Thanks Michael. Rutenio is a mid grey with a very low hint of warm.Lovely colour Dan.....very much on the warm side judging by photos?
Lobbia Borsalino Qualità Extra Superiore. Size 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 in US
Color Rutenio with matching ribbon
The shape of this homburg is more massive than other I have that are more "younger"
The curled brim are 6 cm. and the open crown is 13.5 centimeters
It was never sold in Merano, so it is new. Made probably in the 1950s for "M. Hutter" hats shop, now closed.
Classic Borsalino golden sweatband stamps
Lettering of the hat shop
The felt has a soft finish
This is Borsalino homburg shape typical of the 50's
This grey Borsalino "Rutenio" color is more rare with the matching ribbon
Nice catch;the edge stitching is common on Borsos and the bow is done that way intentionally.If you're handy and can find matching thread,I would repair the broken stitching.Hello brothers of the Borsalino clan. I'm not sure if I yet deserve to be a member of the brotherhood because I have only just received my first Borsalino. I got this fedora more by luck than anything else, because the price and size was right at a second-hand store. I never sought out Borsalinos before because they were way out of my second-hand hat price range. I had also never touched a Borsalino so I didn't know the quality that I was missing out on!
So let me introduce my Borsalino: It's a light brown felt fedora (beaver?) with a dark brown ribbon, made in Italy by Borsalino for The Robert Simpson Company Limited (Simpson's department stores in Canada, [for you Americans think of stores like Macy's]). It's a 7 1/4. The inner lining says "Qualita Superiore. Alessandria (Italia) Marca Deposita", with the typical Borsalino logo. Unfortunately there's little else in this hat to go on. My guess is that this hat is from the 70's or 80's, because Simpson's was closed by 1990. This hat is so soft it's unbelievable! It has some wear and the gold lettering on the leather band is almost all worn off but overall, a great quality hat. The plastic protective lining in the hat is well-worn but the silk or satin underneath is in perfect condition. I haven't cleaned nor re-shaped it yet and will post pictures of it once that's done.
Here's a few pictures.
I haven't read through all 280+ pages of this thread yet so forgive my ignorance about this next question. The edge of the brim has a stitching, which I've never seen before. It's not an overwelt, underwelt nor ribbon finish (unless the ribbon was taken off but not the stitches). In one section at the front, likely where the original owner held his hat over time, the stitching has come off for about an inch. Is this raw edge stitching common in Borsalino or Simpson's hats in Canada? Does anyone else have a hat with such edge stitching? I've always prefered raw edges, and at first I thought of removing it. Is this something that you collectors would advise against?
Another thing that I noticed is that I think that the exterior ribbon may have been sewn (or re-sewn) crooked? It sticks out on top towards the back. But it's only held up by a single stitch which I could cut and lower easily enough.
I'd love to know people's feedback on this hat!
It is a beautiful hat, Daniele. Great form and colour. It does make me wonder though how consistent the colour was during hatproduction by Borsalino. I have a fedora in the Rutenio colour, which does look like a much lighter shade of grey. This one:Lobbia Borsalino Qualità Extra Superiore. Size 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 in US
Color Rutenio with matching ribbon
The shape of this homburg is more massive than other I have that are more "younger"
The curled brim are 6 cm. and the open crown is 13.5 centimeters
It was never sold in Merano, so it is new. Made probably in the 1950s for "M. Hutter" hats shop, now closed.
Classic Borsalino golden sweatband stamps
Lettering of the hat shop
The felt has a soft finish
This is Borsalino homburg shape typical of the 50's
This grey Borsalino "Rutenio" color is more rare with the matching ribbon
Thanks Stefan.It does make me wonder though how consistent the colour was during hatproduction by Borsalino. I have a fedora in the Rutenio colour, which does look like a much lighter shade of grey
Daniele, thanks. You have me there: I do have that book but I still need to find a way to read it in Italian. It does stand to reason though that dyes changed over time and have different properties and stabilities.Thanks Stefan.
I think everything has changed with chemical colors and their action on blends of hairs used in felt.
In the book by Giuseppe Maria Longoni "L'arte dei cappellai", the dying process, its difficulties in obtaining certain colors, is very well explained.
There are also sunburn and "whitening" factors by atmospheric agents, however, the colors of the hats of any manufacturer are unfaithful over the years, is for these reasons in the ancient days the colors of hats are really few.
