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Sitting on hat pins and needles .

ScottFree

Suspended
Messages
29
Location
USA
Sitting on pins and needles would best now describe the excitement that I am exuding at this point. I waited for about 2 hours like a dummy that I am waiting for a picture of a hat I have on order to appear on the computer screen. I finally had the good sense to refresh my screen and there it was. Mind you it is currently a cloth covered mound a top a wooden circle. I do hope to accurately describe this.

I hope not to bore all with my excitement but I wish to start from the beginning.

About one month earlier, I began a search for custom hat companies. During this time I have sent out a multitude of emails to various hat companies. I was hoping to make contact with at least 5 or more and sample their products. Unfortunately, I was not greeted with the overwhelming spam I had anticipated from a 1000 hatters where my information had been sold but instead got only a single reply initially.

Subsequently, I was invited to come and join a hat forum. having no knowledge of such I hesitantly procrastinated thinking again, it may be some way of getting personal information from me and I get an ample amount of spam already.

I continued emailing back and forth to the Gladhatter hat company and each time I received a prompt an courteous email reply. I reluctantly finally agreed to join that hat forum. Then reading briefly on here daily, I found there was this wonderful forum as well comprised of the many gentlemen here. I was delighted to then subscribe to it and one or 2 also advertised on the first forum that seems devoted to Indiana Jones trivia and the like.

Back to my hat adventure. I continued emailing and I inquired about other hatters that may be recommended and was supplied a fair listing of them. After exhaustive emailing to various ones, I further inquired with the Gladhatter yet again. Reading on that forum, you tend to get an idea that the gentleman is a cad and a touch brusque to say, However he promptly answered all my emails and flooded me with information's on each bequest I had sent out. I usually do not move so quickly but was simply overwhelmed with the more than copious replies and a hint of southern charm and I decided to place an order for the finest hat he had to offer. he informed me while more expensive hat existed, that he felt more than confident that his 1500X hat would suit all my needs. I issued payment henceforth and then requested a sampling of his product. What I got was a halo like head measuring devise and also a sample of various colors of sweat bands, possible hat liners, a color swatch of potential colors and a fully finished hat with instructions to return it along with the halo and a tracing of my head shape.

Just today I was reading there on the forum and I seen he was about to display some ones finished hat photos and along with some of the early stages of the hat in progress. I ask for photos of my hat and got what I described above. he assures me that this unsightly mess will with skilled hands transform into a finished hat. I decided long ago on a chocolate brown sample from his color swatches and sure enough there it was. Now I remain skeptical of this process as it does not seem possible to get from point A to point A but then the evidence points to a certain success. I finally decided to have my hat styled in the Indiana Jones style based on the hat that BD Jones displayed on here. I ask if this was possible and was informed it was certain on my request . I initially was seeking a far different high crowned hat but am delighted that I can settle this hat that I have admired for so long and actually have it as the first in a long line of hats that I wish to replace.

Please forgive my lengthy dialogue here but I am just over wrought with excitement for now.

I do hope you can all join me in my excitement as it seems the adventure has begun officially now.

Cheers

Scott
 

ScottFree

Suspended
Messages
29
Location
USA
It looks as if I will have to enjoy my new hat experience all alone. I will update any one that may have an interest.

I heard back that my hat is in the process and has been pounded what ever that means. I hope it is not beaten up as some like the Indiana Jones style to be distressed, I read.

Supposedly this is the final stage prior to getting the hat shaped and that will be on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I am very excited still and at least content I choose to go with a new style I do not yet own with this IJ hat.

I have received a reply email from the Montecristi hat works company and am in the process of ordering a hat from there as well. This is an unusually expensive hat and I hope it will be as fine as is advertised. If so I will sure to have myself a new hatter in them.

I will continue to seek out the best hatters I can find and the best hats as well.

