Help Me Pick a Borsalino!

[falis]

Check out the Signes Beaver available at Village Hat Shop. Could be a nice Borsalino alternative. I have one in black and love it.


Sent from my Transformer Infinity using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mulceber]

Hmmm, I'd love to hear from some Borso fans -- I know they exist here -- but these are interesting comments. Akubra's come across as too casual for my tastes. (My father has a large collection and none of them really tempt me.)

The idea of designing a custom makes me giddy. I'm not far from Optimo but they're too extravagant for my wallet. But the idea of another custom maker is really interesting. Tumwater's website looks really nice. Any recommendations for others to look at? (Yes, I've already spent time drooling over at Art Fawcett's...)

Agreed - I love Optimo, and my hats from them are some of my most prized possessions, but they're extremely expensive, especially when you're just getting started in hat collecting. I think Tumwater would be an excellent choice - great hats at a great price. Art's work is of course...a work of art, and you couldn't go wrong buying from him. It might be a little outside the price range you're looking at, but if ~$400 is something you can swing, he's one of the best in the business. You might also check out Black Sheep Hat Works and Penman. -M

 

[WWIIBuff]

I just bought my first Fedora a couple weeks ago, and it happens to be a Como (used, but I think it is more modern than vintage). I am a complete newbie to hats, and actually found this thread as I begin my search to learn more about Borsalino's. So far I like it, but living in California I also won't have to deal with some of the weather challenges mentioned here.

 

[job]

I have a new Alessandria and it is my most comfortable hat. It has a thinner felt than most modern hats.

It will never be as nice as a hat made back in the day. I don't think some methods used in the past are even legal now.

I wear a 7 5/8 and I find it hard to get just any vintage hat I want. I would rather have a hat like Alans but sometimes you get what you can get.

 

[VetPsychWars]

I'm another who doesn't think modern Borsalino is all that awful. I have two Alessandria from Bencraft. One is newer than the other (though bought about the same time), both were easy to crease, and had enough stiffener to HOLD the crease.

A lot of people don't realize how stiff an older hat was because most of them have had the stiffener turned to mush from multiple cleanings and decades of handling. I have a couple of vintage Stetson Stratoliners, for example, that were nearly new old stock and quite stiff.

Another new hat that is a decent value is the modern Stetson Stratoliner, which also gets vilified here. Does it have a taper? Sure, most hats after WWII had at least a slight taper, and part of that is just because of how it was blocked.

Lest anyone think that I don't know what I'm talking about, I have had quite a few vintage Borsalino hats and retain a gorgeous dove-grey in the rotation for daily wear. Yes, it's nicer than a new Borsalino... but that doesn't mean the new ones are junk.

Tom

 

[Felt]

I'm very glad to hear a bit from the "pro" Borsalino and Stetson crowd here. I have two Stetson Downs (sage and charcoal) and I happen to like them quite a bit. They're stiff to my hands but the charcoal is easily wearable with a suit (or jeans). I'm still on the fence about what to do. I'm thinking of a custom from Tumwater or the Como. If I go the Tumwater route, it'll be to get a custom that looks more or less looks a pseudo-Borso (including wind cord) but better made. No one replied to my earlier question of whether the religious Borsos are made to higher standards. Given they're the only Borsos I'm really familiar with, I have no idea, but they're certainly not floppy and can withstand a fair amount of rigorous handling.

 

[jlee562]

I'm very glad to hear a bit from the "pro" Borsalino and Stetson crowd here. I have two Stetson Downs (sage and charcoal) and I happen to like them quite a bit. They're stiff to my hands but the charcoal is easily wearable with a suit (or jeans). I'm still on the fence about what to do. I'm thinking of a custom from Tumwater or the Como. If I go the Tumwater route, it'll be to get a custom that looks more or less looks a pseudo-Borso (including wind cord) but better made. No one replied to my earlier question of whether the religious Borsos are made to higher standards. Given they're the only Borsos I'm really familiar with, I have no idea, but they're certainly not floppy and can withstand a fair amount of rigorous handling.

floppiness and stiffness have very little correlation to the quality of the felt.

As far as the religious hats, I've heard that they are made to more rigorous standards generally (but not Borsalino specifically). The few I saw from a few feet away on my recent trip to NYC appeared to be of more rigorous standards than most modern production hats.

Look, if you really want a modern Borso or Stetson, go for it, and wear your hat in good health. I had a modern Stetson which was a nice enough dress hat, but I had no compunction about letting it go in favor of vintage lids. Just be aware that a modern Borso may taper, and a modern Stetson may bleed dye (and taper).

 

[Anarcho-Chossid]

floppiness and stiffness have very little correlation to the quality of the felt.

As far as the religious hats, I've heard that they are made to more rigorous standards generally (but not Borsalino specifically). The few I saw from a few feet away on my recent trip to NYC appeared to be of more rigorous standards than most modern production hats.

Look, if you really want a modern Borso or Stetson, go for it, and wear your hat in good health. I had a modern Stetson which was a nice enough dress hat, but I had no compunction about letting it go in favor of vintage lids. Just be aware that a modern Borso may taper, and a modern Stetson may bleed dye (and taper).

I live in a Jewish community and have many friends in various chassidic communities in NYC, Chicago, etc. A Lubavitch chossid goes on average through 1-3 Borsolino hats a year (those who can't afford that, will buy cheaper Puerto Finos). Maybe longer if you wear a Borsolino on Shabbos only.

I am size 61 (which corresponds to 7 5/8, I suppose): I tried on yesterday my friend's hat of the same size that he bough at Primo Hatters in Crown Heights a year ago. It didn't fit me (he has to wear it on the back of his head) and was quite misshapen.

So, I am not sure what this says about the quality of hats, but it doesn't seem that they will last you for 90 years, if you wear then 12-16 hrs a day like some chassidim do.