Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Side By Side/ Hat Comparisons

Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
Thanks for sharing these Tom.

For the life of me, I can't understand why they've opted to use a staple gun to attach the ribbon to the hat body... a very noticeable and wrong place to remove skilled hands from the process IMO.

My pleasure Alan.
I'm going to put this new Premiere in an original Stratoliner box & see how the brim reacts....
 
Messages
15,026
Location
Buffalo, NY
The Count of Montecristi

Fino, Fino Fino, Fino Shmino... it takes more than a ruler to define a beautiful panama hat. This comparison is a look at 6 montecristis, from a distance and close-up. They date from the 1920s to the 1950s, with weave crossings per square inch from 350 to 900. The hats are shown in order from the coarsest weave to the finest. Close-up photos are taken using an iPhone and a standing magnifier. They show the weave at the brim - not the finest or most evenly woven part of the hat, but the easiest to flatten. Lastly is a finely woven buntal thrown in for contrast.

Enjoy!

count1.jpg


count1a.jpg


count1c.jpg


count2.jpg


count2a.jpg


count2c.jpg


count3.jpg


count3a.jpg


count3c.jpg
 
Last edited:

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,590
Location
NJ
what a great thread .... I just killed an hour when I was supposed to be doing something far less interesting

thanks gentlemen
 
Last edited:
Messages
15,026
Location
Buffalo, NY
Hi Daniele,

This buntal hat body was purchased at auction still rolled in its bamboo tube. Its age and source are unknown - Asian, I believe, but whether from the Philippines or China... I do not know.

parabuntal1.jpg


The body is very light - just over one ounce. I experimented with blocking the hat,

blocked_buntal1.jpg


but was inspired by a hat that Carouselvic had posted and sent it to Optimo in Chicago for finishing. They did a nice job.

parabuntal9.jpg


parabuntal14.jpg


With sweatband, it weighs less than 2 ounces... the lightest hat I have handled. There are additional photos posted on this thread.

best wishes,
Alan
 

Daniele Tanto

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,138
Location
Verona - Italia
Thanks Alan for your courtesy.
The link you posted has been very useful to better understand the making of buntal.
He is very charming and looks like straw hats I remeber, which are no longer produced or finished in Italy.
I have memories of some in my family, could be buntal or leghorn (more probably), for females than males.
I went to look for them in the house of my father, now uninhabited, but no trace of them.
Those buntal you've shown are really phenomenal and I think, maybe just in my imagination, they were of extraordinary quality.
Too bad not having any more.
 
Messages
15,026
Location
Buffalo, NY
Still much to be learned about the history of these woven beauties from around the world. I do think much of the trade in the past and present was for women's styles. The buntal bodies still appear for sale on eBay, Etsy and other places. We need a Brad or Steve to take up a comprehensive study of these wonderful straws.
 

Daniele Tanto

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,138
Location
Verona - Italia
Still much to be learned about the history of these woven beauties from around the world. I do think much of the trade in the past and present was for women's styles. The buntal bodies still appear for sale on eBay, Etsy and other places. We need a Brad or Steve to take up a comprehensive study of these wonderful straws.

You are right Alan.
I have planned a visit to Lastra a Signa to see the Museo della Paglia http://www.museopaglia.it/sezioni/museo.php/
I'm curious to see where I can find an Italian straw hat and learn more about this old tradition that seems disappear.
 
Messages
15,026
Location
Buffalo, NY
Our former member Zetwal once said that he thought the vintage straw hats that we see here are the tip of the iceberg... rarely showing the highest quality examples of this almost lost craft. I remember seeing here only a few very finely woven old straws - and there were many varieties - Ecuador, Tuscan Leghorn, Baku, Buntal, etc. If the price of fine hats at Optimo are any indication, they were affordable to very few and probably were sold in much smaller numbers than the highest quality fur felt hats (which in pre-war vintages are also rare).

I'll look forward to your report from the museum, Daniele.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
107,455
Messages
3,037,327
Members
52,847
Latest member
Antonio925
Top