Christy's of London

[stlenney]

I can say my Burma felt is an olive color. Definitely more green than tan.

 

[jlee562]

Several folks on Club Obi Wan have discussed Burma as being a good match for the "Seaplane" hat from Raiders of The Lost Ark....in discussing said hat, and basically, it photographs very differently in different light.

See this thread for more info.

 

[frussell]

Color of Burma

Of the photos/websites posted by Cybergentleman, the Village Hat Shop photo comes closest to the Burma Adventurer that I received and sold to another Lounger. Way more greenish brown than grey. It looked grey on the Hornet's website. Isn't the famous Seaplane hat grey? I certainly wasn't looking for an olive hat, especially one that was sized incorrectly. Sure was beautifully soft felt though. Apparently Christy's (at least through Hornets) does not offer a true 63, so I will not be doing any more business with them. Add to that all the confusion and miscommunication I encountered with my order, and I'd have to say it was an unpleasant experience on the whole. Especially when compared to working with Art Fawcett, or ordering from HatsDirect. I think it's admirable that one fellow Lounger got a new hat free to make up for the mistakes made on his hat, but most of us just got a polite email that didn't help at all. Good Luck, Frank

 

[cybergentleman]

thought so

Thanks for the input,

this is intriguing bc most of posted burmas on FDL here show a tan hue to the felt.

this guy has what looks gray: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbWMFXi6XQc


[scratches head]

....I'm waiting for my sable adventurer to arrive (christy's F'd up big and delayed everything; long story)

not just the burma color varies, but even the sable felts appear to vary from a light/medium tan to a nice dark, flat brown (which is what i hope to receive).

 

[Brent Hutto]

It is almost certain that the pictures vary 10x more than the hats. It is literally impossible to distinguish tint or tones in web photos.

 

[MississippiLong]

Adventurer order

Last week I ordered the Adventurer in Bessemer and asked they replace the black ribbon with a dark green one as I like the color scheme on the Wincanton (the 3rd from the top on hornet's fur felt page.) Also the brim will be 2.5 in all the way around. Now that i read this post I am concerned that Bessemer isn't the correct color to have chosen. Does anyone have a bessemer colored hat? if so can you post pics? Cheers.

 

[cybergentleman]

the thread

here is the link to a thread:

http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=40148


and these pics:

Granted, I don't have as extensive a collection as some, but this works for me. I rotate in some hats seasonally.

 

[MississippiLong]

fantastic. Thanks! I think the dark green ribbon will look great then. If only I'd known they do binding along the brim as well. Oh well. Thanks again.

 

[cybergentleman]

christys color chart from ascot

http://www.ascot-tophats.co.uk/catalog/images/furchart.jpg

 

[fenris]

Which Christy's felt color is the closest to the Carbon Grey of the Akubra Fed IV?

I'm assuming it's Bessemer, but when I look at it, it seems too light as compared to Akubra's Carbon Grey.

 

[cybergentleman]

finally

So, after a long long wait i finally have my christy's adventurer.

photos are below, but first a few points:
1) felt is very soft- i like it
2) dimensions seems to be as specified
3) sable felt color is more brown. and a flatter color than the one shown on hornets and christy's sites. it is a true brown- very nice color.

Ascot top hats was the merchant. Doug offered a good price, and unlike the other christy retailers offered to do some alterations on the hat for a nominal fee, like stitching the liner in or replacing the ribbon.

the delay started off as usual with christy's having some sort of screw up at the factory, then a vacation for their fur cutters..then they sent the wrong colored ribbon..i asked for black. sigh

anyway, keep it on the d/l...ssshh but i removed the black ribbon done by Doug and replaced it with the default dark brown...i had compared the two in the mirror and felt that the dark brown they provide default works. the black was also very nice...but......i thought the brown was just a tad more subdued; just a tad.

now the pics:

let me know your thoughts. I have to say it's a nice hat....maybe i will go for another in the future.

