Playboys on Parade!

[DanielJones]

Where did you find those beauties anyway?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Absinthe_1900]

I just got these 2 jewels in the mail. They are Royal Stetson Playboys from either the late 30s or very early 40s. They are both from Battelsteins in Houston Texas

I remember Battlestein's dept. store, they were around for a longtime here in Houston, finally closing in the early 80's. (They were a nice upscale dept. store in their day)

Around the the time they closed, I found a vintage (60's) sport coat from Battlesteins in a resale shop and have worn it for many years. (It still has the original wood hanger with their logo)

 

[Tomasso]

I remember Battlestein's dept. store, they were around for a longtime here in Houston, finally closing in the early 80's.

I don't recall them. Were they located Downtown?

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Yes, their original location was Downtown, and they had locations in a few of the early malls as well.
(I think their anchor downtown building (1950's era) may still be extant, (They were on Main St.) I need to ride the train downtown and look around)

 

[Pilgrim]

Fedoralover, please check the hat photos in the Playboy auction which I won Saturday (entirely by coincidence, as I mention in another thread). Those photos may be helpful in comparisons, as there's a very good shot of a Stetson sticker in the top of the hat.

The sticker in the top of the hat fits the descriptions in this thread. If the earlier comments are correct, yours may be from the 50's and mine may be from the 40's. Interesting that they have no liners...so I suppose all three are the lightweight versions.

I still paid more for one than you paid for two, plus box. You ARE the King!

 

[fedoralover]

Well, I got a great deal to be sure, but Sharpetoys is the King of kings when it comes to an ebay score with that Panama hat he got.

I already looked at the auction and I believe yours is much earlier than mine due to yours having the sticker and mine has the stamped logo. Your hat should be a real gem. You can't go wrong for $50. I would have been willing to pay a whole lot more for mine, as I already had 2 and I knew what sweet hats they are.

fedoralover

 

[jamespowers]

Thanks JP, I looked under the sweatbands and found one that had a price tag of $10.95, so I'm thinking you are correct and these are the lightweights from the 50s. What is the year of that ad you showed?
I have a Dobbs 2 Ouncer and in comparing the felt thickness, these Stetsons are a tad thinner. One of my other ones must be the heavy weight, as it is a lot thicker. Both of these have that stitching around the brim, no edging, just the stitching.

And yes the double hat box came with them.

fedoralover

The ad is from 1951. So it seems to be pretty contemporary with your hat. Interestingly, my 1940s Playboy also has the stitching around the edge.

Regards,

J

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Got my Playboy!

Mine showed up today. It's a dark gray/grey that looks a tiny bit green to me. It's a Royal Stetson Playboy and it has no liner and no logo on the inside of the crown. It does have the wind trolley. Raw edge on the brim, no stitching of any kind.

Wow, such soft and pliable felt! It feels completely different from all my other hats! I'm going to have to learn how to handle it. I now totally understand the rumpled fedoras in the old movies. Look out, Bogey, here I come!

 

[fedoralover]

Thanks for the info JP, so I think I can be fairly sure they are from the late 40s to early 50s then.
I wore the gray one yesterday to a small restuarant and an elderly lady walked by and said "that is the nicest looking hat I've seen in a long time, is it a Borsalino?" we had a nice chat, she had bought a Borsalino while she had been in Italy and evidently knew quality when she saw it.

fedoralover

 

[jamespowers]

Thanks for the info JP, so I think I can be fairly sure they are from the late 40s to early 50s then.
I wore the gray one yesterday to a small restuarant and an elderly lady walked by and said "that is the nicest looking hat I've seen in a long time, is it a Borsalino?" we had a nice chat, she had bought a Borsalino while she had been in Italy and evidently knew quality when she saw it.

fedoralover

That would be my assessment as well.
Well now, the lady had taste. We need more of those bystanders when we walk down the street.

Regards,

J

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Oops, my new (old) Playboy also has the stitching around the edge of the brim. It was so fine I missed it on first inspection. What an interesting hat, light as a feather! Great for the heat.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

One funny thing is, the Playboy is so soft and pliable, that it'll go on my head in practically any direction. I have to put it on whilst looking in a mirror to make sure the front pinch isn't 20 degrees off in either direction.

When I get it lined up straight, tipped back and with a jaunty angle, it just works. It's my most worn hat these days.

 

[havershaw]

Those are some beautiful hats indeed!
wow!
congratulations!

 

[ideaguy]

Playboys

Congratulations, and may a goat cart run over your toes (old Playboy proverb).
really nice score, send one my way if you would...M:eusa_doh:

 

[jimmy the lid]

Stetson Playboy Styles -- 1940

I love the stories that some of these old ads tell. This Stetson ad dates from 1940. According to the ad, by 1940 Stetson had sold over 2 million Playboy lids, and the Playboy was the most popular of over 200 styles. Over 200 styles!

The Playboy is creased in a variety of ways -- clockwise from lower left: Hollywood Stars, Business Men, Sportsmen, Professional Men, College Men and Caf?© Society. Most incredible, I think, is the claim that the Playboy was available in over 30 colors! Yikes!!! In a day and age when most hats are available in perhaps 5 colors (black, dark gray, light gray, brown and tan/taupe), a 1940 customer would have had over 30 colors to choose from. Amazing!!! Talk about a Golden Era of hats...

And one last observation. I love the fact that the style now adopted by Johnny Depp is the same style attributed to 1940 Hollywood Stars!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[jamespowers]

Hollywood stars and Al Capone.

Mine are all done in the businessman.

 

[Benny Holiday]

200 styles? More than 30 colours? Oh man! Those were the days . . .

Thanks for posting this Jimmy. What a cool advertisement!

 

[AlanC]

Very nice. I wonder what all the colors were?

What's the difference between 'professional men' and 'cafe society' other than color and angle of shot?

 

[jimmy the lid]

What's the difference between 'professional men' and 'cafe society' other than color and angle of shot?

Attitude...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I've been wet shaping a lot of brims into the "Professional Men," lately. Not only does it look good that way, but you can still snap it down into the "Business Men." It's a simple way to get two good looks out of one hat.