Vintage Stetson - VS - Vintage Silhouettes

[John in Covina]

Not so tough to choose, it all depends what you want!

The fabulous vintage Stetson versus the fabulous VS from Art Fawcett.

First off, the Vintage Stetson, well old son, they ain't makin' anymore. There is a finite number of them in a variety of conditions, styles and colors. Secondly, you have to look, and if you have a hankerin' for a specific style and color in your hat size, there is a fair chance of finding one after some goodly searching. If purchased thru our favorite auction site, then there is the waiting and the hoping all is as described.

If not then it's searching and more searching until either your perserverence pays off or you just plain throw in the towel. Not that serendipity doesn't step in occasionally.

Now a creation by Art: it's a known quantity, quality wise, also Art is known for making it right. Quick turnaround time and
made for YOU,
fitted to YOU
YOU picked out those special colors,
and YOU picked the style.
So there is a lot of YOU in that hat.

So now you gotta ask yourself, do I feel lucky? Well lucky in searching for vintage Stetsons that is. If you get a VS from Art, luck may not have had any part of it, but you'll come off as Mr. Lucky as the owner of a fine custom Fedora.

Best wishes in your choice or search. Weigh the choices and make your rationalizations here...

 

[cooncatbob]

I like both. The thrill of the hunt, the waiting for the auction to end. Will someone snipe me or will I be the sniper. When the hat arrives will it be up to expectations? Will it fit like a glove or will I have to stretch and steam it to my liking. I haven't received my VS yet, I just got the conformer and I'm mailing it back tomorrow. But everything I've heard from those that have one of Art's creations make me look forward to the day when I open the box and place on my head a hat made just for my head. Bob.

 

[M_Jones]

I'm with you Cooncatbob....the thrill of the hunt. Unless you end up getting skunked. :rage: I have yet to aquire a V S but maybe in the near future...

 

[Art Fawcett]

holy moly...

What an intimidating thread...Thank you for your responses gents. As most of you know my heart has always been in vintage and in fact at one point I had ( and sold) over 1500 hats from the 60's and earlier, some much earlier. If the question were to be posed to me and I WASN'T the hatter in question my answer would be close to TonyB's answer. In the days when there were thousands of hatters and a gazillion choices of raw materials, Stetson made some pretty terrific hats. The mercury processing, the Cav edge, the specacular felt combinations and finishes ALL made a great deal of difference. If you doubt my sincerity, please know that last year I traded one of my customs for a Stetson 100. I just didn't have one as an example in my collection ( such as it is today) and needed one. ( read that "wanted one")
At any rate I won't attempt to advise anyone per the question, just know that my thoughts are very much in the past but materials are very much today with the exception of ribbons. We do what we can...

 

[Andykev]

Let the Bartender step in here for a moment

I don't know what is up with RBH. I quite frankly don't know him. If there is a grievance, no one has PM'ed me or any other Bartender about the complaint, or fixing any problems.

As for the question in this thread. I am very hard pressed to say.

We have many new members here. I have been on this board for what? Four years? Many of you know a couple things about me: I love hats. I have had over the years owned/sold/traded about 200+ of my collection. I currently have about 65 hats.

The list includes Optimo (felt and straw), Art's hats (felt creations of beauty, and straws formed from Panama Bob), and a ton of vintage.

The "quality" vintage from the 30's and 40's are unsurpassed in their quality, felt, style, and workmanship.

I can probably be safe in saying that most new manufacturers, or hatters, are striving to get to where this period of hat making existed.

Problems? Yes. You CANNOT get the felt that was made back then. Current makers are trying to replicate that quality of felt.

Second: Stetson was a MAJOR manufacturer. Like any good mass produced shoe today, in it's day, Stetson made quality hats, at reasonable prices. Some are spectacular, others are run of the mill.

That said, I would LOVE to go to a hat store and buy new the "run of the mill" that Stetson produced in the 40's.

So, which would I prefer. Today, in reality, with the hit and miss of ebay and the junk out there...for the money, having a custom made beauty, in YOUR color, in YOUR size, with YOUR trim....

Hands Down.

Art Fawcett's hat.

And because he is a very close personal friend, this disclamer:

I have Optimo's, Stetson's, Dobbs, MacLaughlan, Cavanaugh....

Art makes the VERY BEST hat in the game today. And it is a BARGAIN.

