Long Overdue Visit to Chicago

[Bruce Wayne]

where would one go to buy a good hat in chicago? i am going to be visiting chi town in a couple of weeks & i figured that would be a good time to pick up a hat...
thanx!!!

 

[Mr. Rover]

OPTIMO

 

[Lady Blue]

I second the recommendation for Optimo. Graham Thompson does some fine work.
Here's the website
http://www.optimohats.com/

Enjoy!

 

[MattJH]

I just sent three of my hats to Optimo for repairs. If I lived in Chicago, I'd be a weekly visitor.

 

[yachtie]

for RTW-Dobbs, Biltmore etc.: Hats Plus at Milwaukee and Cicero

for Bespoke or Very nice RTW, Optimo- Western Ave. at 103rd St.

( Warning- they're pretty much at opposite ends of the City)

 

[Aerol]

Another idea

There's also Sid's on Roosevelt Road, as well as Paul Stuart on Michigan Ave.

 

[Harp]

Optimo, located near 98th Western Avenue is the best.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

.

Optimo.

 

[Aerol]

Optimo's location

Optimo's address is:

10215 S. Western Ave.

This places them between 102nd and 103rd Streets (Chicago is nothing if not logical).

Please note, though, that Optimo hats start at $450. If this is not your price range one of the other suggestions may be more appropriate.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

No hype with Optimo!

Optimo Hat Company...

Its worth the trip to see a real hat shop... "His Real Milan Straws" and Panama hats are works of art.

His felts are $425.00 but just to see his different finish he puts on his hats is eye opening... I flew from Florida just to see a real old time hat store... I was treated with respect and Graham Thompson made my few hours with him alot of fun... Class hatter he is...

 

[Harp]

Locus

Optimo's address is:

10215 S. Western Ave.

This places them between 102nd and 103rd Streets (Chicago is nothing if not logical).

...41* 44' N; 87* 44' W; if you insist, old boy.

 

[Aerol]

coordinates

Many thanks for this degree of precision. As 98th St. is half a mile from 102nd St., all increases in precision are appreciated.

 

[Harp]

And, Optimo is on the east side of Western Avenue.
...between 98th and 103rd Streets as Zeno might say.

 

[David V]

Or as any Chicagoan knows... over down dat way dare.

 

[Harp]

Or as any Chicagoan knows... over down dat way dare.

...logically speaking, of course.

 

[David V]

only a couple a-two-tree blocks. ya gonna come wit or what?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Or as any Chicagoan knows... over down dat way dare.

lets not get technical, now...lol

 

[gcollins]

Greetings folks, old and new.

Over a decade ago on this fine forum--yes, before the iphone and the stingy brim resurgence --when we were easily sniping pristine 40s brims from ebay, debating our lot and love and sometimes meeting up, there were the hats themselves, in all their glory.

I returned to the USA recently after many years abroad (with a container load of incorrigible brims) and thought to visit Chicago--surely a place where hats still reign supreme.

17 years ago when I last moved back to Asia, hat shops had long ago died, but I figured the resurgence--like vinyl records?--was a local phenomenon. Chicago would surely be it.

The hat shops I visited were now vestiges; there were vintage shops with hats but sparse for the hats we love, particularly lacking vintage extraordinary hats found in grandfather's closet. A generation has now passed and those hats are in our collections it seems.

Among the hat shops I did visit, I did however visit Graham's Optimo shop on Jackson. Class act, but more like a custom Chanel shop. I get the point and the clear business positioning. But seriously? No one is in there, no vibe. Nothing to try on, no stock hats, no one to discuss with, even have a cigar with, just one very nice chap to take measurement for the next $1000 bespoke hat (Heirloom quality). Phenomenal hats though and I know my felt better than the shop manager. I would easily (and maybe will) commission another hat there after more than 15 years. Well crafted, just not quite the experience I was expecting.

We've discussed now for 20 or more years about the loss of hat culture, and the traditions, as wearing a brim is tantamount to a bespoke Nicaraguan cigar you can't buy in Nicaragua.

Not much else in Chicago from the hat front. At least the Italian Beef, Hamilton, and Deep Dish were alive and well.

Are hats alive and well back in the US of A?

 

[Wesslyn]

As a native Illinoisan, what Chicago has become deeply saddens and troubles me.
It would seem to me that different "cultures" adopt different styles. While a farmer wearing an Open Road wouldn't be surprising to witness, the overall vibe of classic fashion has shifted greatly.
I've been around a good portion of the country, and the Midwest is suffering the most. I'm not typically someone to judge someone's taste, because it's subjective, but around my parts, I've received snarky comments about my attire from people wearing sweatpants halfway down their butts and stained SWAG tee shirts.
I recommend Richards Fabulous Finds if you ever make your way towards Chicago again.

I took a trip to Canada, particularly Toronto, last year, and was surprised to find walks of life from all cultures and fashions in a completely tolerant environment, including our seemingly niche vintage hat and often suit obsessions.
Of course, most hats were Biltmores! (Not a bad thing)
But to digress, from a short trip literally just over the border, I got a real grasp for how stagnant USA culture has become, particularly in my neck of the woods.
I won't claim to be an expert on other parts of the country though.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Have I really been here a decade?