Dove Gray vs Silverbelly

[The Lark]

I'm in talks with a Sydney based hat maker to create a custom replica of Mr Johnny Depp's silver belly hat (oh yes, THAT one).

However, she has Dove Gray felt in stock. I was wondering about whether I should go with that. Silver belly is an oddity because it seems a warm color under soft or diffused tungsten light, but under direct sunlight it looks cool and silvery. I do like that silver look it has.

Any thoughts on the matter?

I know that Art Fawcett actually has silver belly in stock, but the man is so popular with orders coming in that I'd be waiting forever to get that hat (not to mention shipping the conformer to Melbourne, then back again, then more shipping for the hat).

*Another alternative I could do is grab a silver belly Akubra Campdraft and swap the thin ribbon over for a large one. Any idea of the crown height on a Campdraft?

 

[gtdean48]

Open Crown Campdraft is about 5 1/2 inches.
Akubra Silver Belly is more tan that grey & may not give you that cool & silvery hue you seek.

 

[jwalls]

I think you will find that the silver belly bodies, especially the blends, some of us get from Winchester give the effect your looking for in a hat.

 

[The Lark]

Jwalls, the silvery hat you have in your profile pic is the exact kind of effect I am looking for. Is that silver belly as well? Is Winchester a hat brand?

Whereas the hat colours I have been offered are as follows -

The bottom two are supposed to be dove gray. Looks more like green to me.

 

[jwalls]

Jwalls, the silvery hat you have in your profile pic is the exact kind of effect I am looking for. Is that silver belly as well? Is Winchester a hat brand?

Winchester manufactures hat bodies. You'll find most of the custom makers use their product. Yes, the hat in my avatar is an old silver belly. As a matter of fact I'm wear it today.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Well, some hatters call Silverbelly "Dove Gray". Best to ask the Sydney hatter for clarification - she might know. Silverbelly is a strange, neutral color that I can never decide if I like. Like you, the silvery aspect attracts me, but I don't like the tan look, which just seems like dirty felt to me. [huh]

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

I've admired that hat and I thought it was a light grey, maybe a moonstone grey. But, after looking at images of his fedora today, it clearly appears to be a sand or very light beige. The Campdraft, with a larger ribbon, would be close in proportions, I think. My recollection is the crown is closer to 5-3/4". Akubra's silverbelly appears to be a lighter sand than the hat in question.

 

[tonyb]

As with many other matters, there seems to be a lack of agreement among the various hat manufacturers, both modern and historic, as to just what "silverbelly" means. Whatever is may have meant originally has little apparent effect on what it has (or hasn't) come to mean. Let's just say it's a light(ish) gray (usually) with warmer (sometimes) or cooler (sometimes) undertones.

Hope that clarifies things.

 

[The Lark]

It seems that if I want this colour I am going to have to get it from America. I'm reconsidering an order with Art again haha.

 

[navarre_au]

I'm in the process of ordering an "Art" - I am now at the point of "post conformer return" - that period where you keep reconsidering what ribbonstyle\colours etc will make up the final order spec

It really didnt take long (in fact surprisingly short a time) for the conformer to arrive - and the return wasnt "too" painful on cost - the eyes only watered slightly as I handed over the notes.

And the current tanking of the aussie dollar is not helping - makes me wish I had made a full transfer at the time when we almost had parity :eusa_doh:

How flexible is our Sydney hatter in her range of colours\felt types etc (I am pretty sure I am thinking of the same person the "winston churchill fellow"?)

 

[The Lark]

Rosie Boylan is the name of the Sydney hatter, and whilst she has been very helpful trying to satisfy my demand the exact right colour she would probably have to order in the felt for me anyway, bumping up the price higher again.

I wonder if it would be worth skipping the conformer stage of Art buying. Mr Depp apparently wears his hat "loose" in a size too large, and if I go for that effect as well then the conformer is a bit superfluous, no?

 

[elvisroe]

you mean this one?

nice

 

[The Lark]

Yep. It's been the subject of many a thread on the Lounge, quite a few by me.

Mostly because I am being pedantic in my research/discussion of this hat so that when I do commission a replica, it will be more accurate.

Also, as you can see it manages an unnerving array of shades for a single hat, which is why it's so hard to pin down colour wise.

Here it looks closer to Silver Mist

Here it is such a dark rusty colour as to be almost brown.

Hard to believe it's the same hat.

 

[danofarlington]

Hard to believe it's the same hat.

But could he afford more than one hat?

 

[donnc]

But could he afford more than one hat?

Probably - hats aren't that expensive yet! But that's the same one, in different light. You can't buy a hat from pictures and nail down the precise color. I believe the green in the "dove grey" hat above is lighting - it looks to me like a neutral to cool grey, in a photo with a faint green cast (for example could be some fluorescent lighting in the mix.) Nothing looks good in light like that, and I bet that hat's nice in better light - clean.

 

[Mr E Train]

Maybe Johnny Depp's the one buying all those Whippets.

 

[Justdog]

Dove Gray

I'm in talks with a Sydney based hat maker to create a custom replica of Mr Johnny Depp's silver belly hat (oh yes, THAT one).

Any thoughts on the matter?

a Campdraft?

Dove grey is a great color, it goes with most anything. There are lots of silverbelly out there but Dove grey is just a great color.

 

[frussell]

Akubra Silverbelly

I am an Akubra fan. I have owned two of their silverbelly Campdrafts. Mr. Dean is correct though, Akubra's silverbelly is definitely more of a taupe or tan than what I've always gotten from Resistol or Stetson. My latest silverbelly Campdraft is a beautiful hat, but there's no grey tone to it at all, most evident when it's sitting on top of my silverbelly Resistol Open Road clone. It's definitely in the light brown tone family. Good luck in your quest. Frank

 

[BlackBrim]

How about Beaver Brand's silverbelly color?Is it more of a tan or more of a grey color?

 

[gtdean48]

How about Beaver Brand's silverbelly color?Is it more of a tan or more of a grey color?

The older Beaver Brand Western that I have is more grey than tan. HTH