Need help with custom hat

[Lt. Bob]

Hey guys,

I've been quite content lurking around but after bouncing between the multiple custom threads my head is spinning and I need some advice.
I'm coming up on my 30th birthday and I have decided to treat myself to a nice custom hat. I've looked through tons of threads but now I need some personalized advice. I'll list off what I'm thinking so far and see if you guys have any input or things that I've missed. I've also attached a couple pictures of my current go-to hat, a "Moonstone" Akubra Stylemaster for reference.

My current Stylemaster:

Thoughts for new custom:

• Weight: Lightweight for year round wear. I'm a cheap ba***rd so for an investment of this magnitude I'd like a hat that I can wear all the time.

• Color: I've been impressed with my Stylemasters ability to go with pretty much anything I wear (I'm a business casual desk jockey) and I'd like to continue that trend. I'm leaning towards a real light grey color, something like Art's "Blue Smoke" or "Silverbelly" maybe, with a dark contrasting ribbon, but I've also been very impressed with the dark greens lately.

• Brim: My Stylemaster's brim curls quite a bit more than I would like (My oblong head bending the hat more LO didn't help) and I think the brim seems a little wide for my face; I'm thinking a flatter brim with a front swoop and a slight rear curl with a width somewhere in the 2 1/4" range.

So what kind of tips can you guys give me? Does one of the custom guys make a significantly better lightweight hat than the rest? Is my crease wrong for my face shape? Is a lighter color too much for my pale skin? Is the brim on my Stylemaster really too much for my face, or not enough? My mind is racing with possibilities.

Anyway, thanks for the help and I look forward to your feedback!

 

[DJH]

Lt. Bob, if you want to go with a lightweight felt you'll find that not too many of the custom hat makers offer this.

I believe lightweight bodies were made for a while by Winchester Hats (the company that makes the hat bodies for most of the custom guys) but it is no longer in production. Mr. Fawcett has some left (I just received a Silvermist lightweight from him and he also had Silverbelly and a few others in stock) and possibly Major Moore at Buckeroo Hatters. I don't know for sure, but I suspect Optimo in Chicago has some lightweight options too - albeit this would be at a higher price.

If I were you, I'd get in touch with Art or with Mike Moore and discuss your needs with them.

I like my ArtLite hat so much, I decided to jump right back in line for another - the nice discount Art is offering at the moment to us Lounge dudes helps too!

Oh, here's the hat if you want to take a peek...

Since I intend this to be worn as the weather gets warmer, Art put the little vents in the sides for me, a very nice touch.

 

[jlee562]

Not sure what you are referring to with regards to the brim, but generally the curl is all in the flange.

Optimo does indeed have a selection of lightweight felts: http://optimohats.com/#/swatches/, but as David says, it's going to be a bit pricier than Art.

 

[bowlerman]

Parker also offers a lightweight felt now: http://www.falconparkhattery.com/Announcements.html

By the way I think you're describing the specs of my hat from him. I'm also a long oval, and can't say enough good things about the fit and finish of my FPH hat. As you speculated on your own ideas: mine also has a 2 1/4" brim that is mostly flat with a little front dip and very slight cup in back. It also happens to have a tallish and straight-sided crown. A real stunner, to me anyway.

I think you look fine in that Stylemaster, but I also think you're on the right track with custom specs. Good luck!

 

[gtdean48]

Welcome to the Lounge.

I have 3 ArtLites. Love them all. GREAT weight for almost year-round wear in Georgia, USA.
Not sure if he has any but the Dove Gray would be a color to consider.

 

[Duper]

Welcome to the lounge! The Stylemaster brim size looks fine on you. The ArtLite idea is a good one. There has got to be a good reason that everyone raves about Art's work.

 

[Lt. Bob]

Thanks for the welcome words!

I'm a little disheartened to hear that Art is running low of the ArtLite felt; it's the end of an era.

Do you think a straigher crown would help make the brim look shorter? As I said earlier, I'm not thrilled with the look of the brim on my Stylemaster, but I'm wondering if the crown taper is making it look bigger. The brim only looks too large when I look at it straight on, which surprisingly is the angle I see it at most . I don't want to make the brim too small on a custom and regret it later.

 

[job]

I don't think you can have too much crown or brim but you can have too small of a crown or too stingy of a brim.