Post New Hats Here!

[Brent Hutto]

New (Modern) Borsalino Alessandria in "Taupe"

Here's an awful snapshot of my brand-new taupe Alessandria. My first try at a dry "bash" is somewhere in the diamond/teardrop range with a very minimal of front pinch. The hat comes open crown and I have very little hat experience, my previous hats have come with factory creases.

My intention was to go with a simple center dent and maybe even unpinched but I must admit when I put the hat on my head my first thought (and my wife's first comment) was "Oh my goodness what a lot of hat!". So I'm working toward some way to making it a bit less massive and a bit less stovepipe-y by judicious use of a wider crease and some sort of pinch.

Not that you can tell any of that from the picture. I'll get a better angle, better focus and some natural light tomorrow and update the photo...

 

[theinterchange]

but I must admit when I put the hat on my head my first thought (and my wife's first comment) was "Oh my goodness what a lot of hat!". So I'm working toward some way to making it a bit less massive and a bit less stovepipe-y by judicious use of a wider crease and some sort of pinch.[/QUOTE]

It can take some time to get used to big hats, both wearing them, and being seen in them. When I moved from stingy's to an Indy style fedora, I got flying saucer comments from friends and family. :rolleyes:

Randy

 

[portolan]

New Stetson Gun Club and Dorfman Outback Crushable

Got two new hats recently. One is a Stetson Gun Club in a great brown color. The other was such a good buy at Stein Mart that I went back and bought one for my wife, one for my son and another for me in black...$17.00! Can't beat that. I like them both very much. Once again it proves you don't have to spend much to enjoy a great hat. With all my traveling, crushable is good.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Welcome home, sir. Have not seen you post for a long time until just the other day. Nice western style band on that Gun Club.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

My intention was to go with a simple center dent and maybe even unpinched but I must admit when I put the hat on my head my first thought (and my wife's first comment) was "Oh my goodness what a lot of hat!". So I'm working toward some way to making it a bit less massive and a bit less stovepipe-y by judicious use of a wider crease and some sort of pinch.

Interchange is right; is does take a little getting used to if you have not worn wide brims before, but it comes quickly and you will enjoy them ever so much! The crease on the Borsolino looks like a good start.

 

[Wolfen]

Got these on ebay recently. They are both Dobbs so there are more pics in the Dobbs Diner thread.

First one was listed as a Dobbs Baskin, size 7.

Second one doesnt have a style name. It is size 7 1/8 which is a little big for me. It is also pretty beat up and doesnt retain a shape right now. I think its off to Optimo for a nice recovery...

 

[Brent Hutto]

OK, today isn't going to be a day with any "natural light" around here...

Instead, I've tried to get some slightly better flash snapshots of my second attempt at a crease/pinch combination that I like on the Alessandria. The first shot is an overall look. It is somewhere between Dinerman's style of diamond crown and the Jimmy the Lid modified-center-dent approach.

My idea for making such a shallow and basic crown shape work while still reducing the blocky look of the hat's body is to put huge pinch dents on either side, reaching well back past the center of each side. This photo tries to show just how big they are.

This photo (at least on my computer) seems to capture just how dark the "Taupe" color is on this particular hat. But mostly I chose this angle to show how I left a large unflattened area at the back of the crown. This is to avoid having it ride atop the high point of my noggin. The open crown height is just over 5-3/4" to my method of measurement and with my tall forehead and high (head) crown I can't do a deep center crease of even a diamond-type bash with the entire top of the hat well below the original height.

A lot of the pictures I've seen on the Lounge for Alessandria/Open Road type hats seem to use the big, flat turn-down on the front of the brim. So this is my attempt at getting that effect, leaving the back turned up. You can also see how the pinch leaves a flat area in the very front, I don't care for front pinches that come together in a thin, sharp line in front.

 

[gtdean48]

Keep tweaking it Brent & try dropping the back a little more to get a rake from front to back. The felt will let you know how it wants to be shaped, hear the felt, be the felt....

 

[portolan]

Just went back to Stein Mart.....

They had the black D and P Scala Outback in XL for $17! Another new hat!

 

[RBH]

They had the black D and P Scala Outback in XL for $17! Another new hat!

The SHS strikes again!!!

 

[Scott Wood]

Just to throw another poker in the fire...

