Borsy -- Party of Three...

[jimmy the lid]

Well, the lot of three Borsalinos that I won a couple weeks back finally arrived. I wasn't sure whether the hats would prove to be vintage or not, and pretty much took a chance, keeping my fingers crossed. Well, they certainly are vintage, alright, and in excellent condition. The most exciting thing for me is that these hats are giving me my first real Borsalino education. I have read many posts here on the Lounge praising the quality of vintage Borsalino felt, but, until you have actually held one of these in your hands, you just have no way of appreciating how incredible this felt really is. Absolutely amazing. Dense, smooth, luxurious. I would sure appreciate any help anyone could provide in helping to date these hats or provide any info.

The first hat has particularly nice felt, and conforms immediately to whatever shape is applied, almost like it is a living thing. Interestingly, the ribbon has stitching on the outside along the top -- something I have never seen before.

Here is the stitching along the top of the ribbon:

I love the diagonal stitching along the bottom of the sweat -- something I've never seen before:

More to come...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[jimmy the lid]

Ultra-Light

This next hat absolutely blows me away, especially in light of the recent posts concerning lightweight felt. This is the lightest hat I have ever experienced in my life. I thought my Stetson Playboy was light (and it is...), but the Playboy feels like a ton of bricks compared to this Borsalino. If I throw it up in the air, there is actually "hang time" as it drifts back down.:eusa_clap The felt is incredibly thin, yet dense, strong and smooth. Wow!

Two other features are worth noting. The hat has the corrugated piece at the front of the sweat. As far as I can tell, this serves the ingenious function of providing some "air-conditioning" for this warm-weather hat. Also, the edge of the brim has a subtle double row of stitching -- a nice touch, and I imagine it helps to give some support, as well.

Corrugated front of sweat:

Double-stitching along edge of brim:

Alas, this hat is a Euro size 5 1/2 (US 7 1/4). In my heart of hearts, I can't imagine trying to stretch this hat. So, perhaps a fellow Lounger will benefit as a result.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[jimmy the lid]

And, lastly...

This hat was supposed to be a Euro size 6...But no, it is a Euro size 4 (US 6 7/8).:rage: Not happy 'bout that. Still, it's a nice hat -- beautiful felt.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[DOUGLAS]

Beautiful hats man!! Congrats. The Borsalinos are very comfy and light.

 

[blade runner]

Congrats! Those are three great looking hats. I keep trying to find a nice gray fedora in 7 1/4, but they are hard to find, particularly Borsalinos. If you ever decide to part with that second one, I'd be interested. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your find.

 

[Duck]

Well Done!!!

Very nice hats! A great find.:eusa_clap

 

[jimmy the lid]

Thanks, Gents. And welcome to the Lounge, blade runner.

Judging by the yellow "oilskin" on the liner crowns of the two hats, I would guess that these date from the forties. Don't know about the other one. Can anyone offer some ideas on this?

Thanks,
JtL

 

[scotrace]

Those are some of the nicest Borsalinos I've seen here. Amazing!

 

[fedoralover]

Now you know why the modern Borsys get bashed so much. There is absolutely no comparison between the vintage and the new. I wore a vintage borsy into John Helmers in Portland and compared it to a new one that cost $265. It was sad to see how far down in quality they had went, in both workmanship and materials. The salesman was there and made the comment "obviously they don't make them like they used to".

fedoralover

 

[Dinerman]

I've got that embossing in the last picture of the first hat on a rolling borsalino I have.

Great finds!

 

[duggap]

Those are some absolutely serious lids. Congradulations for finding those wonderful Borsolinos. I envy you gents who have the time and good fortune to pursue those gems. It is just too bad they all were not your size. :eusa_clap

 

[jimmy the lid]

Thanks, duggap. Wish they were all my size, but it's been an education, nonetheless...

Now you know why the modern Borsys get bashed so much. There is absolutely no comparison between the vintage and the new.

Yup -- I totally get that now.

I've got that embossing in the last picture of the first hat on a rolling borsalino I have.

Very interesting. I didn't know what to make of that, but figured it was a little too detailed and fancy to be the owner's initials. Any idea what it might signify?

Also -- has anyone ever seen that kind of loose long stitch along the top of the ribbon (on the first hat)? Not clear whether that's just a stylistic touch, or whether it serves some other function.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[fedoralover]

Also -- has anyone ever seen that kind of loose long stitch along the top of the ribbon (on the first hat)? Not clear whether that's just a stylistic touch, or whether it serves some other function.
Cheers,
JtL

I saw it on an extra extra qualitore borsalino I had bought a number of years ago. I've since gotten rid of it, at the time I didn't know what to make of it either. I think it's just an extra touch to show that more time was spent making it, since it obviously doesn't serve any real purpose. In the good old days of hat making they did extra things like that.

fedoralover