Finally got me first fedora

[Michael D]

I have two recent Borsalinos that I bought in Milan, Italy. Both IMHO are high quality hats. I paid about $150 for each.

Then I bought a 'cheapy' $60 one from hatsplus.com last month. They were being closed out. I thought, "a $60 Borsalino? How bad can it be?" I found out! It is made in the US by the Bailey hat company. This one is not a quality hat at all. The felt is soft but very thin, not luxurious. Can't hold a candle to my other two. The 'leather' sweatband was accidentally glued to the lining which was a problem. And then on top of it all I don't like the style. It is an Alessandria II model with the open crown in silver belly. The brim is supposed to be 2 5/8 inch but is closer to 2 1/2. Even after putting my best bash in it I'm still not pleased with how it looks, but maybe it's just me.

Anyway, it looks like I'll have to save my Borsalino purchases to the next time I'm in Italy, or if I find a good deal on a vintage one on ebay.

Mike

 

[jamespowers]

I have two recent Borsalinos that I bought in Milan, Italy. Both IMHO are high quality hats. I paid about $150 for each.

Then I bought a 'cheapy' $60 one from hatsplus.com last month. They were being closed out. I thought, "a $60 Borsalino? How bad can it be?" I found out!

Anyway, it looks like I'll have to save my Borsalino purchases to the next time I'm in Italy, or if I find a good deal on a vintage one on ebay.

You found out the hard way I suppose. It seems that the hats with the Borsalino name in the US are not made to the same standards. Probably because they are made by the licensee and not Borsalino.
If you want a modern Borsalino then you should wait until you can get one directly from Italy or europe. The bodies they start with are much better.
There are always the vintage hats though and you can be sure to look at the sweatband of a newer Borsalino to see where it was originally sold. They almost always have the store name on the sweatband. A modern hat sold in a store in Rome is going to be fairly good.

Regards to all,

J

 

[matei]

Thanks for the tip!

I never thought to check out Clery's!

We're actually off to London at the end of the month, but I will give it a whirl before we up and leave.