Keep tweaking it Brent & try dropping the back a little more to get a rake from front to back. The felt will let you know how it wants to be shaped, hear the felt, be the felt....

I've been sort of working the break further back on the one side and forward on the other. It's a style I see quite often in movies from the 40s on their casually worn/everyday hats. For Formal I still go for the sharper break or, of course, no break on a Homburg or Derby.

 

[Scott Wood]

They had the black D and P Scala Outback in XL for $17! Another new hat!

Can I send you a money order and a shopping list?[huh]

Woody

 

[Scott Wood]

Got these on ebay recently. They are both Dobbs so there are more pics in the Dobbs Diner thread.

First one was listed as a Dobbs Baskin, size 7.

Second one doesnt have a style name. It is size 7 1/8 which is a little big for me. It is also pretty beat up and doesnt retain a shape right now. I think its off to Optimo for a nice recovery...

Love the ribbon/colour

Woody

 

[rlk]

Excelsior Velour-Importe de Tcheckoslovaquie

Beautiful deep Blue Velour with 2-1/4" raw brim and Petersham hat band. Wide fabric sweatband. Originally sold in Abbeville,France but made in Czechoslovakia. I'm not sure of the gender of this hat, I guess it can swing either way. Photographed as a women's hat. The sweatband seam is hardly there and not centered Bow is on the left if you place the seam towards the rear. Listed as a 58 cm man's hat but as usual[huh] its really a 55(6-7/8).

 

[billysmom]

Beautiful deep Blue Velour with 2-1/4" raw brim and Petersham hat band. Wide fabric sweatband. Originally sold in Abbeville,France but made in Czechoslovakia. I'm not sure of the gender of this hat, I guess it can swing either way. Photographed as a women's hat. The sweatband seam is hardly there and not centered Bow is on the left if you place the seam towards the rear. Listed as a 58 cm man's hat but as usual[huh] its really a 55(6-7/8).

Pardon me while I mop up my drool ...

Sue

 

[Scott Wood]

BRB

Pardon me while I mop up my drool ...

Sue

Be right back, changing my socks

Woody

 

[jimmy the lid]

This Disney recently arrived, and I finally had the chance to give it a good brushing and crease it today. More in the Disney Diner thread...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[carouselvic]

I suppose it'd do in a pinch. TLH

 

[jimmy the lid]

OK, today isn't going to be a day with any "natural light" around here...

Instead, I've tried to get some slightly better flash snapshots of my second attempt at a crease/pinch combination that I like on the Alessandria. The first shot is an overall look. It is somewhere between Dinerman's style of diamond crown and the Jimmy the Lid modified-center-dent approach.

In the end, Brent -- the crease that's right for you is what makes you feel comfortable. But, I assume that, by sharing all of this with us, you are also seeking some ideas from the rest of us. I think gtdean makes a good point -- lowering the back of the crown will help to give some rake to the profile, which will also lessen the "block" effect that you are intending to get rid of. Keeping the height at the back of the hat actually increases the block effect. You're right -- when you lower the crown in back, in can cause the top of the crown to sit on the top of your head. That is one of the reasons I need to elevate the crown somehow, either through the teardrop crease, or the modified center dent ("modified" to elevate the center portion of the dent so that it doesn't sit directly on the ol' noggin').

The other suggestion I have is that you may want to re-think the size and shape of the dents. Right now, it really looks like you have crushed in the sides -- once again, I assume, to get rid of "blockiness." But you may want to shorten the length of the dents and give them a bit of shape, so that it doesn't look like the side of the hat on both sides is simply crunched in. Doing so will actually provide pleasing lines that will start to achieve what you're after, I think.

Anyway -- good luck. It's a nice looking Borso, and I'd love to see a daylight shot to check out the color.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[mayserwegener]

Beautiful deep Blue Velour with 2-1/4" raw brim and Petersham hat band. Wide fabric sweatband. Originally sold in Abbeville,France but made in Czechoslovakia. I'm not sure of the gender of this hat, I guess it can swing either way. Photographed as a women's hat. The sweatband seam is hardly there and not centered Bow is on the left if you place the seam towards the rear. Listed as a 58 cm man's hat but as usual[huh] its really a 55(6-7/8).

Definitely a beautiful velour finish. TONAK made?

I feel your pain regarding the size mishap. Happened to me (again) with a very nice Böhm that arrived yesterday.