What Hat Are You Wearing Today ?

[BobHufford]

Nice place! Looks like you and the house aged well!

Thanks Randall. As long as you don't look too close.

The asking price for the house is 34 times higher than what my folks payed for it. 7.5 times higher than what I could have bought it for when they moved out. But only 3.5 times more than the $10K they paid in 1962 when adjusted for inflation (whew!). That seems reasonable as it is a desirable neighborhood now and close to the MSU campus. Plus it has been tastefully remodeled inside and the HVAC is pretty new.

I did leave a bit of me behind that has survived so far.

 

[BobHufford]

Stetson 150. I had forgotten about this one. I left it several months on a custom hat block, and now it fits perfectly, even if it's marked 7 1/8. I think it might have been a 7 1/4 in reality. View attachment 540017 View attachment 540018 View attachment 540019 View attachment 540020 View attachment 540021 View attachment 540022 View attachment 540023 View attachment 540024 View attachment 540025

I remember that one! I still have the case.

Glad to see you wearing it Max!

 

[Steve1857]

Borsalino for an evening walk.

 

[Steve1857]

Taking my 1930s Melton & Co. topper for a stroll
View attachment 539970
View attachment 539971

Topper bucket made in Brazil by Arthur Haas & Cia
View attachment 539972

That is a beauty of a Top Hat, Fabio. What are its dimensions?

 

[Mighty44]

… followed up by a Stetson 3XOR as we went to a real estate open house in the house I grew up in. Built in 1913. My family was there from 1962 - 1986.

View attachment 539778

View attachment 539781

My room …

View attachment 539779

View attachment 539780

Classic—is that a Craftsman bungalow? Must have been fun to visit.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

Stetson 150. I had forgotten about this one. I left it several months on a custom hat block, and now it fits perfectly, even if it's marked 7 1/8. I think it might have been a 7 1/4 in reality. View attachment 540017 View attachment 540018 View attachment 540019 View attachment 540020 View attachment 540021 View attachment 540022 View attachment 540023 View attachment 540024 View attachment 540025

Just from memory, I think the felt has a better hand and is softer than my 100s

 

[Blare]

View attachment 539783
A lovely hat Bill, and such a coincidence in that I have been in touch with The Brass Rooster hat company. Their black cherry hat is a colour that I have searched and searched for. I would prefer though, it if they can offer a different hat ribbon. Fingers crossed.

Wow.. that looks like Stetson Musketeer in black

 

[BobHufford]

Classic—is that a Craftsman bungalow? Must have been fun to visit.

Thanks! Not a Craftsman, but the architect of most of the houses in this addition lived in this one. Instead of porch railings he used large chains -- which I heard were off a locomotive, but I'm not so sure. I know it's quite difficult to walk across the top of them.

 

[T Jones]

Classic—is that a Craftsman bungalow? Must have been fun to visit.

It sure is. Classic Craftsman in every way. It's my favorite style of home. We have a few of those old Bungalows in my area.

EDIT: Evidently, it's not a Craftsman after all, per Bob's post above.

 

[T Jones]

Thanks! Not a Craftsman, but the architect of most of the houses in this addition lived in this one. Instead of porch railings he used large chains -- which I heard were off a locomotive, but I'm not so sure. I know it's quite difficult to walk across the top of them.

View attachment 540053

Not a Craftsman? That sure stumped me! It has a lot of nice Craftsman details.

 

[BobHufford]

Not a Craftsman? That sure stumped me! It has a lot of nice Craftsman details.

Oh my ... sorry, you are both right.

When I read "Craftsman" my mind went here:

I was thinking of the Sears kit homes. I've been spending too much time in the vintage tool forums.

 

[T Jones]

Oh my ... sorry, you are both right.

When I read "Craftsman" my mind went here:

View attachment 540062

View attachment 540063

I was thinking of the Sears kit homes. I've been spending too much time in the vintage tool forums.

Excellent! That one had me going!

I have a few Craftsman power tools, myself! I remember the Sears kit homes.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

I remember that one! I still have the case.

View attachment 540029

Glad to see you wearing it Max!

Thank you, Bob!

 

[Rmccamey]

What an exceptional hat, Max. I'm glad you are keeping those rare ones in the rotation.