 

[shoeshineboy]

for those of you who bought the Bailey from aaron's hats....it is really a vintage hat bodies that was just made. So you have new freshly made hat with a 30 to 50 year old body...there is the best of both worlds, if you can find them.

mark tssb

 

[johnnycanuck]

well I did it. Now what style should I bash it in?
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&viewitem=&item=200086955294&rd=1&rd=1

 

[jimmy the lid]

So you're the one who snagged that one, Johnny? Way to go! That looks like an excellent lid! :eusa_clap

Cheers,
JtL

 

[johnnycanuck]

Stetson 25
Damned near brand new. A slight crease in the crown indicating someone tried a center bash at some point in time. The marks on the wind cord but other then that its as good as new. I tried a shallow top indent but it is a really tall crown. I will have to play around with it till I find a style I like. The bow is threaded threw ¼ of the sweat band at the back so I can tighten the sweat band if I need to. The hat pin is the same as the cowboy in the “post the pins in your fedoras" thread. It’s a bit loose so I may take it off so I don’t loose it somewhere. Overall I am very happy with my purchase and am a little shocked it went for so little.
Johnny

 

[RBH]

If I had to be beat out, I'm glad it was you!
Welcome to the Brotherhood of the Thin Ribbon !

P.S. you cant go wrong with a c-crown style!

 

[undertaker]

Well....

I have both and I prefer the VS Customs over my Stetsons. I don't like waiting for an auction to end and then being beat out in the end for $1.50, but that's part of it I guess. It is also hard to find vintage hats in my size reasonably priced. When I order one from Art I know it will fit and, should for some odd reason, it does not I can send it back and He will get it right, that makes the choice very clear for me. I don't need a hat of any age that I cannot wear and enjoy.

For What It's Worth,
J.S.

 

[tonyb]

Stetson 25
Damned near brand new. A slight crease in the crown indicating someone tried a center bash at some point in time. The marks on the wind cord but other then that its as good as new. I tried a shallow top indent but it is a really tall crown. I will have to play around with it till I find a style I like.

Overall I am very happy with my purchase and am a little shocked it went for so little.
Johnny

To my way of seeing things, that style of hat begs for a center dent with a medium-spaced fedora pinch. Like this Mallory Dallas ...

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f83/tonyb56/IMGP0603.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

or this Stetson Stratoliner ...

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f83/tonyb56/IMGP0588.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

... but that's just me. I like those tall crowns, provided they're relatively untapered. Wouldn't want my lid to be mistaken for a dunce cap, you know.
You OUGHT to be happy with your purchase. It's a fine example of a higher-quality version of the Open Road. And while the price you paid might have seemed a tad high a year or two ago, it sure doesn't now. As we've noted here a few thousand times before, in comparison to those crummy new Open Roads (which ain't exactly cheap, by the way), a couple of hundred bucks (or more) for a vintage one in good (or better) condition can be considered a bargain.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Well here they all are..... Or at all my Fedora's....... Or at lest all my fedoras I bothered putting in the photo.... Most of my nice ones at least.

Back row Akubra Federation Deluxe, Vintage Silhouettes, Akubra Squatter
Front row Vintage Stetson Open Road 25, Biltmore Royal.



I decided to go for the Bogart type bash for now.



Don't even ask me what happened to the colour in the first photo, no idea.

Johnny

 

[RBH]

I decided to go for the Bogart type bash for now.

Thats what Im talking about!!!! I love that bash, you did it really well.
Hope you can show us a picture of it on.

 

[budward]

On the one hand, apples & oranges. If you want a vintage, then there you go. If you don't have to have vintage, go Art. His quality is excellent, he's great to deal with, you get your goods quick, it's gonna fit, and he'll make what you want. There's no way vintage can supply all that. And if for some reason it gets damaged (stained, dog ate it, whatever) he can replicate it. You'll have a hard if not impossible time finding a replacement for your vintage.

Bud

 

[Stoney]

I've never had an Art Fawcett or other custom made hat, but judging solely by what I've seen here, and elsewhere on the net, It sure looks attractive and I'm planning to have one very soon.If money were no object we would all wear the finest of clothes and travel by limousine everywhere that we went. It all comes down to personal preference, have a custom hat made, if you can afford it, or buy vintage, if you can afford it. But I guess that is what this thread is really about isn't it.

My .02....

Buy vintage and enjoy the hunt, There is a special feeling about getting something unique and for all practical purposes irreplaceable. Save your pennies if you have to, then have a custom hat made to your exact specifications and you'll always be pleased with it.

Do both not either-or. [huh]