New Gus Miller Custom "Bogart"

[jake_fink]

Looks much better. The mug is fine.

 

[cookie]

Thanks Boris, and thanks to John in Covina, who also explained this to me in a PM. Those cans just look odd. I have a problem with things that are different to their normal size, like those pint mugs, or brussel sprouts, which as far as I can tell are just tiny cabbages. I don't like those Swatch wallclocks that look like massive wristwatches, either. I mean, I'm not Gulliver, thank you very much.

Nice to know that FLers don't have any likes and dislikes... obsessions or secrets they don't want to reveal about their inner selves to other Loungers ...and anyway my Mum always said the Brussels Sprouts were little cabbages when she was trying to FORCE THEM on our undeserving palates...so there![huh] [huh]

 

[pgoat]

dum de dum dum!

Got the call from Cincinnati today; my hat is on its way! It cost a bit more ($250), which is fine, but I'll be uneasy till I try it on - always dodgy doing things (size wise) via long distance. Hopefully the fit will be a good one.

I'll be sure to post pics when it arrives. Fingers crossed!

 

[ScionPI2005]

Got the call from Cincinnati today; my hat is on its way! It cost a bit more ($250), which is fine, but I'll be uneasy till I try it on - always dodgy doing things (size wise) via long distance. Hopefully the fit will be a good one.

I'll be sure to post pics when it arrives. Fingers crossed!

I'm in your boat, pgoat! I just ordered one yesterday from Gus. Same price as you, and keeping my fingers crossed about the size. Gus did assure me however that given my circumference, and that I'm roughly a size 7 to 7 1/8, he could make it work. It's supposed to be done in a week or so, in which they will call me and confirm shipment.

Do post pics when it shows up, pgoat. I'll be sure to do the same. :fedora:

 

[pgoat]

will do!

I did get the impression that Gus understood what I needed (long oval, in between sizes, yadda yadda) but then I panicked and measured my head thrity times and my hat sweatbands , and sent the poor man all this bizarre data. I probably would have been better off leaving things off where we were with the initial phone conversation.

Worse comes to worse, I imagine it could be stretched. Given what they told me, mine is likely to be too snug, rather than too large.

we shall see.......I'm trying not to fret needlessly until it gets here. Hopefully I'll have it by mid week (next week). Despite my size-related worries I am very excited about getting it!!

 

[Boris K]

.

Pgoat and Scion, I hope you are well satisfied with the hats. Can't wait to see them.

 

[David Bresch]

I contacted Gus, and apparently he can make me any hat that I want, so long as its grey and looks exactly like the Bogart hat! Seriously, he is very nice, but REALLY difficult to deal with over the phone!

 

[pgoat]

David, I didn't have that experience. Just for the record, I spoke Greek to the woman who took my info, but spoke to Gus in English, and he and I communicated just fine.

I still don't know if my new hat will fit okay, but quite honestly that will be on me. I knew I was taking a gamble here, and it was up to me to provide acurate sizing info. If there is a problem, I only hope he'll work with me to correct it.

I've ordered long distance from Art Fawcett, but he shipped me his conformer and patiently walked me through that process - and his hats fit me perfectly.

Boris, I can't wait! I'll be sure to post pics asap.

 

[metropd]

Best Ever!

I just recieved a hat from Gus Miller. IT IS THE NICEST FEDORA I HAVE EVER OWNED!!!!! Nicer than any of my other custom hats and nicer than my Stetson 20, 30's Borsalino Trifino, 40's Citation. Simply divine. The brim even rolls down like a vintage fedora. No need for steam or water the felt is completley pliable! I was a little nervous with the english on the phone but am so satsified with Gus Millers hat I have no temptation to even search ebay to look at fedoras. Best hat Iv'e ver owned. 110% satisfied.

Would recommend Gus Miller to anyone who wants a great hat.

Best regards,
Nicholas

 

[David Bresch]

First, I have no size issues, either my head is perfectly round or it shrinks to fit!

Second, you guys are killing me with the hats. The hat Gus made for me is nice but its felt is not nearly as nice (to my touch) as the felt Art uses, plus, whatever house style Art has trouble departing from, the man made a serious effort to deliver me what I wanted each time I ordered a hat, where as Gus seems to have ignored the picture and letter I sent him.

With these recs I will try again, not because Art isn't great, but the idea of getting another hat from this legend is killing me! By the way, Boris K, I did not follow the back-and-forth about the photos, but I really, really like that hat.