Stetson 150. I had forgotten about this one. I left it several months on a custom hat block, and now it fits perfectly, even if it's marked 7 1/8. I think it might have been a 7 1/4 in reality. View attachment 540017 View attachment 540018 View attachment 540019 View attachment 540020 View attachment 540021 View attachment 540022 View attachment 540023 View attachment 540024 View attachment 540025

 

[Blare]

Bailey of California - The Mystic Felt
Purple Grey - Super Lightweight Felt
4 3/8 Crown as Shaped - Unlined
2 3/4 Raw Edge Brim

Introducing The Mystic Felt by Bailey of California. A vintage Bailey of Hollywood/California felt has been on my wish list for some time after seeing one or two posted here on the lounge.. I believe in the fabulous collections of Bob and Eric. Bailey a brand owned by Bollman Hats still being marketed today, it is cool to see the type of quality they were able to produce in their hey day. I had been on the hunt for one for some time… a true vintage Bailey felt doesn’t seem to pop up every day. When I saw this fairly ragged old Bailey of California barely hanging on to what is left of its sweat and missing its ribbon in what appeared to be an amazingly unusual purple grey felt, I had to throw in an offer and see if this was one I could save.

Needless to say I am absolutely blown away with the color. I’d say it is not quite as dark grey/purple as the online photos… a shade lighter but still vibrant purple without looking gaudy. As with a lot of these felts.. the color can be a bit chameleonic and tad hard to capture. I’d say closest to reality would be the color in the on head shots. The felt is an incredible thin and lightweight felt similar to a Borsalino Featherweight. As it has no ribbon, I intend to experiment some to see what might work best with this unique color. For now I used this copper brown ribbon I had laying around and attached with double sided gorilla tape. I used the same tape to temporarily reattach the sweat band. Which by the way seems to be fairly in tact, malleable and not too cracked. May be able to use the original holes to sew it back on.

Interestingly the brand is currently known as Bailey of Hollywood. I Don’t see too too many examples labeled as Bailey of California. So not sure the history there other than Bailey hats was founded by George Bailey in 1922. My guess is this hat with its unreeded sweat would be at least 1940s vintage but hard to say with much certainty. The original price tag sticker on the back of the sweatband indicates it was sold at Nielsen’s of Fullerton, California for $5.00

 

[The Shoe]

View attachment 540093

Bailey of California - The Mystic Felt
Purple Grey - Super Lightweight Felt
4 3/8 Crown as Shaped - Unlined
2 3/4 Raw Edge Brim

Introducing The Mystic Felt by Bailey of California. A vintage Bailey of Hollywood/California felt has been on my wish list for some time after seeing one or two posted here on the lounge.. I believe in the fabulous collections of Bob and Eric. Bailey a brand owned by Bollman Hats still being marketed today, it is cool to see the type of quality they were able to produce in their hey day. I had been on the hunt for one for some time… a true vintage Bailey felt doesn’t seem to pop up every day. When I saw this fairly ragged old Bailey of California barely hanging on to what is left of its sweat and missing its ribbon in what appeared to be an amazingly unusual purple grey felt, I had to throw in an offer and see if this was one I could save.

Needless to say I am absolutely blown away with the color. I’d say it is not quite as dark grey/purple as the online photos… a shade lighter but still vibrant purple without looking gaudy. As with a lot of these felts.. the color can be a bit chameleonic and tad hard to capture. I’d say closest to reality would be the color in the on head shots. The felt is an incredible thin and lightweight felt similar to a Borsalino Featherweight. As it has no ribbon, I intend to experiment some to see what might work best with this unique color. For now I used this copper brown ribbon I had laying around and attached with double sided gorilla tape. I used the same tape to temporarily reattach the sweat band. Which by the way seems to be fairly in tact, malleable and not too cracked. May be able to use the original holes to sew it back on.

Interestingly the brand is currently known as Bailey of Hollywood. I Don’t see too too many examples labeled as Bailey of California. So not sure the history there other than Bailey hats was founded by George Bailey in 1922. My guess is this hat with its unreeded sweat would be at least 1940s vintage but hard to say with much certainty. The original price tag sticker on the back of the sweatband indicates it was sold at Nielsen’s of Fullerton, California for $5.00

View attachment 540094 View attachment 540095 View attachment 540096 View attachment 540097 View attachment 540098 View attachment 540099 View attachment 540100

That ribbon colour looks great with that hat.

