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TheOldFashioned

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
The Great Lakes
Some of you may have seen this one posted on Facebook (I spend too much Covid Lock Down time there lately), another Mike Miller creation that I picked up last Thursday. Mike knew that I was coveting the original Winchester black cherry felt dye color, the current one is way too black. He got a hold of some old bodies from Art and set one aside for me. The color is just perfect! It is not as "purple" as some of my images picked up in the sunshine. Ever since I saw Bill Hughes' double tear drop crown, I had to try one, it really picks up the shine of the black cherry. I went with a medium gray ribbon and gills, gills, gills (my favorite). I told him to surprise me on the brim treatment, I was very pleased. This one will get some serious head time this winter.

View attachment 248315 View attachment 248316 View attachment 248317 View attachment 248318 View attachment 248319

Very nice. The summation of all the details really makes this hat pop.
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Some of you may have seen this one posted on Facebook (I spend too much Covid Lock Down time there lately), another Mike Miller creation that I picked up last Thursday. Mike knew that I was coveting the original Winchester black cherry felt dye color, the current one is way too black. He got a hold of some old bodies from Art and set one aside for me. The color is just perfect! It is not as "purple" as some of my images picked up in the sunshine. Ever since I saw Bill Hughes' double tear drop crown, I had to try one, it really picks up the shine of the black cherry. I went with a medium gray ribbon and gills, gills, gills (my favorite). I told him to surprise me on the brim treatment, I was very pleased. This one will get some serious head time this winter.

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Congratulations, Mike! I don’t wear a derby well, but I appreciate them. Nice to have an NRA label and an accurate date too.

The old dye black cherry is a wonderful color; I wish Winchester still offered it. I too like gills, but I like them closely spaced and Mike did yours perfectly! The brim treatment with the binding and the stitching is superb. There was a lot of attention to details in the making of this hat. Now bring on the cool weather!
 

Pellie

One Too Many
Messages
1,401
Location
Enschede, Netherlands
Some of you may have seen this one posted on Facebook (I spend too much Covid Lock Down time there lately), another Mike Miller creation that I picked up last Thursday. Mike knew that I was coveting the original Winchester black cherry felt dye color, the current one is way too black. He got a hold of some old bodies from Art and set one aside for me. The color is just perfect! It is not as "purple" as some of my images picked up in the sunshine. Ever since I saw Bill Hughes' double tear drop crown, I had to try one, it really picks up the shine of the black cherry. I went with a medium gray ribbon and gills, gills, gills (my favorite). I told him to surprise me on the brim treatment, I was very pleased. This one will get some serious head time this winter.

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That's a great one with a really nice color. Enjoy!
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
Butch Dorer Bar 50 pure beaver in natural:

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CC16DB71-A47F-4D3C-BC4E-AF3796217BAD.jpeg
5B4717FC-25E8-4F3E-AED6-BD96F1EC1C5E.jpeg
CD34D627-FDFD-44F0-A816-8CF038735556.jpeg
90439137-2EFA-4F93-8AAF-58F84271B77A.jpeg
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3 1/2” raw edge brim and 4 1/2” crown at the dip. It’s a very modestly proportioned western. The felt is quite firm but nicely finished. It’s true to size, but needed some steam to get it to conform to my long oval band block. This is a hat that will be easy to wear a lot.
 
Messages
10,806
Stylepark Black/Charcoal Heather

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Stylepark Black/Charcoal Heather
Lightweight thin soft felt
5 3/4 Open Crown 4 3/4 as shaped
2 inch spiral stitched brim with tight tiny stitched overwelt edge
1 1/2 grosgrain ribbon

I don’t think I got around to posting this Stylepark here when it arrived a month or so ago. Being that it did not have its sweatband I may have been waiting for when I got around to having it replaced. I’m not sure when I will get to that, so in the mean time here goes as it is. The felt on this hat is very unusual. It is extremely soft and light weight... it is fairly thin but not incredibly so. I originally thought from the photos it would be wool. But it does not feel like most wool hats I’ve handled Or fur felts for that matter. Maybe some combination of wool and fur... I do not know. What I can say it shapes with incredible ease and holds just about any shape within a fraction of an inch and it does this without hardly any feel of stiffener whatsoever. The 2 inch brim is adorned with spiral stitching and a very tight overwelt edge with tiny stitching. It creates an almost cavanagh like appearance. I believe this spiral stitching also ads function of additional support of the very soft felt for the brim.

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The Stylepark tag inside indicates it was manufactured in the Camden, New Jersey Stylepark factory. This factory was sold December of 1941 to a chemical company as reported by NY Times

https://www.nytimes.com/1941/12/10/...emical-firm-camden-concern-gets-property.html

So it appears this hat would have been produced 1941 or earlier. It does seem to have 30s proportions with its tall crown and shorter brim. Eventually I will have the sweatband replaced and return it to full service.

