New Optimo Page....

[MK]

....at The Golden Era .

http://www.thegoldenera.net/Optimo.html

If you have some good pictures of hats not represented, please post them here. Thanks.

[Nathan Flowers]

Ahh, that's my phantom blue up there!

I'll try to get some pictures of my milan straw tomorrow if the sun will come out.

[MK]

I think Andy needs to take some bigger pictures of his lids. He has some colors that I haven't seen.

[Michael Mallory]

The hats are fabulous, but the syntax could use some help: "Graham and Kevin...IS considered by many to be ONE of the best hatmakers in the world"???

[MK]

I should know better than to put something out before having it edited.....especially where writers can see it.

[Michael Mallory]

Ah, well, it happens to all of us. I just had a thing in the Times wherein I got the EVP of Nickelodeon's name wrong.

[The_Edge]

I think the "vintage measuring device" is called a Conform.

[Andykev]

Conformer, and they are wonderful pieces of craftsmanship. Wow is a good word.
They are used to measure your head, then mark (poke holes) in a card. The card is placed in a "formateur", the companion to the conformer. Then the piece gives the exact shape of you head in blocking the hat. I have one...it took two years to fine one that wasn't a broken, worn, missing parts junk. Mine is in excellent, but not mint condition. I guess it is 100 years old.

[The_Edge]

Wow, that is cool! Does it work well enough that you are able to measure your head and then send the card to a hatter?

[Andykev]

It is fully functional and works. I have a card on file at OPTIMO, but we made it using Graham's comformer. He has more than one....uses them on his customers. This is just one sign of a custom hat shop