matching color as the silverbelly. That matching brim color would be the center line in those ribbon treatments that use two colors so I need a different, yet complimentary color to be used for the bulk of the ribbon. Sharp, sharp hats.

 

[danofarlington]

Now I see a thread essentially asking this same question today. I must've internalized the issue absent-mindedly while working up my own question above. I still want to know the answer though.

 

[Rabbit]

Here's a color question for Art. When you do a hat, to what extent do you think it's important to have the ribbon same color as the felt? Nearly all my vintage hats have that combination, although I know customs I see on this site go for complementary but not identical colors. Do you know what the rules were then, meaning the normal standard?

Well obviously I'm not Art, but my answer would be this.

The standard felt/ribbon combinations would be designs that are in line with the general approach to classic dressing, as opposed to fashionable designs. The combinations would call for inconspicuousness and at least some degree of versatility.
Consider this: A hat with a very unusual felt/ribbon color combination will likely be viewed (by the owner as well as the onlooker) as that hat - you know, a hat that works only with very specific outfits. Overgeneralizing things a little, you might say that a hat like this tends to look contrived even when worn with a harmonizing outfit, simply because you couldn't just exchange the outfit without also having to exchange the hat, and it shows.

Still, unusual felt/color combinations can work very well, but the default choice for ribbon bands are black, grays, and browns, as well as tone-in-tone combinations. This goes for the traditional felt colors, being grays, earthtones, tans, belly, black, and dark greens.
Other ribbon bands seen with some regularity are the subtle colors - dark burgundy, midnight blue, navy perhaps, then the dark greens, and the pastel shades among the lighter colors. Some felt colors lend themselves to the jewel-colored ribbons better than others. The Winchester Silverbelly and Art's signature color Dove probably work with almost any beautiful colored ribbon. The further you venture into colored ribbons, the more you're moving away from safe ground and consequently you'll need to know very well what you're doing.
From what I've seen, the dark, inconspicuous ribbon bands appear to have been most popular on dress Fedoras, followed by the matching ribbon bands, while bindings were mostly matching.

 

[Historyteach24]

May be a silly question but can any of the hats on the site be made in a different color felt?The journeyman is a really cool hat that I have my eye on but I have something close to that color

 

[hatophile]

I think Mr. Fawcett would be happy to do anything you'd like.

 

[jlee562]

May be a silly question but can any of the hats on the site be made in a different color felt?The journeyman is a really cool hat that I have my eye on but I have something close to that color

...that's really the entire point of a custom hatter.

 

[Historyteach24]

...that's really the entire point of a custom hatter.

Sorryyyyy

 

[bowlerman]

Well, of course they can be made in any of Art's colors, but I have to admit I'd kind of wondered that, too, regarding the Hitchhiker and Journeyman, because I thought I remembered reading that Art got a larger number of these particular felt bodies just so he could offer them at a lower price point.

 

[Historyteach24]

Thus why I asked. Thanks bowler

 

[jlee562]

Well, of course they can be made in any of Art's colors, but I have to admit I'd kind of wondered that, too, regarding the Hitchhiker and Journeyman, because I thought I remembered reading that Art got a larger number of these particular felt bodies just so he could offer them at a lower price point.

Right, but once you throw the felt out the window, the Journeyman is just a hat with a 2 7/8 brim and a diamond crease. I'm pretty sure Art could knock that one out in his sleep. Any number of hats in this thread are practically the same, aside from having the Nutria blend felt.

 

[bowlerman]

Agreed.

 

[Rabbit]

Unless I've missed something, the lower-cost rabbit/nutria blend is available only in natural and moss. In addition, the Winchester staple rabbit felt might be available in some of the Winchester standard colors.

 

[jlee562]

Unless I've missed something, the lower-cost rabbit/nutria blend is available only in natural and moss. In addition, the Winchester staple rabbit felt might be available in some of the Winchester standard colors.

Right, but if our friend Teach was going to get a different color, the felt goes out the window. So he'd be priced at Art's standard price, but there's no reason Art couldn't make essentially the same hat with Winchester's standard felts. None that I can see any way, unless Art wants to chime in to the contrary.

 

[Historyteach24]

Well the price was one of the attractions. Regardless it will be some time before I am ready to pull the trigger

 

[Art Fawcett]

Here's a color question for Art. When you do a hat, to what extent do you think it's important to have the ribbon same color as the felt? Nearly all my vintage hats have that combination, although I know customs I see on this site go for complementary but not identical colors. Do you know what the rules were then, meaning the normal standard?

Rabbit has it right Dan. Most of us are very conservative dressers and the more tone on tone a hat can be, the less attention paid. I try to keep bindings the same as or close to the felt color while going astray with crown ribbon. Whats the point of a custom if you can't play?

"I take it Dove is more to brown and silverbelly can tend to brown or blue, and I lean to blue "

Just the opposite Sir. SB tends to brown while Dove tends to blue or violet

HistoryTeach, I'd love to be able to offer it in other colors and in fact can as Jlee stated but I only had two colors made up in the nutria felt so I'm stuck offering it at my normal pricing.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Late to the party regarding the silverbelly felt and matching ribbon options. Even though I am late, here are a couple of pics to add to the conversation as I think they show an important example of matching the color with ribbon and binding. In my eyes this is a classy and yet conservative option. Check the pics out;

This pic is totally not part of the question, but just plain cool looking as the liner is GRAND!

Best, Eric -

 

[TomS]

Late to the party regarding the silverbelly felt and matching ribbon options. Even though I am late, here are a couple of pics to add to the conversation as I think they show an important example of matching the color with ribbon and binding. In my eyes this is a classy and yet conservative option. Check the pics out;

This pic is totally not part of the question, but just plain cool looking as the liner is GRAND!

Best, Eric -

Art's work is always the yardstick we measure everything else by; This beauty reminds me why that is so.

 

[Historyteach24]

Thanks for clarification Art. I hope to get the opportunity to have you create an awesome hat for me soon

 

[gtdean48]

That natural nutria blend is a versatile color & a rugged hat body. Good for a serious "using" lid....

Thanks for clarification Art. I hope to get the opportunity to have you create an awesome hat for me soon

 

[Historyteach24]

Yea Dean natural would go wth most things and the ribbon choices could be quite interesting. Just need to save some cash then give Art a call.