301AB448-8443-4DEB-896B-8048A396CCB9.jpeg
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1BB69A80-4509-43FA-B740-2F99818A10F7.jpeg
BEDFB68E-E0E4-4E8D-AC8B-8CFBA81B1375.jpeg
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74A1C2FF-E9C3-468A-8880-3B7FCBF5D561.jpeg
 
Stylepark Black/Charcoal Heather

View attachment 248920

Stylepark Black/Charcoal Heather
Lightweight thin soft felt
5 3/4 Open Crown 4 3/4 as shaped
2 inch spiral stitched brim with tight tiny stitched overwelt edge
1 1/2 grosgrain ribbon

I don’t think I got around to posting this Stylepark here when it arrived a month or so ago. Being that it did not have its sweatband I may have been waiting for when I got around to having it replaced. I’m not sure when I will get to that, so in the mean time here goes as it is. The felt on this hat is very unusual. It is extremely soft and light weight... it is fairly thin but not incredibly so. I originally thought from the photos it would be wool. But it does not feel like most wool hats I’ve handled Or fur felts for that matter. Maybe some combination of wool and fur... I do not know. What I can say it shapes with incredible ease and holds just about any shape within a fraction of an inch and it does this without hardly any feel of stiffener whatsoever. The 2 inch brim is adorned with spiral stitching and a very tight overwelt edge with tiny stitching. It creates an almost cavanagh like appearance. I believe this spiral stitching also ads function of additional support of the very soft felt for the brim.

View attachment 248926 View attachment 248923 View attachment 248931

The Stylepark tag inside indicates it was manufactured in the Camden, New Jersey Stylepark factory. This factory was sold December of 1941 to a chemical company as reported by NY Times

https://www.nytimes.com/1941/12/10/...emical-firm-camden-concern-gets-property.html

So it appears this hat would have been produced 1941 or earlier. It does seem to have 30s proportions with its tall crown and shorter brim. Eventually I will have the sweatband replaced and return it to full service.

View attachment 248921 View attachment 248922 View attachment 248925 View attachment 248927 View attachment 248928 View attachment 248929
Nice, nice, nice!!
chaplin-toast.gif
 

The Shoe

One Too Many
Messages
1,773
Location
Wakayama, Japan

The Shoe

One Too Many
Messages
1,773
Location
Wakayama, Japan
The vintage Akubra Stylemaster arrived today. To be honest, I didn’t really think I needed another black hat. But the felt is something special and I feel so lucky to have come across this - and at $US37, a real bargain.
My second vintage hat and I now understand what all the fuss is about.
So this is how @steur ends up with 18 black homburgs...must stop now...must stop...must
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Guardian Enzo

One of the Regulars
Messages
245
Location
Kobe, Japan
The vintage Akubra Stylemaster arrived today. To be honest, I didn’t really think I needed another black hat. But the felt is something special and I feel so lucky to have come across this - and at $US37, a real bargain.
My second vintage hat and I now understand what all the fuss is about.
So this is how @steur ends up with 18 black homburgs...must stop now...must stop...must

I confess I don't know much about vintage Akubras - do you have an idea what decade it us? And is the felt on all of them at that impressively high level?
 

The Shoe

One Too Many
Messages
1,773
Location
Wakayama, Japan
I confess I don't know much about vintage Akubras - do you have an idea what decade it us? And is the felt on all of them at that impressively high level?
I can’t really say. It’s my second Akubra and first felt (the other being the hemp I posted the other day).
All I can say is I’m impressed with vintage felt. It’s my second vintage, the first being a Homburg I acquired from @steur. The Homburg is a bit more substantial, but the felt in both just feels so nice. I really like the Christys’ hat I got last year, but the felt has a different feel altogether.
 

Guardian Enzo

One of the Regulars
Messages
245
Location
Kobe, Japan
I have several vintages, and the felt does feel different, no question. Even thought it’s a bit of a beater the felt in my 50s Borsalino is the nicest of the lot - incredibly soft and malleable while still holding a bash perfectly.

I’m just surprised your head doesn’t reject an Aussie hat like an organ transplant gone wrong.;)
 
Messages
10,806
The vintage Akubra Stylemaster arrived today. To be honest, I didn’t really think I needed another black hat. But the felt is something special and I feel so lucky to have come across this - and at $US37, a real bargain.
My second vintage hat and I now understand what all the fuss is about.
So this is how @steur ends up with 18 black homburgs...must stop now...must stop...must
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Wow man... that looks great on you! Congratulations

I know how you feel. Last year at this time I had only one black hat.. a short brimmed Disney. And I did not think I would want or need any more than that.... well that did not go as planned.
 
Messages
17,855
Location
Nederland
OK, I know I've been bad about keeping up, trying to make amends. Put in a low bid on this Gordon 1930s Derby never expecting to win. $32.00 later, this pristine stiff felt was in my collection last week. Not the best weather for derby wearing, but cool mornings coming up, I'll get a head shot posted. The auction images just barely showed the NRA c.1935(?) tag, cool liner tip with an interesting maker and great condition. Nice addition to my derby stable.

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A rare and cool find, Mike. Congrats!

Some of you may have seen this one posted on Facebook (I spend too much Covid Lock Down time there lately), another Mike Miller creation that I picked up last Thursday. Mike knew that I was coveting the original Winchester black cherry felt dye color, the current one is way too black. He got a hold of some old bodies from Art and set one aside for me. The color is just perfect! It is not as "purple" as some of my images picked up in the sunshine. Ever since I saw Bill Hughes' double tear drop crown, I had to try one, it really picks up the shine of the black cherry. I went with a medium gray ribbon and gills, gills, gills (my favorite). I told him to surprise me on the brim treatment, I was very pleased. This one will get some serious head time this winter.

View attachment 248315 View attachment 248316 View attachment 248317 View attachment 248318 View attachment 248319
Super hat. It has all the bells and whistles going on. Superb work by Mike Miller.
 

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