Custom made hats from Cappelleria Melegari

[89quattro]

I had a pleasant series of communications this morning with Mr. Alzani at Cappelleria Melegari regarding his custom made hats. Looks like he has blocks up to 66 cm and can accommodate my sizing requirements [hold the jokes please, I’ve heard them all ]. Pricing is reasonable, about $240 landed here in the states.

Most importantly, he stated there is about a 20 day turn around time on getting one built. Speed is important...I’m queued up with some of our US based custom hatters, and will wait out the 3-4 month lead time, but the need exists to cure the hat fever I caught from this forum.

I performed a search but couldn't find many posts with reviews/pictures of his work. Can anybody share comments/pics on their experiences working with them?

 

[wcbrown]

In my quest to find a copy of "the Last Man Standing" hat I ordered one from these folks!! I am fairly new to this but I can say it is a great hat, very well made, and very representative of the LMS hat. I ordered a 62cm at first and after another measurement went with a 61cm and it fits perfectly. Very soft leather sweatband, gold embossed lettering, satin liner, all the good stuff. The rabbit fur felt is very subtle and looks fantastic. I really need to get a picture of this and my recent VS LASTMAN hat in these threads. I waited just a bit over 20 days, not many but it was right before Christmas, I have a hunch that played into it...here is the amazing thing. I was notified it was shipped on a Friday, from Milan, and it was on my doorstop in Pennsylvania on Monday!! Incredible. Just from my experiences I would HIGHLY recommend them.

 

[89quattro]

That's the model I was looking at, as Mr. Alzani stated be was maxed out at a 5.5 cm brim when using the large size blocks. I would be most appreciative if you could post some pictures. - thanks!

 

[wcbrown]

will do! but trust me, it's spot on! I was shocked. even the ribbon, nice and wide. I always get compliments on it, wasn't expecting that.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

When I decided to buy a custom-made hat I breached my beliefs
In Italy and Europe there are millions of hats from one of the most flourishing industries worldwide
They are waiting to be found and bought. This is what I have pursued for years in my country and in Europe.
I found magnificent hats built in the last seventy years, some new, others just worn. I hardly bought "old clunkers"
In today's world of hats we all know that the glory days are over, but we have a large vintage market where to fish unique pieces.
I noted that the desire to compare an actual hat with a vintage so I had a lot of money invested in the experiment of using "new hatters". Melegari in Milan, in the person of Sergio Anzani, is currently one of the few craftsmen (other two are in Rome) who build bespoke hats. Take note that in Italy there are still alive four hats producers: Cervo-Barbisio, Borsalino, Guerra 1855 (new web site) and Tesi plus others minor

Anzani has a catalog of five or six basic forms of hats from where you can get variations on the theme, as well as a historical shop where sell the best brands in the world of hats.
I chose a form from the thirties and this is the result

Proportions are: brim at 6.5 cm. (2 5/8 inches) and crown at 12.5 cm. ( 5 inches) bashed. Ribbon is 4 cm. (1 5/8 inches)

The felt is FEPSA 120 gr. beige (or bone)

I chose a color that was not present in my collection

The lining is a modern satin with the brand in gold

The hatter sign with a golden pencil the hat with the number of hats done during years

My size is 60 cm. (7 1/2 USA9 and this is a tad large

I'm satisfied customer? Yes! The experiment will ended well

Another in the near future?

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Excellent work. The modern hat inspired from a 30's form I appreciate. The ribbon tacking is well done. Congrats and wear the bespoke hat with pride.

Eric -

 

[hatsRme]

Il complimento, Daniele! Le congratulazioni! Le felicitazioni! I rallegramenti!!!

 

[mayserwegener]

Daniele, Thank you for the detailed write up. The form is fantastic and the felt looks great. Vintage Borsalino like!

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Beautifully done!

 

[RJR]

A real beauty,congrats!

 

[Glenville86]

I have a couple in the mail. Will post impressions when they arrive.

 

[Darky Flynn]

I imagine it’s a bit late for the initial question, but here are my two cents about Cappellaria Melegari:

I ordered a western-styleHomburg in dusty black from them. Custom sized, about 55.5 (small head). I was instantly attracted to the aged hats they make, some sort of antique form. Seeing as they only offered it in wool felt, I asked for a fur felt one. There was no problem, communication went great, the hat took a bit more than the 20 days, but that’s understandable. The quality and workmanship are truly great when compared to shops like Bailey or Stetson ( stetson.eu is what I mean, which is medium to poor quality in my opinion and highly overpriced).

However, I have encountered two issues with Sergio’s work. Firstly, the size does not match. It was way too tight. Returning is was not an option, since according to law, custom orders cannot be returned for a refund. So I removed the inner leather sweatband and had a great fit. Although the inside of the hat looks kinda damaged now. Anyway, he probably sized the hat before adding the sweatband, which took some millimetres away. My next purchase will definitely be a hat stretcher.

Secondly, the aging technique is pretty rough. It does not look aged, it looks painted. And it’s some shiny paint that defies the idea of “aged & dusty”. The brush strokes are actually visible all around. I managed to hide most of it with black wax, but in my opinion, if you want a nice aged hat, buy a new one and some wax and do it yourself. It is cheaper and you have full control over the result.