 

[MississippiLong]

nice hat cybergent! I got a note in my mailbox today that I can go pick up my Adventurer tomorrow at the post office. I got one in bessemer with a green river and the brim chopped down to 2.5" Very excited. I'll post pics.

 

[Blackthorn]

Nice looking hat, Cybergent! I also got a new travel fedora (foldaway) last week, my second order from them, and I'm very pleased with the look, the price, the size and the service. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again. They aren't expensively made hats, and they don't pretend to be. You can get a better hat, but it takes a lot more money to do so.

 

[cybergentleman]

next up

thanks for the compliments...

when i buy a new one of these i may try the navy blue color..with a bespoke ribbon.

if christys uses tonak felts then i imagine that if tonak has other colors available you could maybe special order a special color....? just an idea i had the other day

 

[jmrtnko]

Gracechurch

Does anyone know when Christys moved out of their original 35 Gracechurch location? That address is stamped into the sweatband of a fantastic Christys vintage summer-felt bowler I found in Portland and was trying to get a vague idea of it's age range.

I do have a little bit of info. The London firm started buying up Stockport hatmakers in 1826 and by 1930, when the last member of the Christie-Miller family to run the company started his career, it was already headquartered in Stockport and not London. But, the original Gracechurch address could still have been used as a showroom and workshop. Anyone know anything?

 

[fenris]

Has anyone here been caught in the rain with their Christy's? When I mean rain, I do mean rain.

Perhaps a pic or a short tale of how the hat handled getting wet would be nice.

 

[Charlie Huang]

Does anyone know when Christys moved out of their original 35 Gracechurch location? That address is stamped into the sweatband of a fantastic Christys vintage summer-felt bowler I found in Portland and was trying to get a vague idea of it's age range.

I do have a little bit of info. The London firm started buying up Stockport hatmakers in 1826 and by 1930, when the last member of the Christie-Miller family to run the company started his career, it was already headquartered in Stockport and not London. But, the original Gracechurch address could still have been used as a showroom and workshop. Anyone know anything?

I don't think they're at Gracechurch anymore. In fact, they don't have a stand alone shop. You can find some of their stuff at Hornets but they are a vintage clothes shop and not a hatter. They do have a website that you can order Christy hats which they do no your behalf.

 

[jmrtnko]

I don't think they're at Gracechurch anymore. In fact, they don't have a stand alone shop. You can find some of their stuff at Hornets but they are a vintage clothes shop and not a hatter. They do have a website that you can order Christy hats which they do no your behalf.

Yes, they started in Gracechurch in the 1700s, but haven't been there for a long time. I was wondering how long it had been (10? 50? 100 years?) since they left that location. It will give me a minimum age for this bowler.

I've sent an inquiry to them, but haven't heard back yet.

 

[jlagman]

So, after a long long wait i finally have my christy's adventurer.

photos are below, but first a few points:
1) felt is very soft- i like it
2) dimensions seems to be as specified
3) sable felt color is more brown. and a flatter color than the one shown on hornets and christy's sites. it is a true brown- very nice color.

Ascot top hats was the merchant. Doug offered a good price, and unlike the other christy retailers offered to do some alterations on the hat for a nominal fee, like stitching the liner in or replacing the ribbon.

the delay started off as usual with christy's having some sort of screw up at the factory, then a vacation for their fur cutters..then they sent the wrong colored ribbon..i asked for black. sigh

anyway, keep it on the d/l...ssshh but i removed the black ribbon done by Doug and replaced it with the default dark brown...i had compared the two in the mirror and felt that the dark brown they provide default works. the black was also very nice...but......i thought the brown was just a tad more subdued; just a tad.

now the pics:

let me know your thoughts. I have to say it's a nice hat....maybe i will go for another in the future.

Man, I need to learn how to sew a ribbon onto my hat. I've grown to love my Adventurer except for the conspicuous tack stitches in the band.

 

[Dave E]

Does anyone have any tips that might help to add a bit of stiffness to some felt? I really like my foldaway, but the brim is just a bit too floppy in any kind of wind. It wouldn't take much stiffening to make it much more usable, but I've no idea if it's possible!