Borsalino Featherweight Liner

[mineral]

I have a blue Borsalino feather weight hat similar to the one mentioned here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=10716

It is an absolutely superb hat and it truly is of supreme quality as said on the liner.

Unfortunately, the liner is attached to the hat by scotch tape. I should have had the foresight to reinforce the 30 to 40 year old scotch tape, which as expected did not last through the vigors of the paws of the TSA man at the airport who called it a "criminal hat" and who must have thought of me as a mafia member.

I suppose it isn't that difficult to reattach the liner, but could anyone explain why scotch tape was used in the first place instead of thread? I was thinking I should use a more secure method to put the liner back but before I do I want to understand why Borsalino used scotch tape so as not to mess up the hat.

Can anyone help? Thanks!

 

[feltfan]

I have a blue Borsalino feather weight hat similar to the one mentioned here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=10716

It is an absolutely superb hat and it truly is of supreme quality as said on the liner.

As the original poster and owner of the hats in the above
thread, I feel I should respond...

Congratulations on owning what I believe to be one of
the most unique and impressive hats ever made.

Unfortunately, the liner is attached to the hat by scotch tape. I should have had the foresight to reinforce the 30 to 40 year old scotch tape, which as expected did not last through the vigors of the paws of the TSA man at the airport who called it a "criminal hat" and who must have thought of me as a mafia member.

And these knuckle draggers are supposed to be making
our skies safe? I'll refrain from further comment.

I suppose it isn't that difficult to reattach the liner, but could anyone explain why scotch tape was used in the first place instead of thread? I was thinking I should use a more secure method to put the liner back but before I do I want to understand why Borsalino used scotch tape so as not to mess up the hat.

Can anyone help? Thanks!

My guess is that Borsalino did not use scotch tape.

To answer the obvious question, my hat's liner is
stitched in. I've never seen a Borsalino with a taped liner.

If you look at the images of the various fine Borsalinos
presented on this site, you will see that many of the older
liners carried the name of the store in which the hat was
purchased. It appears to me that these stores inserted their
liners, which may or may not have been "co-branded" and
created by Borsalino. Given the consistent quality, I'm guessing
they were produced by Borsalino, but perhaps Besdor can clear
this up (though I note the American stores did not engage in
this practice; only the Italian ones). So it is possible that a
lazy shop taped in the liner.

But more likely, assuming you are not the original owner, your
hat was cleaned and blocked at some point. During this process
the liner was removed, either inadvertently or intentionally, and
replaced in a hurry, using tape. This might have been done by
a hat store/cleaner of our era, who perhaps did not know how
to sew in a liner or was too lazy.

The stitches on my hat are pretty far apart- almost 2".
It should be pretty easy to stitch it in that way. The ribbon
will hide your stitches from the outside.

Now, please post pictures of your hat. We can all learn a lot
from seeing a hat of that caliber.

 

[mineral]

Thanks for your reply, Feltfan! Here are some pictures. I have photographed the hat over a music book published by Henle (they all have the same blue cover) on top of a black metronome as a color reference.

Here's another view:

The edge is raw, unlike yours. I didn't originally post pictures because it is essentially a cousin of yours, (originally) bought at the same store in Rome.

My hat and your hat might have sat on the same shelf sometime in their lives. I have to wonder, given that all our hats have English words "Feather Weight" instead of the corresponding Italian, whether these hats are marketed for English speaking tourists in Rome back then. (Does the gentleman who sold you the hat fit that description?) Anyway, I am not the first owner of the hat and I could only wish I knew more. Here's another picture of the inside.

The scotch taping of the liner to the hat is clear in this picture.

The tape has come off as you can see. You are absolutely right that the tape must be a later addition, though probably not that much later, given that the scotch tape is really old. After reading your post I checked and the liner had originally been sewed on, as can be seen in the needle marks here.

Now I have to go figure out how to put the liner back. I don't trust my sewing skills on a hat of this quality and I will try to go find someone with the expertise to do the job.

Thanks for your note and have a happy new year!

 

[DOUGLAS]

That is a beautiful hat Mineral. Eventhough there are many of these types of hats floating around in the ether they are ellusive. Congratulations.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I have to wonder, given that all our hats have English words "Feather Weight" instead of the corresponding Italian, whether these hats are marketed for English speaking tourists in Rome back then.

I think you're right. I have an article from 1972 which quotes a hat seller for a 200-year-old Roman haberdasher, Radiconcini, that they sell more Borsalinos to American tourists than to Italians. She said Italians think Borsalinos are too provincial, and prefer British hats of inferior quality and higher cost due to import duties.

