Optimo south side mobsters

[daizawaguy]

.

Wonderful!

 

[DRB]

Aureliano: Congratulations both of you. Your Milan is beautiful and the first I have seen with a wind cord.

 

[Aureliano]

Thanks D-guy and Dennis! I asked Graham to stitch a lapel cord 'cause I've way too many hats in the wind. For me "Gone with the wind" is a true tragedy lol!

 

[alanfgag]

Happy Anniversary to me! Sort of joking, I asked my wife for a milan from Graham. She didn't say yes, she didn't say no. Today we celebrate our 4Th year together and guess what? She got it for me!
I love this hat. Very light and soft--every milan I've handled until this has been stiff as a helmet--. Now I understand what Lefty meant when he said his milans were his favorite. This are gorgeous hats. The smell of the milan straw is amazing!

Beautiful! I rode past your neighborhood on the LIRR yesterday and thought of you...

cheers,
Alan

 

[Aureliano]

Beautiful! I rode past your neighborhood on the LIRR yesterday and thought of you...

cheers, Alan

That's so kind of you, Alan. Next time you're in NYC we should try to meet up and talk hats and photography!

 

[alanfgag]

I would enjoy that. Had only a few hours in the city for a work appointment then up to Rockland County for an astronomy event this weekend.

 

[BobC]

My Optimo milan arrived Monday. I've been waiting for the skies to clear before taking a few pictures of it. I'm really liking it, but what's not to like about Optimo? They do a very nice job.

The specifics are:
brim 2 3/8
crown front 4 1/4 back 3 3/4 highest point on side 4 7/8
ribbon 1 1/2 or 16 ligne dark navy

 

[Lefty]

Very nice. :eusa_clap

 

[DJH]

Very nice, indeed!

 

[Lefty]

Optimo will soon be featured on the American Craftsman Project.

 

[Aureliano]

Very nice, Bob. Yours looks less yellow than mine, I kind of like that. Or is it the light, perhaps?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Very nice, Bob. Yours looks less yellow than mine, I kind of like that. Or is it the light, perhaps?

It could be both. This is undyed wheat straw so some change in color is to be expected.

 

[mayserwegener]

A great series of Milans!

 

[BobC]

Very nice, Bob. Yours looks less yellow than mine, I kind of like that. Or is it the light, perhaps?

Could be both. I waited for two days for a reasonably bright day so I could take pictures outside. Since I'm not much of a photographer, I prefer natural light to show truer colors. Even then since the ribbon is so dark it comes across more black than blue.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. The expense of Optimo has been discussed to death, but the fact remains that their work is impeccable and their client service second to none.

Optimo will soon be featured on the American Craftsman Project.

This should be interesting. I'll keep an eye open for it.

 

[bostonbrewer]

Hi guys, I'm considering ordering my first Optimo, which would also be my first custom. I was planning on waiting until the end of the summer to get a felt, but I'm concerned that they may run out of oxblood, and that they may not carry it anymore. I'm also a hat noob, so I'm just going to throw out a few questions for the forum:

1. How can a hat be custom fitted over the phone (I can't make it to their store from Boston)?

2. Are there anythings I should look out for?

3. What does everyone think of oxblood? With what does it match? I was thinking, navy suit, possibly black/gray suit... I'm just wondering about its versatility??? I was planning on getting my first optimo in gray, but I thought I might regret not getting this color. It's really difficult to choose a color like this without seeing it in person.

4. How long does it take to get a hat after ordering?

 

[daizawaguy]

A quick comment on your first question - fitting - I guess they will ask you if you have a hat and what size it is, and whether it fits well or loose or tight. Also, are the sides loose indicating a long oval shape, or front and back tight. They will also mention you can send it back for adjusting later. If you don't know your size, the starting point has to be a tape measure I`d imagine.

 

[Jeff Manga]

FOR SALE items go into CLASSIFIEDS Please. Thankyou.

Paddy Middleton (TFL Management Team).

 

[Lefty]

I'm also a hat noob

This is a pretty big commitment for a self-described noob. While I realize that you're interested in the color, if you haven't worked out a style that you like, you might end up ordering a very well made hat, in the color you want, that you hate. If you've got a hat you love and want to copy (in terms of dimensions), it's easy enough to provide measurements. If you have no idea what you like, it might be best to wait a little while. These things lose quite a bit of value when you drive them off the lot.

Of course, it might work out great. Good luck.

 

[Lexybeast]

It's worth a wait to visit the store bostonbrewer. I have two optimos- one I got over the phone first, and one I got in store later. The phone one fits fairly well, but in person they saw I was actually an extra-long oval vs just long oval like I thought, and so the in-store hat fits very nicely. It's little details like that which are easier to work out in person IMO.

 

[bostonbrewer]

I currently have a stingy brim stetson that I like, and I know my size (7 1/4), my shape long oval and my desired style. I want my crown under 5", and I want a 2 inch brim. So, I'm not a complete noob, just kind-of-a-noob.

I've just heard so many great things about Optimo, that I thought, "what the hell, go for it". It's hard to know how well a hat can be unless you've tried the best. So, it's worth the $$$.

As far as going there, I don't think I can justify a flight to Chicago just to get fitted for a hat. Has anyone done that? If it was in NYC, I probably would drive down from Boston, but Chicago? That is a crazy trip to get fitted for a hat. I wish I could work with a local hat guy to make sure the fit from Optimo is perfect.

What do you guys think of that color?