 

[hambone71]

View attachment 540093

Bailey of California - The Mystic Felt
Purple Grey - Super Lightweight Felt
4 3/8 Crown as Shaped - Unlined
2 3/4 Raw Edge Brim

Introducing The Mystic Felt by Bailey of California. A vintage Bailey of Hollywood/California felt has been on my wish list for some time after seeing one or two posted here on the lounge.. I believe in the fabulous collections of Bob and Eric. Bailey a brand owned by Bollman Hats still being marketed today, it is cool to see the type of quality they were able to produce in their hey day. I had been on the hunt for one for some time… a true vintage Bailey felt doesn’t seem to pop up every day. When I saw this fairly ragged old Bailey of California barely hanging on to what is left of its sweat and missing its ribbon in what appeared to be an amazingly unusual purple grey felt, I had to throw in an offer and see if this was one I could save.

Needless to say I am absolutely blown away with the color. I’d say it is not quite as dark grey/purple as the online photos… a shade lighter but still vibrant purple without looking gaudy. As with a lot of these felts.. the color can be a bit chameleonic and tad hard to capture. I’d say closest to reality would be the color in the on head shots. The felt is an incredible thin and lightweight felt similar to a Borsalino Featherweight. As it has no ribbon, I intend to experiment some to see what might work best with this unique color. For now I used this copper brown ribbon I had laying around and attached with double sided gorilla tape. I used the same tape to temporarily reattach the sweat band. Which by the way seems to be fairly in tact, malleable and not too cracked. May be able to use the original holes to sew it back on.

Interestingly the brand is currently known as Bailey of Hollywood. I Don’t see too too many examples labeled as Bailey of California. So not sure the history there other than Bailey hats was founded by George Bailey in 1922. My guess is this hat with its unreeded sweat would be at least 1940s vintage but hard to say with much certainty. The original price tag sticker on the back of the sweatband indicates it was sold at Nielsen’s of Fullerton, California for $5.00

View attachment 540094 View attachment 540095 View attachment 540096 View attachment 540097 View attachment 540098 View attachment 540099 View attachment 540100

Wow, she cleaned up nice! Looks great on you. Killer find!

 

[drmaxtejeda]

What an exceptional hat, Max. I'm glad you are keeping those rare ones in the rotation.

Thank you, Randy!

 

[Blare]

That ribbon colour looks great with that hat.

Thanks Gary

Wow, she cleaned up nice! Looks great on you. Killer find!

Thank you Phil!

 

[Mighty44]

View attachment 540093

Bailey of California - The Mystic Felt
Purple Grey - Super Lightweight Felt
4 3/8 Crown as Shaped - Unlined
2 3/4 Raw Edge Brim

Introducing The Mystic Felt by Bailey of California. A vintage Bailey of Hollywood/California felt has been on my wish list for some time after seeing one or two posted here on the lounge.. I believe in the fabulous collections of Bob and Eric. Bailey a brand owned by Bollman Hats still being marketed today, it is cool to see the type of quality they were able to produce in their hey day. I had been on the hunt for one for some time… a true vintage Bailey felt doesn’t seem to pop up every day. When I saw this fairly ragged old Bailey of California barely hanging on to what is left of its sweat and missing its ribbon in what appeared to be an amazingly unusual purple grey felt, I had to throw in an offer and see if this was one I could save.

Needless to say I am absolutely blown away with the color. I’d say it is not quite as dark grey/purple as the online photos… a shade lighter but still vibrant purple without looking gaudy. As with a lot of these felts.. the color can be a bit chameleonic and tad hard to capture. I’d say closest to reality would be the color in the on head shots. The felt is an incredible thin and lightweight felt similar to a Borsalino Featherweight. As it has no ribbon, I intend to experiment some to see what might work best with this unique color. For now I used this copper brown ribbon I had laying around and attached with double sided gorilla tape. I used the same tape to temporarily reattach the sweat band. Which by the way seems to be fairly in tact, malleable and not too cracked. May be able to use the original holes to sew it back on.

Interestingly the brand is currently known as Bailey of Hollywood. I Don’t see too too many examples labeled as Bailey of California. So not sure the history there other than Bailey hats was founded by George Bailey in 1922. My guess is this hat with its unreeded sweat would be at least 1940s vintage but hard to say with much certainty. The original price tag sticker on the back of the sweatband indicates it was sold at Nielsen’s of Fullerton, California for $5.00

View attachment 540094 View attachment 540095 View attachment 540096 View attachment 540097 View attachment 540098 View attachment 540099 View attachment 540100

Holy smokes—that’s an amazing hat, Joe. Congrats!