Open Crown Stetsons: A Call (Plea) to Retailers!!

[tommyK]

Got my Strat today. Thanks to Jeff and the folks at Delmonicos. It has a similar density to an Akubra Campdraft but perhaps, slightly thinner, softer hand and more moldable. It will need a little steam to fine tune. Great sweatband as well. Much better than the modern Whippet I have.

 

[CPT/VSG]

Looks great tommyK. I agree with your comments on the felt. It's not hard to crease.

 

[Rogera]

Great looking hat sir, the crease looks very good!

 

[hatophile]

Very nice, more like the Old School!

 

[ManofKent]

Looks good.

 

[DOGMAN]

I like that hat.Looks good on you.

 

[tommyK]

The crown looks taller in real life. I'll try to set up a better pic. It's very hard to capture the real color as well. It's a darker richer medium brown than it appears. Very similar to the fed IV tawny fawn. I'll need a day or so with it to really give it the once over in terms of quality. Definitely not as moldable as vintage but quantifiably better than the modern Stetson Whippet I have.

 

[tonyb]

For the life of me I can't understand how a would-be hat buyer wouldn't prefer that hat over just about anything else he would come across in a hat retail store.

 

[tommyK]

As a big head most of my hats are modern production hats and this measures up pretty well. Can't wait to see some noggin shots of the Stetsonian.

a better sense of the shape

 

[Historyteach24]

That is a beautiful hat

 

[Lotsahats]

My Stetsonian arrived!

I was sitting there this afternoon, when there was a knock at the door. Upon answering it, I saw the familiar shape of a hat box on my front doorstep. I have a number of hats going in and out, so I wasn't sure what this one was--especially since I didn't get an email from Delmonico that my hat had shipped. Sure enough, though, this box contained my new Stetsonian.

And there it was: a beautiful modern hat:

I gotta tell you: when I opened this box up, I was blown away by the hat inside. The weight, density, and hand-feel of the felt are right up to snuff. The quality seems really high to me; it compares quite well to the feel of my vintage Whippets. The felt is soft yet thick, and it takes a dry crease very well.

With a little steam, the felt responded just as well.

There are a few imperfections in the felt here and there, but overall, I'm impressed with the hat. If Hatco makes more hats of this quality--no matter the style--they'll have made a big step in returning the beauty and luxury of hats.

A

 

[Historyteach24]

Would u say this is in the same style as a whippet?

 

[TheDane]

Hmmmm ... that's one "Okay, but not really" and one "Fantastic hat". Not really convincing. The history in mind, it'll take more good reviews to convince me

 

[Landman]

Both hats look great in the photos. I have a Strat on the way. Can't wait to see it.

 

[RBH]

There are a few imperfections in the felt here and there,

Those 'few imperfections' were the reason Major Moore declined on the FedoraFest Stratoliner.
The hat looks great in the photos and I hope for the best.

 

[Lotsahats]

Would u say this is in the same style as a whippet?

100% Whippet style!

Hmmmm ... that's one "Okay, but not really" and one "Fantastic hat". Not really convincing. The history in mind, it'll take more good reviews to convince me

Is the new Strat the same quality? We need someone who got one of each to chime in.

A

 

[tonyb]

Aaron, would you care to elaborate of those "few imperfections"?

Do they show up under visual scrutiny? Or by feel? Or both?

Sure does look good in the pictures.

 

[Lotsahats]

There are two spots in the felt that look almost like tears. Here are close ups, then the spots from a distance:

On the left side of the pinch, looking at the hat

Above the bow:

There were also some minor things, such as the ribbon not being pulled down far enough to cover the interior stitching. I fixed this myself by gently pushing the ribbon down a bit, but still, it was one of those little fit-and-finish things that should have been corrected.

Some of the ribbon teaching stitches are also a little obvious.

Still, though, I think it's a great hat. The fit is fantastic, and it looks absolutely at home among my vintage hats. I'm thrilled overall with the hat.

Aaron

 

[tonyb]

Thanks, Aaron. Does the felt seem thin or weak in those spots? Some hat bodies have the occasional stray fiber, which somehow didn't take the dye the way the rest of the fibers did. Or perhaps those strays are of a different origin and somehow got into the felt at some point in its fabrication. Often they can be lifted away with a pair of tweezers. I've had them turn up while pouncing a body. You know, they weren't visible until some of the top surface was sanded away.

But I'm with you, though, in that those shortcomings aside, which anyone other than us hat nuts would find so niggling as to hardly be worth mentioning, it's a great hat. Congrats. It's great that there's now a modern production hat with such style. It's a hat to wear in threatening weather, so as to spare the real vintage lids.

 

[Lotsahats]

So from that perspective, there aren't any thin spots, rough spots, or odd-colored spots. There's no powder, either. In terms of finish, this hat seems really well-done.

A