Optimo south side mobsters

[TomS]

I've gone as far as pricing airfare to Chicago. It was very reasonable infact, and I attributed this to O'Hare being a hub for most of the big carriers. Maybe I'll get an Optimo at Optimo in the near future.

 

[Blackthorn]

Went to Optimo last week Saturday to get one VS re-ribboned and get a brim trim on another VS. They were happy to do it but only if I got both hats cleaned and reblocked. So $50 of work would have cost me $220. I declined their "generous" offer. Of the six times I've been to Optimo this is the 2nd time I've walked away disappointed.

That's very odd. I sent them a hat recently and only wanted a brim trimmed down to 2 3/8, and they quoted me $40 which includes shipping. I was surprised how inexpensive it was.

 

[fluteplayer07]

My latest, a 1000 in undyed silverbelly.

 

[DJH]

Beautiful!!

 

[danofarlington]

You mean to say that's a natural color? Amazing.

 

[alanfgag]

Beautiful!!

+1... congratulations, flute!

 

[Short Balding Guy]

My latest, a 1000 in undyed silverbelly.

OH wow! That is truly a fine looking hat! I am very impressed with the features and details of the hat. Great felt. Classy ribbon work. The interior pic showcases a rich liner and sweat. Spectacular hat sir!

How does the un-dyed silverbelly felt compare to Winchester's silverbelly felt? Color comparision?

Flute, if ever a pic motivated me to take a trip to the Windy City, this one pushes very hard.

Eric -

 

[fluteplayer07]

Thank you all! I am very excited about this one, such a pleasure to wear as well as admire. The felt is very dense and substantial... Think fairly stiff, but in a way that comes naturally from the body of the felt, not from a stiffening agent. Eric, unfortunately I don't own any silver belly hats from Winchester bodies to provide an accurate color comparison, but I might have some of Art's felt samples laying around... I'll look around and take a photo to compare as soon as I locate them.

Above, the cooler looking tones were captured with a polarizing filter, and the warmer tones were with a warming filter over my lens. As you can tell, this color varies greatly depending on your lighting source and surrounding colors... Tiffani told me it picks up the rest of the colors that you're wearing, and thus works with warmer and cooler color palettes. It's very versatile.

 

[fluteplayer07]

The other work Optimo performed for me while I was there early July. This semi calado is very special to me, it formerly belonged to my good friend Aureliano here on the Lounge, who had inherited it from his grandfather. The body dates to the 1970's and I had Optimo perform a full ground-up renovation. It's been blocked in their Fastback style, a 40's French block and flange.

 

[DJH]

Wow, the Panama is very cool, I remember when Ale was selling that one a while ago.

My Optimo Montecristi is also in the Fastback style and I love to wear it.

 

[Chepstow]

+1... congratulations, flute!

+2

 

[TomS]

Great Hat!

 

[jlee562]

Stunning! Congrats on that 1000.

 

[gtdean48]

.... Eric, unfortunately I don't own any silver belly hats from Winchester bodies to provide an accurate color comparison, but I might have some of Art's felt samples laying around... I'll look around and take a photo to compare as soon as I locate them.
.....

Winchester did a special run of pure beaver belly fur felt & wore hats from those bodies to one of our FedFests i Mounteagle. Those are what you'd need to compare to the 1000, not a fair comparison to just the regular silverbelly colored beaver bodies by Winchester which is what a sample from Art would represent = apples to oranges...

 

[Rabbit]

Winchester did a special run of pure beaver belly fur felt & wore hats from those bodies to one of our FedFests i Mounteagle. Those are what you'd need to compare to the 1000, not a fair comparison to just the regular silverbelly colored beaver bodies by Winchester which is what a sample from Art would represent = apples to oranges...

Do you happen to know whether those special run hat bodies were/are still available to custom hatters?

Btw, awesome Silverbelly, Flute.

 

[davers]

ROFL! That hat looks perfect to me! I'd be afraid to touch it! Very nice hat indeed DRB! Very nice hat indeed.. sigh.. Someday...I may have one too!

Dave

Optimo Milan:

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Winchester did a special run of pure beaver belly fur felt & wore hats from those bodies to one of our FedFests i Mounteagle. Those are what you'd need to compare to the 1000, not a fair comparison to just the regular silverbelly colored beaver bodies by Winchester which is what a sample from Art would represent = apples to oranges...

Dean; Thanks for the info.

The Optimo 1000 hats appear, even on web images, to be different from the Winchester silverbelly. I am struggling for descriptive words this morning; luxurious is the word that comes to mind. The felt shows a strong texture and sheen in the pics.

Is it the beaver belly fur, Dean that makes the significant difference? The pouncing and hand work makes the felt characteristic of different hat types/utility. But the raw material, Dean you speak of being different. I looked this morning on the FL for threads that spoke to beaver felt differences and did not find anything with facts.


Flute; Boy that is totally a special monti. I truly love it. You have a couple of really classy hats. I have not seen Ale' post up for a long time and miss his wry wit and humor.

Best, Eric -

 

[gtdean48]

Do you happen to know whether those special run hat bodies were/are still available to custom hatters?
....

My understanding was the run was done for a specific customer hatter.... a western custom hatter.
The 2 hats worn by Winchester employees were western weight & impressive.

 

[fluteplayer07]

Thanks again for the kind words everybody. It was a great experience seeing both shops in person, and I cannot say enough how wonderful Tiffani is to work with!

Dean, I wasn't aware Winchester had ever made a pure belly fur silver belly. I would be interested as well to see these two felts compared.

Eric, I'm not sure I can provide an accurate answer for that, so I will wait until Dean replies with his word. However, as the name would suggest there are no colors/dyes used to alter the color of the felt body; as such, the fur comes only from a small portion of the overall animal pelt. I would want to believe the belly fur offers more in durability than regular beaver fur would, and the Optimo 1000 body is much more dense and a bit weightier than their old felts... However my basis for comparison being an oxblood felt back when they were still beaver/hare mixes. Now the standard Optimo's are 100% beaver.

 

[fluteplayer07]

It appears I took a little long to type that response haha