Thank you to Matt Deckard and the others who replied to my previous thread. Thank you also to Topper for contacting me, although I was just so busy after the holidays that I ended up unable to call him to chat about the history of bowlers at a reasonable hour.
I decided that I wanted to purchase a bowler hat, and felt that good ones in my size simply did not appear on eBay. Further, because of their stiffness, I was willing to pay more to ensure a perfect fit, in addition to quality.
This led me to Lock & Co, and I was all the more attracted by the prospect of making a purchase from the store that first carried the bowler and that has the privilege of selling hats with two royal warrants in their lining.
I was assisted by Mei and the staff has always been both warm and proud of their history. Display some sophistication and they will smile and show you the hats of Nelson and Wellington behind a corner, along with the Queen's hat block.
I first conveyed to Mei my dislike for the more modern curved brim in their present bowlers. The default style is to have a gentle curve from end to end, and this is evident in the front of the brim. I took Matt Deckard's advice to heart and asked if they could make a bowler with a flat brim, with the sides displaying a pronounced curl.
Mei replied that they could redo the brim to taste in ten to fifteen minutes, but she wanted to be sure what it was I wanted. In her opinion, more recent customers preferred the gentle curve although it was purely a matter of personal style. She took me to the inside room where one of the first bowler prototypes from about 1850 was displayed in a locked cabinet, and asked if I wanted something closer to that. I did not have Roetzel's book with me where the page on Lock & Co contains a photo of the bowler with the flat brim, but was able to express what I had in mind by bending the brim with my fingers.
She set off to heat the hat and reshape it. First, however, she opened another cabinet and brought out the conformateur, also from around 1850. The spikes on the device punched holes into a more modern piece of white paper, which Mei then cut into a scale cross-section of my head. The paper was then placed inside the conformer, which acted like a primitve computer that reproduced my head shape in its actual size. The conformer was then placed inside the bowler, making evident the gaps Mei observed when I put on the hat.
While waiting, I went next door to discuss my current order with Mr. Jonathan Lobb. I returned after ten minutes and sure enough, the slightly warm hat fit perfectly. Men wiser than I have stated on this forum that there is a difference between a hatmaker and a hatter, and this experience clearly demonstrated the latter's value. As skilled as the custom makers often recommended here are, there are inherent limitations in mail orders. Further, although many are confident enough to heat and change the bash of their fedoras, I am not as keen to experiment with a stiff bowler.
The reshaping was done so quickly that I was able to cross the street with my new hat in time for my haircut and shave at Truefitt.
I hope you enjoy the photos taken from the fitting as well as the close ups of my new Lock bowler in all its furry glory.
Thank you once again to all for your contributions towards this marvelous experience.
The photos do not come out in the full size.
I decided that I wanted to purchase a bowler hat, and felt that good ones in my size simply did not appear on eBay. Further, because of their stiffness, I was willing to pay more to ensure a perfect fit, in addition to quality.
This led me to Lock & Co, and I was all the more attracted by the prospect of making a purchase from the store that first carried the bowler and that has the privilege of selling hats with two royal warrants in their lining.
I was assisted by Mei and the staff has always been both warm and proud of their history. Display some sophistication and they will smile and show you the hats of Nelson and Wellington behind a corner, along with the Queen's hat block.
I first conveyed to Mei my dislike for the more modern curved brim in their present bowlers. The default style is to have a gentle curve from end to end, and this is evident in the front of the brim. I took Matt Deckard's advice to heart and asked if they could make a bowler with a flat brim, with the sides displaying a pronounced curl.
Mei replied that they could redo the brim to taste in ten to fifteen minutes, but she wanted to be sure what it was I wanted. In her opinion, more recent customers preferred the gentle curve although it was purely a matter of personal style. She took me to the inside room where one of the first bowler prototypes from about 1850 was displayed in a locked cabinet, and asked if I wanted something closer to that. I did not have Roetzel's book with me where the page on Lock & Co contains a photo of the bowler with the flat brim, but was able to express what I had in mind by bending the brim with my fingers.
She set off to heat the hat and reshape it. First, however, she opened another cabinet and brought out the conformateur, also from around 1850. The spikes on the device punched holes into a more modern piece of white paper, which Mei then cut into a scale cross-section of my head. The paper was then placed inside the conformer, which acted like a primitve computer that reproduced my head shape in its actual size. The conformer was then placed inside the bowler, making evident the gaps Mei observed when I put on the hat.
While waiting, I went next door to discuss my current order with Mr. Jonathan Lobb. I returned after ten minutes and sure enough, the slightly warm hat fit perfectly. Men wiser than I have stated on this forum that there is a difference between a hatmaker and a hatter, and this experience clearly demonstrated the latter's value. As skilled as the custom makers often recommended here are, there are inherent limitations in mail orders. Further, although many are confident enough to heat and change the bash of their fedoras, I am not as keen to experiment with a stiff bowler.
The reshaping was done so quickly that I was able to cross the street with my new hat in time for my haircut and shave at Truefitt.
I hope you enjoy the photos taken from the fitting as well as the close ups of my new Lock bowler in all its furry glory.
Thank you once again to all for your contributions towards this marvelous experience.
The photos do not come out in the full size.
