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[Terry "The Hat"]

Actually, I have several Tilley waxed cotton hats and use a stretcher on them all the time. I'm surprised it shrank in the first place. Pick up a "Hat Jack" for about twenty bucks on Ebay and have at it. The wool will be more apt to distort.

 

[bowlerman]

Dear Loungers,
Can anyone date my new hat?

Sorry, I'm already married, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a worthy suitor-- it looks like a nice one!

 

[bowlerman]

Not likely--a change in sweatband might pick up a little if it is a style that is set off a bit from the body.

as suspected. Thanks, Robert.

 

[Dinerman]

Dear Loungers,
Can anyone date my new hat? And would anyone know what it's material might be?

Thanks Guys!,
ThirftyB

Rabbit felt- '80s or '90s?

 

[ThriftyBusiness]

Dear Loungers,
Can anyone date my new hat?
Thanks Guys!,
ThirftyB

I hassled the seller and found it's wool felt (bummer but oh well) and it's from the 70s (which part of that decade seems irrelevant considering it's wool)

Sorry, I'm already married, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a worthy suitor-- it looks like a nice one!

Thumbs-up!

 

[Vfan1983]

Hi everyone. I'm looking into buying a Homburg and I was wondering if you guys think this one is of good quality. I'm pretty new to hat buying and I also don't have a big budget for it as I'm currently in college. Thanks for the help.

 

[T Rick]

Can't speak on the quality, I don't know. But do you know your size? That is quite a small hat, if it does happen to be your size, you will have LOTS Of choices on eBay, many many many really nice hats come up there in that size, and often sell very inexpensively. If it's not your size, buying it will be a disappointment regardless of quality.

 

[Vfan1983]

Yeah, that is my size. I'm only 5'2", so I tend to take small sizes.

 

[bowlerman]

Sorry, thriftybusiness-- I know that was a terrible response.

Can anyone help me identify the color of the homburg in this photo? for reference, the hat on the left is a dark moss wormser, next is a "safari green" beaver brand, and the one on the right is a medium grey from Charles the Ebay western guy.
The homburg is an old, smelly, mothbitten Biltmore Imperial; I keep it because I like the color so much, but I don't wear it.

 

[bobm]

Stetson - Borsalino

Newbie questions...again. Are there quality differences between Stetson and Borsalino and/or other brands of hats? And those who prefer one brand over the other, why?

Bob

 

[jlee562]

You gotta ask a more specific question than that.

Modern Stetson? Modern Borso?

Generally, speaking older hats are better in quality. We seem to have reached a consensus that a modern Stetson Western hat is of better quality than a modern Stetson dress hat.

 

[bobm]

You gotta ask a more specific question than that.

Modern Stetson? Modern Borso?

Generally, speaking older hats are better in quality. We seem to have reached a consensus that a modern Stetson Western hat is of better quality than a modern Stetson dress hat.

Ok, I was referring to modern/new hats.

Bob

 

[MDphoto]

Looking at getting some sort of Panama/straw hat for the beach in a couple weeks, but I've never owned one, so don't want to put a lot money in it.
I've looked around and found the Stetson retro on DMs site and (I believe) Panama Bob's Panama Hat Works Montecristi Caballero on EBay.
They're about the same price, so which would you get for a first timer?

 

[monbla256]

Looking at getting some sort of Panama/straw hat for the beach in a couple weeks, but I've never owned one, so don't want to put a lot money in it.
I've looked around and found the Stetson retro on DMs site and (I believe) Panama Bob's Panama Hat Works Montecristi Caballero on EBay.
They're about the same price, so which would you get for a first timer?

Only one answer for that question - Panama Bob.

 

[T Rick]

Looking at getting some sort of Panama/straw hat for the beach in a couple weeks, but I've never owned one, so don't want to put a lot money in it.
I've looked around and found the Stetson retro on DMs site and (I believe) Panama Bob's Panama Hat Works Montecristi Caballero on EBay.
They're about the same price, so which would you get for a first timer?

Does PB sell on eBay??

