My Vintage Borsalino

[Kentucky Blues]

I'm sure Optimo can reattatch the borsy sweat band. When Nathan sent out my cavanagh to be reblocked, it came back with all the original pieces except the ribbon, so my sweatband and liner both still say Cavanagh Edge and Cavanagh

 

[Andykev]

Sounds great Brad

The cleaning process at Optimo is to remove the liner, which does not affect the rest fo the hat. You have to do this (both get cleaned) is due to what happens after the hat comes out of the cleaning tank.
It is air dried, then it is placed on a block and brushed and spun, which rejuvinates and lifts the knap of the felt. I had this done on my Cavanagh, and it came back looking new.
The reason the liner must come out is that if you left it in, the seams would be transferred to the top of the crown.

I'd wear the hat for a while, then send it in for cleaning in the spring.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Noticed something

After wearing the hat for a couple of days, I realized that there is very little taper to it at all. I love this hat, but the no-taper thing keeps it a little farther from being a Powell hat!

Brad

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Brad --

Dumb question from me: What is taper?

karol

 

[Brad Bowers]

Karol,

No dumb questions here, except those that are not asked!

Taper refers to the sides of the crown. Looking straight on at the hat, if the crown width is narrower nearer the top than at the base of the crown, then the hat is said to have taper. Reverse taper is when the crown has a mushroom-effect going on. No taper means, of course, that the crown sides are basically straight vertical.

Or in a more graphic form:

Taper = /
Reverse taper = /
No taper = | |

Brad

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Thanks, Brad, now I understand.

The Borsalino Alessandria hats I have do not have much taper, the vintage one has almost none. My new blue fedora has taper but I can bash it to stand straight if I want. I like the straight-up no taper look, better because they look best on me.

I'm trying to think if I have seem a "mushroom" and can't recall if I did. Wouldn't that look sort of weird? Or is that a top hat?

Whatever, your new vintage hat is a beauty and you look really sharp in it.

And -- just think -- you can still search for that elusive Powell hat. It may be out there somewhere.

karol

 

[Brad Bowers]

Okay, okay, I admit I picked up this term over at Club Obi-Wan, regarding the shape of a hat being worn by a certain adventurer/archaeologist in a certain scene of a a certain film from 1981. It's descriptive, but I don't think hats are generally shaped this way

Brad

 

[Matt Deckard]

Indiana Jones hats are welcome here too Brad.

I fell in love with that hat myself pretty much because it had the no taper look. Not for everyone, though it works for me.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Matt Deckard wrote:
Indiana Jones hats are welcome here too Brad.

I hope so! I wasn't denigrating it, by no means. After all, it's that hat that got me into hats!

I've had a Keppler Indy on order for a while, my first decent Indy hat in years, to help me forget the pain of the Dorfman. At least it'll give me a more appropriate avatar at COW.

Brad

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Brad --

What is the Keppler Indy hat? Is that a hatmaker or store? I ask because I am interested in Indy hats, too, but there are so many makes out there that I don't know what to get.

I love the look of Akubras but have become spoiled for all time for softer hats, and Akubras, I think, are pretty hard.

Does anyone here have a Stetson Temple? I tried one on and it was pretty soft. I believe that is one of the hats touted as an "Indy" hat, though it wasn't the most "Indy" of the Indy hats that I have seen.

My hatmaker also referred to a mushroom hat so I have heard the phrase before but did not know what the hat looked like. Does anyone have a photo of that particular Indy hat or scene?

Very curious,

karol

 

[Brad Bowers]

Gosh, karol, you're right, there are so many! It's not an easy decision.

Keppler is a man, Lee Keppler, who was one of the first to pursue accurate Indy gear for general consumption. His website is here. He orders the hats made to his specifications, and then gives each hat the bash that you want, i.e., Raiders, Temple of Doom, or Last Crusade.

It's probably best to go poke around COW to see photos of all that are out there. This is a great time to get an Indy hat, with so many nice ones available. COW's own Fedora is going to start making custom Indy hats soon, and I'd like to get one of his, too, probably in the LC style. Even the Herbert Johnson's are available in quantity now, and it would be nice to have one of those.

I guess it just depends on your budget. Each brand of hat has different qualities that set it apart and make it desirable.

Brad

 

[Kentucky Blues]

The Stetson temple was like the original dorfman. Stetson was licensed to sell hats for indiana jones and the temple of doom, and so they basically made the stetson temple and put an indy and the temple of doom liner in it. Then when they lost the license, they renamed the hat "Temple" as in temple of doom, and...yeah.

 

[MK]

Re: Noticed something

Originally posted by Brad Bowers
After wearing the hat for a couple of days, I realized that there is very little taper to it at all. I love this hat, but the no-taper thing keeps it a little farther from being a Powell hat!

Brad

Agreed. I think you deserve better. You shouldn't settle for less than your goal. Stick to your standard and not rest until you find it. You should donate that less-than-perfect lid to the proprietor of this fine establishment and keep looking for THE Powell fedora.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Thanks for all the info. Brad. I can't believe all the Indy buffs out there!! Not to mention all the hats. I had viewed some of them on the Indy Gear site, and was even more confused.

I assume, from what I you said, that Indy's hats were somewhat different in the Three Indiana Jone's movies. I will have to check that out by looking at some movie stills.

I am just somewhat bummed that the "official" hats I have seen in the local shops are all rather hard.

Thank you, Kentucky, for the information on the Stetson Temple. I almost bought one, but it just didn't have the look I am after. I think I have to find out what look I am after and go from there.

Back to researching.

karol

 

[Brad Bowers]

MK wrote:
You should donate that less-than-perfect lid to the proprietor of this fine establishment and keep looking for THE Powell fedora

Capital idea, MK, but I need to keep my head covered while looking for the Powell hat, and that could take years of searching to find the right one...:cool2:

karol,

Yep, better pop those DVDs or VHS tapes in and do some research!

Indy's hat didn't just change from movie to movie, it changes within each movie. Seems like somebody on COW is always pointing a heretofore unseen nuance of THE HAT, and I can't keep up with them. But if you find a particular scene from one of the movies that you like, there will be a hat out there that will work perfectly for it.

Brad

 

[Wild Root]

Brad, I think it's just a lovely hat all the way round. I think some of the hats that Powell had, had just a touch of taper as well. I have some hats that look like they have no taper to them, but if you look closely, you see just a little.

But, you keep that hat and enjoy it for what it is! It's a Borsalino and a vintage one! So, take good care of it and you will see that it will just get better with age.

But, never give up for that perfect Powell hat! It's out there bud and I know you'll find it. I have lots of vintage suits in my size which is a 44L and it's hard as hell to find good 30's and 40's vintage in that size! If I can still find stuff now and a gain, well, you can find that hat of your dreams!

Take care,

Rob.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Well, I have my work cut out for me. First, I have to rent those three Indy films (I liked two of them pretty well). Then, I have to use my stop action on the remote and take some mental notes.

Then, I have to keep looking for Indy hats until I find the one that fits me best. I already know what looks best on me and what doesn't, so it is just a matter of finding the right hat.

It will be not unlike a Grail Quest. I will be out there looking for the perfect Indy, Brad will be out there looking for his Powell hat, and I imagine the rest of you will be looking for that beautiful vintage Borsalino.

karol

 

[Michaelson]

Not that I'd EVER put off anyone from watching the trilogy, but if you'd like to see some REALLY good side by side photos of the HJ's worn by 'Indy', VP posted some EXCELLENT shots in this string at COW in the fedora section...


http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9675

Just scroll down the string, and you'll find them.

Regards. Michaelson