Stetson "Nostalgia"? (now with pics)

[carldelo]

I tried the Windham last winter - I agree that the contrasting brim ribbon was not to my liking. I liked the picture, but found I didn't particularly care for the bash once I had it on my head. Also, it was my impression that the crown was somewhat tapered - in the end I wound up buying something else. But JTMarcus has one and looks good in it as I recall.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I tried the Windham last winter - I agree that the contrasting brim ribbon was not to my liking. I liked the picture, but found I didn't particularly care for the bash once I had it on my head. Also, it was my impression that the crown was somewhat tapered - in the end I wound up buying something else. But JTMarcus has one and looks good in it as I recall.

Why, thank-you. It's always nice to be remembered.

 

[HATCO]

I'm back

I'm back. The reason for my long absence is known to some but I will leave it at health problems in my family and personal things in my immediate family precluded me from being involved in this forum for an extended period of time.

I'm glad everyone is more or less excited with the Nostalgia. As many of you know this hat was offered years ago but was discontinued due to lack of sales. The people to thank for bringing it back are MK and particularly Matt Deckard. Matt contacted me in September 2006 about an ad in the premiere issue of Classic Style. We had an extended talk about the demographics of the magazine and a lack of a hat in our line that appealed to the majority of this group. After talking to our product development team I found as previously mentioned that we had a style called the N.O.S.talgia (kinda funny if you think about it...wish we could take credit for being subtlety clever but I think it was just coincidence.)

It was too late at the time to put it in the fall catalog that came out in Jan 2007. An entire year later it was reintroduced into the line. I've had commitments that if the hat does well, we will grow the line. If it doesn't sell well...the experiment is over.

Hopefully the rest of this isn't mundane and an oversimplification. I just want to explain the reality of what goes on here.


Getting the hat into the line was the first battle. The product development guys design a lot of hats. There are shelves of very interesting hats made of all sorts of materials. A hat only gets into the catalog if it has a strong possibility to sell. Stores and salesman are another story.

Lets start with salesman. They are largely independent. They travel by car on their own dime. Some carry multiple lines nowadays and not just hats, apparel too, shoes even. So all that product is fighting for space in the salesman's vehicle. They only earn commissions on sales. If they don't think a hat is going to sell, they aren't going to carry it with them as they have limited space but they will try to sell through the catalog. A hat in hand to show the store buyer is more likely to sell than something spied on a page. Being a salesman is not easy.

Stores of course are only going to buy hats that they think can sell.

If the salesman doesn't carry it or the store decides not to carry it. The hat fails and is out of the line next season.

In the fall 2008 catalog there were 55 styles in what I would call the dress category. 22 of those were new styles while the remaining 33 were carryovers. Besides the samples of new hats we make for the salesman We only make what we can sell to the stores.

you can download the catalog here and peruse it.

The hats are on our website too but right now we are still working on it.

I'm going to pop in on a few questions within this thread and answer some questions that I feel need further explanation.

 

[HATCO]

I'm still curious about the difference between the Windham and the Nostalgia. Both seem to have a fairly full crown, 2 1/2" brim, wide ribbon, and I think both are Sovereigns. Aside from the brown sweatband and white liner (and pheather on the windham), is there any significant difference?

Maybe it would be more effecient to just buy a windham if you want the wide bound brim?

The Windham is preblocked with a welted edge that is then bound. It was a great seller this past season in brown and black. This year, Hatco has it in a Bark color . But I personaly dont like it because of the contrasting binding. The Nostalgia is open crown ,something not offered in a production hat for quite a while.
I suspect that this will sell to hat stores only. A clothing store would not know what to do with an open crown,.

Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

BESDOR is right. The only thing I would add is that since it is an open crown there is more felt added to the top of the crown. I was told this is necessary because the hat will be hand creased many many times compared to a pre-blocked crown so it needs to be durable.

 

[suitedcboy]

Thanks for your responses HATCO.
It is great that we get to hear a bit about the hat biz from you. I have several of your company's products many new western felts and a few older felt fedoras. I like your products and they have served me well.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

Wide binding or not, I will buy a Stetson Nostalgia today if I can get it with a brown sweat and white lining. Somebody tell me where to place my order.

 

[Ande1964]

Yes!

I agree completely. Brim binding aside, I will buy a Nostalgia as soon as I can, especially if I can get it with the brown sweat and white liner. If Hatco is going to get something this right, I want to support them!

