what's the mother of all hats to own?

[jamespowers]

That really depends on who you ask and what they collect really.
I suppose a Stetson 100 or a Dobbs 100 would be nice hats to have. So would many Stetson Imperials and hats that have been made for a special purpose. Hats whose owners have been famous in history are always good too.
My personal "mother of all hats" (MOAHs) would likely be a Mink Borsalino. A mink felt hat of any kind would be great but a 1920s Borsalino mink felt would be great. I am pretty sure Stetson might have made Ermine felt hats as well and they are probably right up there on the MOAHs list too. Now finding any of these in my size (7 5/8) would probably make them real MOAHs.

Regards to all,

J

 

[dopey]

That really depends on who you ask and what they collect really.
I suppose a Stetson 100 or a Dobbs 100 would be nice hats to have. So would many Stetson Imperials and hats that have been made for a special purpose. Hats whose owners have been famous in history are always good too.
My personal "mother of all hats" (MOAHs) would likely be a Mink Borsalino. A mink felt hat of any kind would be great but a 1920s Borsalino mink felt would be great. I am pretty sure Stetson might have made Ermine felt hats as well and they are probably right up there on the MOAHs list too. Now finding any of these in my size (7 5/8) would probably make them real MOAHs.

Regards to all,

J

jamespowers (and others):
Are Stetson Imperials really all that good in terms of felt? Does it depend a lot on their vintage? I often see them on e-bay, though rarely in a style I like or in my size. Obviously, it is hard to tell from auction pictures, but nothing about them makes them look particularly impressive.

What about the Stetsonian or the Sovereign? Are those model names or quality indicators?

Bear in mind that I have already binged on e-bay vintage hats, so while I would like an accurate and truthful answer, the most useful one would probably be “they’re all crap, so don’t waste your time.�

 

[Art Fawcett]

Dopey, Fedoralover is the real Stetson authority here when it comes to the "imperial" but I believe it was the top of the Stetson line. I don't know the dates in which it ruled, but certainly the 40s & 50s it was on top. There aren't too many hats after the fifties that ring my bell so I haven't studied much beyond then.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I think we had this discussion, and I still side with Cavanagh and Borsalino from the 30's. Stetson has a good finish, though the Cavanagh for softness and durability in my book gets honors, and Borsalinos from the 30's... some of those were buttery soft and I have one that I still treat like trash and it keeps bouncing back beating after beating.

 

[hatflick1]

Mother of All Hats

My vote is the Stetson Deluxe Stratoliner. I own two, one tan and one silver belly. Classic styling. Buttery fur felt. And affordable. If you're fortunate enough to find one in your size. No matter where my hat obsession leads me or how much I spend, I always come back to "mom".

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I believe that when most folks think of vintage hats and fedoras, the name Stetson comes to mind first. The "Mother" in this case would be to own an original 1860's "Boss of the Plains" hat. That, however, is classified as a cowboy hat. But Stetson was the famous brand when my grandfather wore fedoras, at least among the working class.

My greatest hat fantasy would be to find, in someone's attic, a large box filled with vintage Borsalinos, in excellent shape of course, and in every color they made. Black, tan, and dark blue would send me off to hat heaven.So, for me, a vintage Borsalino would be the Mother of All Hats.

I feel lucky to have two of them, even if they are almost the same color.

But, I think the hat to have, in this day and age, for a hat collector would be to own one of the hats that HF wore in any of his IJ movies -- even if he wore it for one scene.

karol

 

[Michaelson]

Art, you've worked on my Borsalino. What 'era' would you say it was from, if you can recall working on it? We never discussed that when it was in your shop. Regards! Michaelson

 

[Matt Deckard]

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=2132&highlight=cavanagh+borsalino

 

[Art Fawcett]

I believe it was from the 50s Mr.M..nice hat
I can't argue any of the choices here as the subject leads to opinion and as we all know OUR opinion is always right. My everyday hat is a Borsalino from the 40s but I can't say that it's the "Mother" of all hats because that implies one hat is best for all occasions and I don't believe that. Then there is the Superfino Monti...but then....I love the 1860s beaver plush from Dunlap in my collection.
I believe the "Mother of all Hats" is the one around the corner..you know...the one we would be SO happy to own if we could only find it in our size.
As a brand, I would choose Borsalino ( pre 1984), Cavanaugh, Crofutt & Knapp, Knox, Dunlap, Cervo, Barbisio. there were SO many great hatters that is really IS hard to discern the "best" so again it boils down to opinion.