Daniele, Fantastic! Really like the color combination (felt, band, binding).Lobbia Borsalino Qualità Extra Superiore. Size 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 in US
Color Rutenio with matching ribbon
The shape of this homburg is more massive than other I have that are more "younger"
The curled brim are 6 cm. and the open crown is 13.5 centimeters
It was never sold in Merano, so it is new. Made probably in the 1950s for "M. Hutter" hats shop, now closed.
Classic Borsalino golden sweatband stamps
Lettering of the hat shop
The felt has a soft finish
This is Borsalino homburg shape typical of the 50's
This grey Borsalino "Rutenio" color is more rare with the matching ribbon
I like the colour of the ribbon, contrast to the hat, if I'm seeing it correctly.Borsalino in the colour "Nizza". Size 57 with a bound brim at 5cm and crown at 10,5 cm at the pinch. Larger crown patch with decorative edge. This hat shows the direction in which borsalino hats more or less went after the forties and fifties. While it is an early example (the label has the serrated edges) the brim is getting narrower and the crown shows more taper than before. No longer have this one.
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Karl, thanks. Still a nice enough hat and the ribbon constrast doesn't make it bland but the direction was clearly more towards fashion instead of classic style.I like the colour of the ribbon, contrast to the hat, if I'm seeing it correctly.
Daniele this hat is perfect, the blend of colors, proportions, everything comes together perfectly. We always notice great materials or great workmanship but I think we love Borsalinos so much because they combined those tangible qualities with exquisite design. They did this better than any other hat maker.Lobbia Borsalino Qualità Extra Superiore. Size 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 in US
Color Rutenio with matching ribbon
The shape of this homburg is more massive than other I have that are more "younger"
The curled brim are 6 cm. and the open crown is 13.5 centimeters
It was never sold in Merano, so it is new. Made probably in the 1950s for "M. Hutter" hats shop, now closed.
Classic Borsalino golden sweatband stamps
Lettering of the hat shop
The felt has a soft finish
This is Borsalino homburg shape typical of the 50's
This grey Borsalino "Rutenio" color is more rare with the matching ribbon
Very nice, you did well. Borsalinos are notoriously hard to date but the "Original House" on the sweatband instead of "Antiqua Casa" in hats made for the North American market denote pre-1985. I would guess this is earlier, others may be able to give a closer age estimate. As noted, the brim stitching is very common with Borsas. You'll see lots of variations on it. The ribbon treatment is also common in lots of brands of hats so don't worry about it.Hello brothers of the Borsalino clan. I'm not sure if I yet deserve to be a member of the brotherhood because I have only just received my first Borsalino. I got this fedora more by luck than anything else, because the price and size was right at a second-hand store. I never sought out Borsalinos before because they were way out of my second-hand hat price range. I had also never touched a Borsalino so I didn't know the quality that I was missing out on!
So let me introduce my Borsalino: It's a light brown felt fedora (beaver?) with a dark brown ribbon, made in Italy by Borsalino for The Robert Simpson Company Limited (Simpson's department stores in Canada, [for you Americans think of stores like Macy's]). It's a 7 1/4. The inner lining says "Qualita Superiore. Alessandria (Italia) Marca Deposita", with the typical Borsalino logo. Unfortunately there's little else in this hat to go on. My guess is that this hat is from the 70's or 80's, because Simpson's was closed by 1990. This hat is so soft it's unbelievable! It has some wear and the gold lettering on the leather band is almost all worn off but overall, a great quality hat. The plastic protective lining in the hat is well-worn but the silk or satin underneath is in perfect condition. I haven't cleaned nor re-shaped it yet and will post pictures of it once that's done.
Here's a few pictures.
I haven't read through all 280+ pages of this thread yet so forgive my ignorance about this next question. The edge of the brim has a stitching, which I've never seen before. It's not an overwelt, underwelt nor ribbon finish (unless the ribbon was taken off but not the stitches). In one section at the front, likely where the original owner held his hat over time, the stitching has come off for about an inch. Is this raw edge stitching common in Borsalino or Simpson's hats in Canada? Does anyone else have a hat with such edge stitching? I've always prefered raw edges, and at first I thought of removing it. Is this something that you collectors would advise against?
Another thing that I noticed is that I think that the exterior ribbon may have been sewn (or re-sewn) crooked? It sticks out on top towards the back. But it's only held up by a single stitch which I could cut and lower easily enough.
I'd love to know people's feedback on this hat!
Thanks Richard!Daniele this hat is perfect, the blend of colors, proportions, everything comes together perfectly. We always notice great materials or great workmanship but I think we love Borsalinos so much because they combined those tangible qualities with exquisite design. They did this better than any other hat maker.