Nice hat, by the way!

Brad

 

[feltfan]

I'm not sure we have enough information to come to that
conclusion, Brad.

Remember that my hat came from 1955 (bought
it from the original owner) and mineral's has to
come from within a decade of that. 1972 is a lot later.
The market could have been quite different in the 1950s.

I suspect that after the War, English had style appeal to it.

Mineral, thanks for posting photos. Interesting that your hat has
a "raw", or unbound edge. Very interesting to see that
they came from the same store around the same time
and are the same color!

 

[Brad Bowers]

I'm not sure we have enough information to come to that
conclusion, Brad.

Remember that my hat came from 1955 (bought
it from the original owner) and mineral's has to
come from within a decade of that. 1972 is a lot later.
The market could have been quite different in the 1950s.

True, one article does not an argument make, but I threw it out here because it supported mineral's notion. It might have been the 1970s market she was talking about, but the seller who was quoted had been selling hats for 25 years, so she could have been including an historical perspective, as well.

Later on in the article, an executive at Borsalino said that about 50% of their production is sold domestically, and the other half is exported to other countries. 7 percent of their total production went to the United States. They declined to give their production figures, so we don't know how many hats this might have been.

Edited to add this: I've got a Borsalino that's about the same age as yours and minerals (from the late-Fifties), which my great uncle purchased on a trip to Florence. I can see how these would make nice souvenirs!

Brad

 

[bolthead]

Wow.....

 

[mineral]

Thanks for all the replies! And yes, I am truly lucky to find this thing.

True, one article does not an argument make, but I threw it out here because it supported mineral's notion. It might have been the 1970s market she was talking about, but the seller who was quoted had been selling hats for 25 years, so she could have been including an historical perspective, as well.

Later on in the article, an executive at Borsalino said that about 50% of their production is sold domestically, and the other half is exported to other countries. 7 percent of their total production went to the United States. They declined to give their production figures, so we don't know how many hats this might have been.

Edited to add this: I've got a Borsalino that's about the same age as yours and minerals (from the late-Fifties), which my great uncle purchased on a trip to Florence. I can see how these would make nice souvenirs!

Brad

Brad, I find it interesting to hear that Italians think Borsalino hats are "provincial". What stylistic elements of these hats make them think so, or is it simply because these hats are made in Piedmont that make it unsuited for the Roman urban sophisticate? I don't have nearly enough hats (not to mention English ones of the same era) to be able to compare. I don't know how it was back then, but these days I think Borsalino certainly cater to tourists, from what I observed in the the Borsalino shop in the Galleria V. Emanuele in Milan. (Their sales staff seriously need to learn some manners though.)

And if you could, I would be really happy if you can share a photo or two of that souvenir hat bought in Firenze ....

 

[Brad Bowers]

mineral,

Nothing else from the article I can add about why Italians might have liked English hats better, but what you said sounds as good a reason as any.

Here's my Colombo model from Firenze. The shop's name was Minelli gi?† Balma, located on the Via Cerretani. These are some older photos I have for a thread somewhere around here, but I didn't feel like searching for it.

Brad

 

[mineral]

Thanks for the pictures, Brad! That's a wonderful hat.

 

[DOUGLAS]

Brad I seem to have the same hat. I wish I had more.

 

[indycop]

Wow !! those are all very nice!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Brad Bowers]

Indeed, we do have the same hat model, Douglas! The only differences I see (besides the shop names) are the size tags, and my hat doesn't have the double bow like yours (it's not shown in the photo). I like the fact that the tape for the reed on the sweatband is grey to match the hat. Don't see that too often. These are nice hats, and it's amazing just how different that velour finish felt is compared to my other Borsalino.

Brad

 

[DOUGLAS]

I agree Brad the finish on these is special and I have only found it on this model. This is almost a crushable hat and although it is a medium weight is is very comfortable.

 

[alanfgag]

Bumping this thread that I found while looking for more info on Borsalino Featherweights. It helps provide light on the query I posed on the Borsalino Brotherhood earlier today.

Should any of the original posters be listening, the liner in my earlier Featherweight is taped in by the factory using gummed paper tape. I would guess that scotch tape would be a later repair and would probably be a poor idea due to the acid content of this type of adhesive.

 

[CH Sherr]

An professional at Borsalino said that about 50% of their development is available locally, and the other 50 % is released to other nations. 7 % of their complete development went to the Combined Declares. They dropped to provide their development results, so we don't know how many caps this might have been.