One issue: can anyone tell me definitively what colors Gus has in his "vintage felts?" The felt he used for my hat he claims to be "vintage" but it looks nothing like the felt of this beautiful hat, nor the heavy felt Art uses.

 

[toobacat]

What did Gus do to the edge of the brim on this hat? Is it just a raw edge with a seam around it? I can't quite tell from the pictures.

 

[Boris K]

.

What did Gus do to the edge of the brim on this hat? Is it just a raw edge with a seam around it? I can't quite tell from the pictures.

Toobacat, Gus rolled the felt and stitched it. It is essentiall a "hem."

 

[toobacat]

Toobacat, Gus rolled the felt and stitched it. It is essentiall a "hem."

Thanks, it makes a nice edge.

 

[Boris K]

.

I just recieved a hat from Gus Miller. IT IS THE NICEST FEDORA I HAVE EVER OWNED!!!!! Nicer than any of my other custom hats and nicer than my Stetson 20, 30's Borsalino Trifino, 40's Citation. Simply divine. The brim even rolls down like a vintage fedora. No need for steam or water the felt is completley pliable! I was a little nervous with the english on the phone but am so satsified with Gus Millers hat I have no temptation to even search ebay to look at fedoras. Best hat Iv'e ver owned. 110% satisfied.

Would recommend Gus Miller to anyone who wants a great hat.

Best regards,
Nicholas

Congrats, Nicholas! Wear it in good health. Pics when you have a chance please

 

[pgoat]

I think you have to have a certain amount of paitience and dilligence with custom clothes of any kind. I went through some annoying transactions with a few MTM suits and shoes in the last few years, as well as simple alterations.

I think maybe the best way to get into this process is to go slow, order one thing at a time from one place (probably taking the maker's advice or stock 'house' style as a baseline) and then live with it for a while before making any alterations or tweaks. I'd realistically expect it to take a few tries brfore you really hit it out of the park together. Expensive? Yes. But if that was the only concern, we'd all be buying all our clothes at Wally world....

From the maker's POV, I imagine it gets quite hectic handling orders - and special instructions - from several people at once. That's all part of managing a business, of course, but I think you have to expect the relationship between maker and customer to build and grow over time. I am pretty sure my next hat from Art will be the best yet. Similarly, I got, say, a custom suit from Mr. Ned (Manhattan) and they nailed the fit from square one. (Best bang-per-buck in NYC, imo ). BUt I resisted the urge to go crazy with details. I orderred one simple grey suit and they missed a few details I asked for; nevertheless, the next suit they make me I expect will have more of the bugs worked out (and they've been great about fixing things, btw). I'll spring for a better fabric accordingly on that one.

I did have one really bad experience imo. I got a pair of 'custom' shoes made at a very well known and highly touted NYC shop. They really did a bad job. The shoes - which should have certainly fit well, if not perfectly (especially on the first pair) - fit WORSE than any otr shoe. And I knew why - they essentially measured me incorrectly.

I brought them back and complained and they rebuilt them (as in a new pair, which took a long time on top of the initial three month wait) but the fit still was 'meh' and they were not super cheap ($1000).

Since measuring is important in custom clothes, I'd say they screwed up. The shoes are absolutely beautiful, but shoes that don't fit are pretty useless. I can buy beautiful shoes anywhere for half that price if fit is no concern.....in fact, fit is the ONLY reason I even went there and was willing to pay so much. And because they measured me in their shop, the fit was entirely on them; it's not my job as the customer to tell them how to do their job. (Hint - if someone measures your feet for custom shoes and doesn't have you stand to put weight on them, take your business elsewhere...)

 

[metropd]

From what I understand Art, Steve Delk, Gus Miller, and Gary White all use one or another grade of felt from Winchester. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[David Bresch]

So far as Gus is concerned, this is not true. He also uses "vintage" bodies that he has left over. Whether these are in any color but gray, is unclear.

 

[pgoat]

He did ask me "what color?" and I requested the same grey as Boris'. But I spoke with im last month to reserve a grey body. He may have run out of other colors in that felt since then.


I am am REALLY looking forward to this hat after seeing first Boris' and now metropd's pics. Yowza!!

(oh, please God, let it be delivered today!!!)

(p.s. - please let it fit!! )

 

[ScionPI2005]

If it's delivered today, you have got to get a picture up by this evening pgoat! lol

Seriously, after seeing the other's hats by Gus, I'm awaiting mine eagerly as well. Sort of with the same nervousness about the sizing, but we shall see.

 

[pgoat]

I will do my best.

Of course, if it's not there yet, I'll just break down and sob like a little kid lol