Your opinion: What Ribbon on my VS?...

[Aureliano]

Get 2 hats with both ribbons.

lol lol

 

[fluteplayer07]

I like EH's idea!

 

[DJH]

At the end of the day, only one person should decide which ribbon stays on this hat...













Mrs. Aureliano!!

 

[Aureliano]

At the end of the day, only one person should decide which ribbon stays on this hat...Mrs. Aureliano!!

True. But your opinions, my fellow hatted guys, are very important.

 

[bond]

A, both are too wide . Go with a narrower ribbon. Personally I like more of a muted silver to go with the hat choice. Good luck !
S

 

[Aureliano]

Thanks for your comment, Bond. When I commissioned the hat from Art I requested a wide ribbon. That's the style I was looking for.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I know you took some good effort to make the silver hat band and it does look nice, but the original lavender stands out more.

 

[Aureliano]

I know you took some good effort to make the silver hat band and it does look nice, but the original lavender stands out more.

Thanks for your opinion, much appreciated. I think my issue is exactly that: it stands out too much... But I'm still considering it...

 

[fluteplayer07]

The contrast adds a lot of texture to the hat. It changes the overall appearance from a static landscape to a more dynamic one, with a little more of its own character. I like that look, and it gives the hat more unique-ness, which in my opinion is what a custom hat is all about. When I pay for a custom hat, I want something unique, something that I'm sure doesn't exist in the vintage market. I like pushing aesthetic and stylistic boundaries, as I'm sure you can tell from my last custom hats. That's just my opinion, and if it were me, I'd go for the lavender bow. It's something different, in a good way.

Now, crazy idea time: I've always thought it would be interesting to have a hat with interchangeable ribbons, the same principle as a pug, only with a standard ribbon. I'm not sure of the construction of a proper bow, but what if you made the bow as normal, without stitching it to the hat body. Then add stitches as needed to secure the loop into a free-moving unit, so you could pick it up and move it at will. Then, cut the ribbon band behind one of the loops of the bow, and add two pug hooks to the newly formed raw edge, the 'long end' of the ribbon. Then behind the bow, attach another hook where you can't see it. To attach it to the hat body, just hook one end in, and draw the other half around like a regular pug. The loop of the bow should cover the 'raw edge' of the ribbon.

That way you could tie up a bunch of ribbons, and trade them a will. Is this feasible? I have no experience making hat bands, but from a purely hypothetical standpoint it sounds mostly sane...

 

[randooch]

I voted lavender. The silver gives a "washed out" appearance to the hat.

Yup.

 

[kaosharper1]

Another vote for the lavender. I'm a fan of silver ribbons, but it doesn't "pop" out against the felt like the lavender does.

I also voted to the lavender for the same reason, though it might just be the picture. I have a silverbelly by Art with a silver band and it looks great, but it also has a golden brim binding. Maybe the silver needs something like that?

In the end, it is your hat so whatever you like is OK. They both look great so it was a tough choice.

 

[Aureliano]

Thanks for the comment, Flute. I know what you're saying, the lavender does create contrast and I certainly want that in my hat. The thing is that--and this after looking and looking at this ribbon--I think I don't like lavender. If the undertone of the ribbon were to be, say, blue, I'd be all up of it. I asked Art to copy a hat he has on his website (Art I hope you don't mind me using the image from your website) which I always loved. Unfortunately, towards the end of the process, Art found out he had ran out of the ribbon that the sample hat had and offered to sew a close match, which is the lavender. But if you see, the hat on Art's site is close to my ribbon, minus the little black accent in the bow, which I could, and maybe should add. What do you guys think?
Both bodies are silverbelly, just different light.

From Art's Website:

Mine with a little photoshop stripe :

The front view of the hat gives a more accurate tone of my ribbon:

 

[bowlerman]

I'm not going to change my lavender vote, but The Hat in the abstract is a very different thing from The Hat on your head. In a hat museum, lavender/lilac without question. On you-- well if it's not comfortable keep the matching ribbon. IT really does look great.
I don't always like ribbon constrasts. In fact I am rather fond of my (and I hesitate to even bring it up in the company of VS) Beaver Brand silver belly with a wide matching ribbon.

Interchangeable bands? Hm. How about velcro?

 

[scooter]

The lavender does create more contrast and is beautiful, but the silver creates an understated elegance that really appeals to me. I like the silver, JMHO!

 

[alanfgag]

To my eye, the silver ribbon and felt are too close in value. The cool shade of the ribbon and warm shade of the felt fight each other. A warm white or off white ribbon that reads lighter than the felt would be interesting to see.

It must be very hard to select from this array of options when building a new hat. (Or maybe the design decision making is just to close to my day job.) Vintage seems so much easier!

 

[Aureliano]

It must be very hard to select from this array of options when building a new hat. (Or maybe the design decision making is just to close to my day job.) Vintage seems so much easier!

It's hard, Alan. I might go ribbon shopping tomorrow to see if I can find something closer to Art's website hat.

 

[The Good]

The silver ribbon looks the classiest in my opinion. I personally think lavender is on the flashy side, although it still looks good.

 

[Aureliano]

Thanks, The Good.

 

[buler]

The contrast adds a lot of texture to the hat. It changes the overall appearance from a static landscape to a more dynamic one, with a little more of its own character. I like that look, and it gives the hat more unique-ness, which in my opinion is what a custom hat is all about. When I pay for a custom hat, I want something unique, something that I'm sure doesn't exist in the vintage market. I like pushing aesthetic and stylistic boundaries, as I'm sure you can tell from my last custom hats. That's just my opinion, and if it were me, I'd go for the lavender bow. It's something different, in a good way.

Now, crazy idea time: I've always thought it would be interesting to have a hat with interchangeable ribbons, the same principle as a pug, only with a standard ribbon. I'm not sure of the construction of a proper bow, but what if you made the bow as normal, without stitching it to the hat body. Then add stitches as needed to secure the loop into a free-moving unit, so you could pick it up and move it at will. Then, cut the ribbon band behind one of the loops of the bow, and add two pug hooks to the newly formed raw edge, the 'long end' of the ribbon. Then behind the bow, attach another hook where you can't see it. To attach it to the hat body, just hook one end in, and draw the other half around like a regular pug. The loop of the bow should cover the 'raw edge' of the ribbon.

That way you could tie up a bunch of ribbons, and trade them a will. Is this feasible? I have no experience making hat bands, but from a purely hypothetical standpoint it sounds mostly sane...

I tried this quite a while ago. It is feasible based on my weak attempt. Mine didn't look very good because the ribbon size I used was too big for the hat body. Also, I didn't swirl the ribbon so the edges didn't sit tight to the hat. But the idea of some elastic and hook and eye fasteners worked fine.

Here is the thread: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?40351-Reblocked-and-ribboned-first-time


B

 

[Art Fawcett]

Now, crazy idea time: I've always thought it would be interesting to have a hat with interchangeable ribbons, the same principle as a pug, only with a standard ribbon.

This was done in the early 1900's Flute but mainly for Boaters so that the client could change ribbons at will. The bow was pre made with hooks on the single end and hooks at the end of the ribbon ( does that make sense?) . At any rate, I actually have some here somewhere that are original. Perhaps the time has come to revive the idea?

hmm, I don't remember that thread Buler. This was almost exactly like what was done in the past but with penetrating hooks, like a pugaree.