 

[fedoralover]

I have a Stetson Imperial Open Road and a Cavanagh 100 and did own a Dobbs 55. The Cavanagh is the best. But for the pure "feel" of a hat I prefer my vintage Borsalino's from the 40s and 50s. They fit light on my head and are the most comfortable. I wear them all for different occasions. I also have a new 100% beaver felt hat provided by Winchester felt company and it is the best NEW felt I have seen. Of course it still takes a good hatter to make it into a good hat.

fedoralover

 

[K.D. Lightner]

You are so right, Art. We are like Grail seekers, people on a quest to find that perfect fedora.

We think we have found it, we order it, or we find it on ebay, or we find it in an antique store -- we take it home and declare "this is the hat I have been searching for all these years."

Within a few days, we find minor faults with the hat -- well it is almost what we wanted, but that perfect one still eludes us. Gotta keep searching.

It is the quest that is exciting and important, not the finding. Perhaps because some of us, or most of us, will never find it. We don't know that, of course -- or do we?

The Mother of All Hats is maybe the search for the hat.

karol

 

[Michael Mallory]

This is all very subjective, of course, but for what it's worth, Cervo Hats, made in Alessandra, Italy (as are Borsolinos), are sometimes called the "world's best" hats. I have one (made by Cervo for Barbisio) and the felt is the best I've ever touched, and it feels natural on the head. My only complaint about mine is that it is rather heavy and the sewn ridge of the sweatband (which is very supple brown leather) sometimes leaves an imprint on my forehead, like a lobotomy scar. Since most of my acquaintances assume it IS a lobotomy scar, there's not really a problem. Still... I suppose, though, theoretically, the Mother of All Hats is the actual one worn by Harrison Ford in "Raiders" (or, at least, the primary one), though you'd have to break into the Smithsonian to get it.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Still... I suppose, though, theoretically, the Mother of All Hats is the actual one worn by Harrison Ford in "Raiders" (or, at least, the primary one), though you'd have to break into the Smithsonian to get it.

I'd have to say the one worn by Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon," or the one in "Casablanca." Not to slight Indy, but for many of us, Bogart defined fedora-wearing long before Harrison Ford.

There are two different levels here: 1) The hat you'd love to have because it fits your personality and style, and 2) The hat worn by your favorite celebrity. The two may or may not be the same hat.

Brad

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Holy Grail of Hats...

so to speak.

 

[Michael Mallory]

Truth be told, if I could have any cinematic iconic hat drop in my lap (please, not from a height), it would either be Lon Chaney's tall beaver top hat from "London After Midnight" (1927), which Forry Ackerman claims to have, but he's quite wrong (I've seen it in his basement -- it ain't the one), or an original Buster Keaton porkpie. Keaton went through scores of porkpies -- which he always made himself from regular Stetson fedoras -- but actually having one he made would be sublime.

 

[Michaelson]

I believe it was from the 50s Mr.M..nice hat

Thank you, sir! :cheers1: High regards! Michaelson

 

[K.D. Lightner]

My mother said that she would just like to have her father's old black Stetson, the one he wore indoors and out, all his life.

She does not know what happened to it or who got it after he died. Maybe no one, maybe it went off the the Salvation Army or into the trash can.

karol

 

[jamespowers]

She does not know what happened to it or who got it after he died. Maybe no one, maybe it went off the the Salvation Army or into the trash can.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NO! Keep them out of the trash can. They can be used for other things.

Regards to all,

J

 

[K.D. Lightner]

The ComicCon is on in San Diego. I didn't go this year, but it reminded me that one of the reasons I wanted to have a lovely blue fedora was because of this cool guy, created by the late Will Eisner.

http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/img/tm0401.jpg


OK, so he isn't real, but that was the hat that inspired me to want fedoras, especially a deep blue one.

karol

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Well, it didn't show for some reason, thought I got the site right.

It is Eisner's The Spirit.

karol