thanks, my friend.
thanks, my friend.
Great photos Alan!
RBH
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
''I won't be wronged.
I won't be insulted.
I won't be laid a-hand on.
I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.''
*John Bernard Books- 1901*
Not Steve Martin at all. I was thinking David Caruso. But whatever, it's the killer hats he buys that are the spectator sport. They raise the bar about what kind of purchases I should be making. Got to keep up with the Friedmans!Originally Posted by Henry Gondorff
The weekend began somewhat inauspiciously as I discovered a split seam on the pair of dress pants I had intended to wear for a concert Saturday evening. Luckily, after a few phone calls Lydia found Maria and her Golden Needle European Tailoring. Maria is a fantastic tailor who typically works her magic on couture dresses, but undertook a perfect emergency repair on my slacks, for which I am grateful.
Terracotta frieze adorning the exterior of Maria's shop on the Near North Side of Chicago.
From the Near North Side to the South Side. A hat lover's Mecca: Optimo Hats.
Peering in the window, I could already feel my pulse quicken.
My Optimo Milan has returned home for a visit, welcomed by its brethren. Graham has started making straw hats for women this season.
Pair of flangers.
A beautiful collection of antique flanges above the bench.
Hat blocks, mostly early 20th century American and French examples.
With the unofficial start of Summer just a few days away, we were anxious to take a look at Graham's gorgeous Milans and Montecristis. I especially wanted to evaluate the Optimo style Montecristi, and really liked this wonderful example, with a 3" brim.
The narrower ribbon complements and showcases the finely woven straw.
Last edited by delectans; 06-01-2011 at 08:14 PM.
AL
A higher grade Optimo with narrower, 2-3/4" brim.
Noticeably lighter than the previous Optimo, I really liked the fit and beautifully colored straw.
An exquisite, very high grade teardrop with navy blue, 1-3/4"ribbon. I felt that the 2-1/2" brim was too narrow for use as a sun hat.
And then there she was, the last hat I looked at of the afternoon. Magnificent in weave, color, and proportions, with a 3-1/8" brim. Woven of the most desirable, long-fiber paja toquilla. Deep front scoop, with lines which Graham says are reminiscent of a '40s Panama. My heart was won!
Montecristis are unique works of art, and our enjoyable afternoon at Optimo Hats reinforced my belief that beyond the statistics of weave count, hat color, texture, fit and appearance are best evaluated in person. The higher grade hats in particular are tissue light, and I believe our individual head shapes play a greater role in determining the overall look of the hat compared with fur felt hats.
My thanks to Tiffani and Kevin for patiently working with us in Graham's absence, and helping me find the Montecristi of my dreams!
Last edited by delectans; 06-01-2011 at 09:41 PM.
AL
Al... great photos,
But I will say in alot of the photos it almost looks as if a next size hat would fit better,
I am going on how the brim looks in the photos.
It might be something to check out.
RBH
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
''I won't be wronged.
I won't be insulted.
I won't be laid a-hand on.
I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.''
*John Bernard Books- 1901*
What an incredible selection of hats. Congratulations on adding such a wonderful hat to your collection, and thanks for posting the great photos.
A keen observation, Rusty! This is precisely what I was referring to regarding fit. The high grade hats are very, very light and are affected greatly by any irregularities or asymmetry of our heads, far more so compared with a fine fur felt hat. The hats are all sized correctly, believe it or not, or even slightly larger than my typical 7-1/2 size, but my slightly irregular head shape causes some of the brims to break awkwardly. This can be adjusted, of course, but I prefer the hat to drape perfectly right out of the block.
Thanks for your kind words.
Last edited by delectans; 06-02-2011 at 05:13 AM.
AL
As a 7 1\2 myself.... I know of what you speak!
this shot seems perfect!
Last edited by RBH; 06-01-2011 at 07:37 PM.
RBH
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
''I won't be wronged.
I won't be insulted.
I won't be laid a-hand on.
I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.''
*John Bernard Books- 1901*
+1 Great photos, Al. And BTW thanks so much for the info you sent me via PM. It's going to be invaluably helpful.
Aureliano-
Domingo, ponte el sombrero y vamos.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
