Biltmore Senator (Canada)

theCOOP said:

Newest of a few hats. The others are shown in another thread about asking questions. It hasn't proven to be very handy.

Anyway, I see this hat is still made perhaps. It's different from the others I think in that the brim isn't the same width all the way around.

I'd love it even more if the brim aas turned up all around instead of down in the front.

View attachment 98276 View attachment 98277

Click to expand...

theCOOP said:

Thanks for the replies, i have one hat here that is (too small) turned up all the way around but it's also the same width all the way around. Should I trim this hat? Generally I prefer a stingy brim.

Click to expand...

theCOOP said:

As for trimming, I'm still referring to the Biltmore as shown.

I don't know whether this hat is five days old, five weeks, months, years or five decades old.

Click to expand...

viclip said:

I too am unable to date your Canadian Biltmore Senator. That said, according to their former web site prior to their being taken over, Biltmore's Senator model constituted their basic hat, I quote the relevant portion:

"Senator
Consists of a fine quality fur felt, which has a smooth finish. This is a lightweight soft and pliable hat containing a low amount of fur felt. The band and leather are of a lesser quality. Although this is still a good quality hat it is a lower priced product."

You might also take into consideration the comments variously made over the years by other Fedora Lounge members respecting the practical aspects of seriously trimming brims. For starters, it is no mean feat to nicely evenly trim a brim esp. all the way around; also the resulting product may not look at all presentable.

Factory made stingy brimmed hats are easily found in second hand shops, thrift stores, vintage shops etc. If it were me, I'd see if I could find one & propose some sort of swap with the proprietor for the Senator. I think you'll find that a knowledgable shop owner would be open to such an arrangement in as much as the demand for wider brims exceeds that for stingy brims, as least from what I've observed.

Click to expand...

theCOOP said:

I'll just leave it as is. After all, in about the last six month I've acquired five or six vintage or vintage quality felt hats so surely their are more to be had.

This hat Ibhave now looks exactly like one image I found in a new-product ad for the same $120 or so on sale. Is this cheap??

Click to expand...

viclip said:

Are you referring to a Canadian Biltmore Senator being sold as New Old Stock, or is it a newly manufactured hat turned out in Texas by the Dorfman-Pacific group? From a brief review of the latter's current Fall/Winter catalog it doesn't look like they've continued with the Senator name as such however, I seem to recall that the hats produced following the takeover of Biltmore Canada, were often clones but with their names changed.

Click to expand...