The BORSALINO BROTHERHOOD

[bond]

Nice One.
What color is it.
Pic without flash

 

[Chepstow]

Justin, very nice find!

 

[g.durand]

Justin, that is a beauty. Still looking for one for myself. Congrats.

 

[splintercellsz]

Thanks fellas! one of my favorites. The thin-ribbon changes up the look of my collection a bit!

Nice One.
What color is it.
Pic without flash

The photos are almost spot on with the color. The underbrim shots are the closest, it is a light grey color.

 

[alanfgag]

Borsalino Alessandria.

Unsure of age. It does not seem to have a borsalino sticker on the interior. 30s-50s?

1960s - 70s I think.

 

[splintercellsz]

I would think the "Reg. Us. Pat. Off." would make it a bit older than that, combined with the Original House on the Sweat.

 

[alanfgag]

These marks remained unchanged and the hat quality remained very good until ownership changed and the factory relocated in the 1980s. The manufacturing label on yours is not to my knowledge consistent with 1950s hats. I had one similar... though no photo remains of the label. This hat does not have the ventilated sweat and I believe it is a little later than yours.

 

[splintercellsz]

I see. If it is from the 60s/70s I will still keep it as it has an older blocking to it (the straight sides), even though I focus on older lids. This one is perfect for a beater, as it had it's brim torn off the back and resewn on (now thats some character)! Thanks Alan!

 

[alanfgag]

Pre-war and wartime Borsalinos are rare to find in this country.

It is difficult to date the Italian brands. There was a huge diversity of style and the quality of felt retained much of its earlier character through the 1960s and into the 1970s. Of course the thin ribbon design remains in the Borsalino line today.

Enjoy it!

 

[Orangegrad]

I have a couple Comos that are several years old. They both came with center dents, which I guess is how they were designed. But I find I'm not all that fond of the taper, so I was thinking of changing the bash to widen out the crown a bit. The fur is very soft - by far the softest hats I own. Has anyone here tried to put in a different crease on a Como? I was thinking maybe a diamond. Just not sure if it will hold. Thoughts?

 

[alanfgag]

The Como does have a very soft and somewhat formless felt. It tool be quite a long session with the steamer to get the crown to hold side pinches without having my head immediately push them out. I had the same issue with a diamond bash and settled for a center dent. It worked well for me in that configuration.

 

[Orangegrad]

The Como does have a very soft and somewhat formless felt. It tool be quite a long session with the steamer to get the crown to hold side pinches without having my head immediately push them out. I had the same issue with a diamond bash and settled for a center dent. It worked well for me in that configuration.

Thanks, Alan. I think they're just going to stay as center creases. I think in some ways they may actually be too soft, if that's possible. I wouldn't want to be out in the rain in it, I can only imagine what would happen.

 

[Geldoc]

The Como

Andy, my experience with a couple of the modern Comos is to do a C crown to minimize the taper. Yes, dents are hard to hold because the felt is so soft, but that's true with many of the vintage Borsos. I just allow time to rebash it, with a little steam, each time I wear it.

 

[Orangegrad]

Andy, my experience with a couple of the modern Comos is to do a C crown to minimize the taper. Yes, dents are hard to hold because the felt is so soft, but that's true with many of the vintage Borsos. I just allow time to rebash it, with a little steam, each time I wear it.

Thanks, Geldoc.

And now I'll show my ignorance - any chance someone could tell me the difference between a C crown and a tear drop? From the photos I've seen, The two look the same. What is the difference? Thanks.

 

[Orangegrad]

Well, I did some searching on the lounge, and found that though there may be some differences between the C crown and the teardrop, from my perspective they are minimal. Also, I'm working with what I have, which is a fairly tapered crown. This afternoon I'll take some photos of my two Comos: one with the factory center dent and the other with my attempt at a teardrop (or is it C crown?). I think I like both, and will keep one a center dent and the other this new bash.

 

[Orangegrad]

Finding that I didn't really like the taper of the crown, I re-bashed my mid-gray Como into a teardrop. My wife preferred the look of it so much that she suggested I do the same for the taupe Como (this color is a real chameleon, depending on the light).

I think I prefer the teardrop look, even though it may not be the original intent of the fedora. Anyone have an opinion?

This photo is of the Comos the day they arrived:



This photo is of the Comos after my re-bashing:

 

[Jedwbpm]

Nice job Andy any head shots?

Jeff

 

[Geldoc]

Andy, you did a beautiful job. Who cares what subtle, if any, differences there are between a "C crown" and a "teardrop"! Your hats look great. Enjoy David

 

[alanfgag]

Agree with David... very nicely done!

Personally I think I prefer the more Euro-centric center dent. I look forward to seeing the hats on your head so I can be forced to eat my words.

 

[gtdean48]

Thanks, Geldoc.

And now I'll show my ignorance - any chance someone could tell me the difference between a C crown and a tear drop? From the photos I've seen, The two look the same. What is the difference? Thanks.

C-crown has distinctive V & C shapes that make up the crease where the teardrop is like a water droplet that all flows together.
JMHO