Cheers

Scott
 

aliados

One of the Regulars
Couldn't let you spend the entire weekend all alone! I'm new here, too, but have long since gotten over getting excited about finding groups of people who share my somewhat unusual tastes -- the Net has made it really easy for like-minded folks to get together, and, as I said, I have gotten used to the fact that, no matter WHAT you're into, there are others with the same mania . . .

IMany, many moons ago (in the early 19802, if memory serves), I found Jay Lord hatters, a small manufacturer on West 37th SDtreet in NYC. I was looking for a pearl gray fedora (a coplor which no current manufacturers seemed to be making).

The proprietor told me to come back in a week or so, at which time he had gotten in a batch of new felt, and I was able to pick out this misshapen blob of compressed fur for him to fashion into a high-crowned, 2-2/4" brim, wide-banded 1930s style fedora. So I know how you feel!

On the sad side, however, he subsequently explasined to me why NONE of his hats could ever stand up to the rain as could a Borsalino -- supposedly, mercury, once commonly used in the manufacture of felt, and outlawed in the US, was still being used in Europe. This may be true -- but it's been my experience that no new US-made soft fedora holds its shape as well as a Borsalino (while I have some ancient, eBay Stetsons that are practically indestructible)!

Also, BTW, I just got won an eBay panama from PanamaBob -- and I'm looking forward to it. If it's half as good as I expect, I'm going to get a better one for next summer.

Good luck on your hat quest -- and feel free to email me the JPEGs (or post some links) so I can root along with you!

Charlie
 

ScottFree

Suspended
Messages
29
Location
USA
Hi Charlie and thank you. My dad bought us boys a hat there as well. I think the name of the store may have been Lord and Taylor not sure now. He said he had these made by the custom hatter there. I recall seeing a note from it long ago signed Burt. I guess that was his name. I think the note may still be in the storage with the smaller hats. I also found the quality of my hat lacking completely and it exhausted several years ago. I still have the smaller one that was purchased for my brother and it too is pearl grey as was mine. The hat is styled beautifully, however completely lacking in any structure. I recall the first time mine got wet the color leaked all over a new suit and ruined it and the hat returned to a similar lump of felt cloth as it had began. Those hats had a fair amount of talcum or some similar powder in them seemingly for the colorant agent. I still recall the excitement that my father had when he was awaiting the arrival of the 4 custom hats. My grandfather, brother, dad and myself all received one of them in matching colors. I have ruined more than one hat above all imagination from small drizzle.

I will ask for phots of the hat and email them to you. Maybe you can help me to get them on the internet for veiwing.

Cheers

Scott
 

aliados

One of the Regulars
Yep, shortly after that pearl gray fedora (which I gave up to a friend of mine, an attonrey, who BEGGED me for it because he had a client -- who ran a brothel in Chinatown -- who wanted it!), I discovered Borsalinos, and soon learned that they stand up to getting totally drenched without any shrinking, loss of body, color running, etc.
 

K.D. Lightner

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,354
Location
Des Moines, IA
Hi, Scottfree --

I had two fedoras made for me by GH last year and they are both wonderful. One is a 25X and one is 60X and I couldn't ask for finer hats. He sent me photos of the hats before the pouncing process and sent photos after he was finished. I requested the kind of ribbon I wanted, etc.

The blue fedora is a wonderful hat to look at and my ivory creme fedora, Charlie said, was the prettiest hat he ever made. Both hats are soft and beautiful and perfect.

If you are getting a 1500X, then it should be divine. I would love to see photos of it after you get it.

karol
 

ScottFree

Suspended
Messages
29
Location
USA
Charlie, I too have some pretty good Borsalino hats. I have seen some of recent times that were not the same as the older ones. I find the ones my dad had ordered from abroad was far better than ones he purchased locally as well. I am not sure as to why that is.

Hi Karol, thank you for your encouragement. I love a white hat and do not have one anymore. I am going to follow up my order for one of these as well. I once loved to go out and dance in a white linen suit and I had a matching white hat that just complimented it so well. Its not so easy to dance from a chair any more but I have never lost my love of hats due to physical limitations.

Cheers

Scott
 

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