 

[Yeps]

Here he is

 

[T Rick]

Here he is

Thanks! Had no idea that was him, I'll need to have another look.

 

[DelMonico Hatter]

Ok, I was referring to modern/new hats.

Bob

Hi Bob,

Brandon here, thanks for the question.

Generally, Borsalino tends to be a higher quality than Stetson - being imported from Italy, it is regarded as a luxury brand and its hats do have a pretty remarkable aura of quality around them. But it does depend on the hat. Both companies make a range of qualities and types.

Fur felt hats of any brand can be rabbit, a blend of beaver and rabbit, or 100% beaver (most expensive). Beaver has an extremely pleasing feel, but rabbit feels nice too of course.

If this is your first dress hat, a rabbit fur felt hat will do you well.

As for why people like one brand over the other, there are objective ways to judge of course, but personal preference does play a role too.

I can speak personally on why I like certain brands - personally, I like the Cervo brand, another brand from Italy. The last hat I picked up was a Cervo.

Actually, it was for a really silly reason. It looked almost exactly like a hat that I lost! My old hat looked good on me, it had the perfect color, brim width, crown taper and crown height. I had it for 10 years and then unknowingly lost it off my head while getting into a cab in Sydney, Australia. Never saw it again! :eusa_doh:

Many Borsalinos that I've sold, while they are really excellent hats, they tend to have a high crown (for me) and their brim widths can be too big for my face.

Stetson's "Temple" fedora was similar to the hat I lost, and it is a nice hat. But it has a dimensional brim (meaning the brim is wider in the front than on the sides) and I prefer a normal brim.

The Cervo I chose fit the bill on all counts, and so on the noggin it went! I even wear it in the summer sun sometimes, I like it that much.

But, the funny thing is, there are plenty of people that like the hats I didn't choose for the exact opposite reasons, and those hats will look great on the heads of their respective owners just like mine does. Hats are very individual and some hats sort of become "old friends" with their owners. I know mine did. Maybe hats choose their people, you know?

The main thing is that you find a hat which fits your budget and your style preferences - I tend to have the philosophy that there's a right hat for every person, and you kind of have to look around and poke around with it until you find out what you like.

Does this help you out?

Good luck on your hat search!

Best,
Brandon
DelMonico Hatter

 

[sykesie-92]

Hi, Ive recently been given this hat, and was wondering if anyone could give me some information on it?
Its a Bates Hat from London, but I don't have a clue about the hat style, or how to clean it ect?

Any information would be a big help!

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

An intruduction, a photo of my Woodrows Trilby & a question

Dear Group, let me introduce myself, my name is Martin and i live in the County of Norfolk in England.
I've always worn hats, but mostly of the tweed variety, however, last week (i think it was Wednesday) we had our summer and i had the idea of buying a nice Panama hat.
I visited many on-line shops and did indeed by a summer hat. But, in the process I came across Trilbys and Fedoras and something happened to me. I had to have one!

Anyways, i found what i think is a beauty on Ebay. It's made by Woodrows of Piccadilly London. The chap I bought it from said it was unused, and so it turned out to be. He also told me that it was his old Dads hat and he bought it 10 years ago. It is marked on the sweatband with the legend "Geo Ripley, Lytham" which is a town in England. I actually traced the Gentlemens Outfitters and called them on the telephone but they couldn't shed any light on the hat at all. The hat is called the "Atlantic" I found this forum post which shows Woodrows hat making process and it's very interesting,,,,,
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...king-Woodrow-pamphlet-scans&highlight=woodrow

It says that Woodrows were founded in 1775. The question i would like to ask you chaps, if you don't mind, is does anyone know if Woodrows are still in business as i can't find any record of them? Does an age of 10 years or so seem reasonable, or maybe the chap bought old stock from an earlier period. Is there any way i can tell if the hat is fur or wool felt?

Oh by the way, I paid £8.50 for the hat which is about 15 US Dollars.

I realize it's a lot to ask but i would love to find out the history of my new prized possession. Thanks very much chaps.