Searching for custom Bowler

[blitz1027]

Hey all I'm in the market for a new bowler and I need some help finding one. I was going to order a Beaver Brand from the fedora store but since the site sold they no longer offer custom ribbon colors. Anybody know where I can get a custom derby?

What I'm wanting is a black Bowler with about a 1 3/4" pencil curl brim and about a 19 ligne purple ribbon.

Thanks

 

[jlee562]

Optimo offers a bowler. Knudsen has many varities, and I'd bet Bob at Black Sheep Hatworks could get the job done as well.

 

[jbucklin]

Also, the girls at Hatworks by Paul. They have a pic of a brown one on their site that looks awesome.

 

[jbucklin]

Here it is:

 

[blitz1027]

Thanks for the leads. I've been considering using black sheep for my bowler but I wanted to get a few other ideas as well. Also that bowler from Pauls hat works looks awesome

 

[jlee562]

I go to Paul's when I need work done on my hats. I don't own one of theirs, but have handled them and they are excellent.

 

[blitz1027]

My main problem is I'm a poor boy with expensive taste. So I have to take everything into consideration when looking for a hat.

 

[jbucklin]

The Pauls don't come cheap, that's for sure.

 

[blitz1027]

The Pauls don't come cheap, that's for sure.

Yeah I noticed. Price is one of the reasons I've been looking at Black sheep. He seems to have some of the best prices.

 

[RBH]

Major Moore makes a pretty cool looking derby.

 

[bowlerman]

That is definitely a cool looking derby, and is on my eventual wish list! Here's a [kind of poor quality] shot of my three custom bowlers. They are all very different, and I like each of them.

On the left is a Knudsen custom Bat Masterson, in stiff dark chocolate brown wool felt. It's a beauty, and very full crowned with an expert western brim curl. I waited about six months for it, and wear it often. Had I known better, I would have gotten it in fur.

In the middle is my dark moss bowler in very stiff fur felt from Baron Hats. Another winner, and I really like the block they used. Pros are the color and the pseudo- D'Orsay curl attempted by hand. Nice wide Petersham ribbon. Cons are that they're usually in a hurry on the phone and can miss information. The first hat they sent me was a bright kelly green-- nothing like what I asked for.

The one on the right is by Clearwater Hats, with a beaded band that my wife bought separately for me. Nice quality fur felt, and their prices are very reasonable. Sweatband is wide, thin, and unreeded. I like it but it took some getting used to. Even though some traditional bowler elements are lacking, it actually has proportions that I really like on my head. I had to stretch it a bit, which is why you see some taper in the front and back, but that's mostly gone now.

If you like straw, I got a nice one from Texas Hatters... entry level brisa weave, but really neat hat.

And I have a great fur felt Civil War era reproduction bowler in pecan, made by Tim Bender. Reasonable priced, very well made, but definitely not urban, if that's what you're looking for. Tim is a great guy, but cringes a little if you ask him to reproduce a hat that doesn't meet the historical specs. Some call this a beehive, but his beehive hats have an even more pronounced cone dome.

If you're looking into getting a modern custom hat with the D'Orsay curl, don't. But if you prefer the more western pencil roll (which I do, frankly) these are some options you might try.

Good luck!