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A couple of hours ago, when the postman knocked on the door, this hat
was a Homburg. It had an open crown and a wrinkled ribbon and, of course, a Homburg brim. I dropped it on my head (it fit!) and said, "Nah, the Homburg look just ain't right for me." So I brushed the hat thoroughly and then cleaned the kitchen sink, filled it with cold water and soaked the brim. A clean towel went on the ironing board, the iron was set on high, and another clean towel went between the (flattened) brim and the iron. I worked the iron around the brim, top and bottom, and came out with something akin to a fedora-flanged brim. Unlike a couple of other Homburgs taking up space around here, this one's edge binding covers the same territory top and bottom, which emboldened me to give the brim reshaping a try. And I figured that if I didn't like the results, I could always send it off to a pro. I straightened the ribbon wrinkle by spraying it with water and running the flat side of a knife over it a few times.
The picture doesn't do the color justice. In actuality it's a deep, deep blue, both the body and the ribbon. Indoors, under artificial light, it looks almost black.
It's a Stetson Special
which set me back 20 bucks plus postage. That's considerably more than it cost new.
Any ideas as to its vintage? I'm quessing that the Special was a downmarket offering. I mean, five bucks new? That's inexpensive even by late '30s/early '40s standards, isn't it?
Still, it's a nice hat. The felt has a nice feel and the crown hasn't tapered.
was a Homburg. It had an open crown and a wrinkled ribbon and, of course, a Homburg brim. I dropped it on my head (it fit!) and said, "Nah, the Homburg look just ain't right for me." So I brushed the hat thoroughly and then cleaned the kitchen sink, filled it with cold water and soaked the brim. A clean towel went on the ironing board, the iron was set on high, and another clean towel went between the (flattened) brim and the iron. I worked the iron around the brim, top and bottom, and came out with something akin to a fedora-flanged brim. Unlike a couple of other Homburgs taking up space around here, this one's edge binding covers the same territory top and bottom, which emboldened me to give the brim reshaping a try. And I figured that if I didn't like the results, I could always send it off to a pro. I straightened the ribbon wrinkle by spraying it with water and running the flat side of a knife over it a few times.
The picture doesn't do the color justice. In actuality it's a deep, deep blue, both the body and the ribbon. Indoors, under artificial light, it looks almost black.
It's a Stetson Special
which set me back 20 bucks plus postage. That's considerably more than it cost new.
Any ideas as to its vintage? I'm quessing that the Special was a downmarket offering. I mean, five bucks new? That's inexpensive even by late '30s/early '40s standards, isn't it?
Still, it's a nice hat. The felt has a nice feel and the crown hasn't tapered.