Melegari is still the company I’d call for the next custom hat, though. Their selection is huge and keep in mind that every option is customizable: size, shape, material. If you want a derby with a lower dome, they’re down for it, and the prices are extremely reasonable.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I have to say they have some impressive models. The "Melvin Purvis Police Agent" (https://www.cappelleriamelegari.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=385&products_id=8294) looks great, with a 2.56" brim and about a 5.5" crown.

Their Melegari "vintage extra brim high crown" (https://www.cappelleriamelegari.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=379_100&products_id=3005) does too -- you can get a little wider brim on request, plus a bunch of colors, 2 ribbon colors and widths.

Has everyone found their Melegari hat did not fit right, either too large or too small?

 

[Darky Flynn]

I have to say they have some impressive models. The "Melvin Purvis Police Agent" (https://www.cappelleriamelegari.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=385&products_id=8294) looks great, with a 2.56" brim and about a 5.5" crown.

Their Melegari "vintage extra brim high crown" (https://www.cappelleriamelegari.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=379_100&products_id=3005) does too -- you can get a little wider brim on request, plus a bunch of colors, 2 ribbon colors and widths.

Has everyone found their Melegari hat did not fit right, either too large or too small?

Yep, I did, read above. To me, they run small, probably because they add the leather sweatband after sizing the hat. Because after I removed the sweatband it fit like a dream. But now the hat will probably lose some of its form in time.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Yep, I did, read above. To me, they run small, probably because they add the leather sweatband after sizing the hat. Because after I removed the sweatband it fit like a dream. But now the hat will probably lose some of its form in time.

Right, yours ran small. So odds are, if I need a 56, I should order a 57 cm? But Daniele Tanto's beautiful beige model above was a bit too large.

I have a hat stretcher, but I've found that works better with thin-ribboned hats. A wider ribbon gets in the way of the water or steam soaking into the base of the crown, and the stretching doesn't take as easily.

 

[jlee562]

Yep, I did, read above. To me, they run small, probably because they add the leather sweatband after sizing the hat. Because after I removed the sweatband it fit like a dream. But now the hat will probably lose some of its form in time.

Did you contact them after you received the hat? Even though you cannot return the item for a refund, if something is offered as custom sized to fit, and does not fit, the maker should rectify.

 

[Darky Flynn]

Right, yours ran small. So odds are, if I need a 56, I should order a 57 cm? But Daniele Tanto's beautiful beige model above was a bit too large.

I have a hat stretcher, but I've found that works better with thin-ribboned hats. A wider ribbon gets in the way of the water or steam soaking into the base of the crown, and the stretching doesn't take as easily.

The easiest way to solve this is to remove the ribbon. It is not sewn all-around the crown, it’s just pinpointed in some spots. It’s really easy to do it and put it back afterwards. The real problem would be with a shrinking technique, as the original ribbon would sit way too loose.

I found 56 sits too loose on my head, which I don’t like, so I’m usually very happy when I can get in-between sizes. I appreciate a lot more the imperial metric sizing, the 6 7/8 is perfect and available at most shops.

PS. Even so, with sizing a bit off, I highy recommend this shop for a great custom hat. Their rabbit felt is very good and Sergio is a good hatmaker. If you want a custom, be prepared to wait a bit more than the 20 working days the website states, they have a truckload of orders.

 

[Darky Flynn]

Did you contact them after you received the hat? Even though you cannot return the item for a refund, if something is offered as custom sized to fit, and does not fit, the maker should rectify.

No, I didn’t. Under European law, and it is cited on every product’s page on their website, there is a non return clause for custom made items. They could’ve probably stretched it a bit, but I was reluctant to pay another €100 in shipping to and fro, besides the original shipping costs. So I simply removed the sweatband, which I have done before to a 1900s bowler I got at a fair, and it works. Technically, this method is not recommended as the sweatband really holds it all together and in time it may affect the overall shape of the hat. On the other hand, I’ve found out I sweat a lot less without it, as the leather clings to the skin and it barely breathes. Honestly, I would remove leather or faux from sweatbands entirely and stick to cotton, it’s a lot easier on the forehead.

 

[Benzadmiral]

There is also their Melegari Fedora 2: https://www.cappelleriamelegari.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3006 It is like the "vintage extra brim high crown," except that it comes open crown, you can choose other widths, and while you have 7 color choices, you don't have a color or width option on the ribbon. Same price, though. About $226 USD shipped. Tempting . . .

 

[Darky Flynn]

There is also their Melegari Fedora 2: https://www.cappelleriamelegari.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3006 It is like the "vintage extra brim high crown," except that it comes open crown, you can choose other widths, and while you have 7 color choices, you don't have a color or width option on the ribbon. Same price, though. About $226 USD shipped. Tempting . . .

It is beautiful. Plus, at Melegari everything is customizable. Height, width, ribbon size and color, whatever. Just use the contact form and ask them. They have a tall antiqued bowler in wool felt for about €140. About 13-15 dome height. Having it made in 10cm dome height, extra quality fur felt and upturned shorter brim added about €50. Which is very cheap considering it’s as custom as it can get without using a conformateur.