FELT - No fighting.

[clevispin]

We know there are a couple of heavier weight high quality modern fedoras out there. Question: Are there vintage fedoras pre-'65 that used a very stout body? If so, were the heavier bodies manipulated to make them seem a little more refined ("wears like iron, looks like silk")?

m

 

[feltfan]

Not quite sure what you mean.
Cavanagh used some felt in the 40s and 50s
that you wouldn't hesitate to call heavy. But no one would
question that it was fine and luxurious.

I have a ~40s Mallory Coast-to-Coast that
isn't exactly light, but it's admirably sturdy.

 

[clevispin]

I don't know either. More specifically, the classic mid-20s thru mid-50s fedoras - certainly light weight or middle weight but heavy weight too?

m

 

[feltfan]

As I said...

What are you getting at? I don't know what the
advertising slogans were. Don't know that a heavier
felt is better for anything in particular. The old
Cavanaghs weren't as heavy as the cowboy hats
you see today.

 

[Visigoth]

Well, I've talked a number of times about my Borsalino Peluche -- a long-haired beaver from either 1960 (by the serial) or the thirties: a *very* heavy, extremely high-quality felt.

 

[tonyb]

Might the benefit of a thicker felt be that it would keep one's noggin warmer, provided other factors (such as felt density) were equal? Or is that additional thickness of no actual heat-retaining advantage?

 

[Matt Deckard]

I have some very stout, very thick and very soft Fedoras from the 30's to 40's. I just like the thinner ones better.