Anj

 

[barrowjh]

Wow, thanks for the replies besdor and Hatco! Nostalgia with it's open crown is the clear winner for this crowd, and at the price quoted, it is likely cheaper than a fair quality vintage hat won on the 'bay. Best of all, it would be new - forever a 'my' hat.

 

[grey ghost]

Just say when and where I'm in..................

 

[MK]

.

I have asked Hatco to look into a lighter brown sweatband. I have seen some they use in their Dobb's line that look beautiful.

 

[HATCO]

I have asked Hatco to look into a lighter brown sweatband. I have seen some they use in their Dobb's line that look beautiful.

Thats good to know! I was looking at all the brown bands we have. It's a lot! I think I saw the Dobbs one you were talking about.

 

[Lefty]

The color selection in the catalog makes me sad. I've got a modern Stetson in caribou, I don't buy black hats, and I'm more than fine on brown (mink). Greens, blues, more shades of gray and brown would be very welcome.

I'm also one of those people that market researchers are seldom looking for, because I always choose the option "I'm seldom one of the first to try a new product, as I usually wait to see others' reactions to the product and for the company to work the 'kinks' out." While I like the direction that this is going, I'd rather be the last to buy the steak, than the first one drawn in by sizzle.

 

[Craig Robertson]

That sounds like a good hat.

I don't mean to fault MK or Hatco for "sweating" the details, but I've been wearing fedoras for almost 40 years now and, in all that time, no one has ever asked me what shade of brown my sweatband is or what color my liner is. I'm much more concerned with the appearance of the outside of the hat. The quality of the grosgrain and the felt are what I ultimately look for.

my 2 cents, offered politely.

Craig

 

[grey ghost]

Good Point................................

 

[HATCO]

The color selection in the catalog makes me sad. I've got a modern Stetson in caribou, I don't buy black hats, and I'm more than fine on brown (mink). Greens, blues, more shades of gray and brown would be very welcome.

I'm also one of those people that market researchers are seldom looking for, because I always choose the option "I'm seldom one of the first to try a new product, as I usually wait to see others' reactions to the product and for the company to work the 'kinks' out." While I like the direction that this is going, I'd rather be the last to buy the steak, than the first one drawn in by sizzle.

I'm a little confused in regards to that:

Off the top of my head I can think of these that are available for this year. I'm sure I'm missing some.

Greys

Caribou
graphite
steel
*************

Browns

tawny
cognac
walnut
cordova
saddle (brownish red)
mink
brown
chocolate

***************

Blues

Navy
Midnight


***************

Greens

Sage
Sandpebble

***************

Yellows

Butterscotch
Sand

*****************

Neutrals

Ivory
Silver Belly

If you include Dobbs it expands even more. I don't have the catalogs in front of me. We rotate the colors in out each year. When I get back to work I'll edit this with the correct colors...

 

[Lefty]

Sorry, I realize that I referenced the catalog, but I was just talking about the Nostalgia.

 

[MK]

.

Thats good to know! I was looking at all the brown bands we have. It's a lot! I think I saw the Dobbs one you were talking about.

I was referring to the straw Dobb's sample you sent. A gorgeous rich brown.

 

[MK]

.

That sounds like a good hat.

I don't mean to fault MK or Hatco for "sweating" the details, but I've been wearing fedoras for almost 40 years now and, in all that time, no one has ever asked me what shade of brown my sweatband is or what color my liner is. I'm much more concerned with the appearance of the outside of the hat. The quality of the grosgrain and the felt are what I ultimately look for.

my 2 cents, offered politely.

Craig

No offense taken. It's only silly people like myself....and a lot of guys here.....who scrutinize such details.:icon_smil

I admit it. We're obsessed with the details.

 

[GWD]

Wow! Looks Promising, IMO I think a slightly narrower band would look better.

Like the Whippet

HATCO, are all the colors you listed available for the Nostalgia or just the three listed in the PDF Catalog?

After reading MK's description of this hat, he feels that the felt is still pretty stiff as opposed to custom made hats but not as stiff as Stetson's pre-creased hats. What is involved in making a new hat more pliable? I have a modern Open Road that feels like cardboard I swore to myself that I would never buy a "new" hat after receiving it, even though I got it on sale for $29.00 I didn't feel I got my moneys worth.

 

[metropd]

I personaly like the wider band with the raw edge, at least for me.