Recent content by C.M. Albrecht

Years ago, before the movie appeared, I read First Blood by David Morrell and really liked it. Now, lo! these many years later I got my hands on a copy of The Protector. I thought this would be great, but I was disappointed. It has its good points and its bad points. The good was a decent story...

I write promotional articles for Palermo, Sicily at https://wearepalermo.com - there I'm Don Tano Bongiorno your unofficial host and guide to "the most conquered city in the world". When I'm not doing that, I write semi-hard-boiled mysteries under my real name, C. M. Albrecht. If you don diving...

I recently decided to get a little more dressy now and anon, and have four dress shirts (two white for funerals and weddings) with French Cuffs. Three have the double holes on the inside arms, and my best guess so far is that this brings the inner part of the cuff higher, accentuating the outer...

I'm not sure this is the right spot for my comments, but...I've bought new hats and old hats. I got a panama and a felt from Stetson, and the panama was a disaster from the start. Stiff with a goopy cloth sweatband, it quickly developed a crack at the top front (and I know better than to grab...

I'm not a cowboy, although I've spent my time with horses in the past. I like them and they like me. And one day at a flea market, I came across an old Stetson Western hat. Nominally black, it was so dusty and dingy I really hesitated at paying $20 for it. But I took it home, carefully washed it...

Fedoras and Trilbys I hope this doesn't offend any he-men out there, but originally, the fedora was a hat worn on the stage by a woman named Fedora, hence the name. I think it looked pretty much like today's fedora, some sort of crease on top with dents in front and a medium brim. On the other...

Great hat!

That snap brim looks almost exactly like the Dobbs Twenty I was lucky enough to get (with very clean original box) for $25.00 in a thrift shop. Near new condition in long oval and fits as if custom made. Yours shows more of a velour surface, but otherwise its a match. Of course I know mine...

I love the stylemaster I recently received. Looks like overall good quality and the service, etc. was very good from Everything Australian. I'd post a photo, but haven't had any luck doing that. I'm better at wearing hats than doing technical stuff. Hey, I can't even use my cell phone. I only...

I received my hat in very short order. I think it has a lot to do with how long the thing sits in customs over which not even God has any control. I had a worse experience. I ordered a panama from Ecuador and in customs they cut the box open to inspect it, and in doing so, slashed the top of...

New Akubra Recently I bought an Akubra Stylemaster hat from Everything Australian. Couldn't be happier. The box was solid, I received my hat very quickly...and best of all, the price was right. It looks good, feels good, and is reminiscent of the hats Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade wore in the...

I have a beautiful beaver fedora labeled Towncraft, but somewhere along the line, I heard Penney got a lot of hats, if not all, from Lee. This is very well made with a true felted edge — even Optimo doesn't offer that. Evidently it's a lost art. I'm not sure, but I'm sure that in the good old...

I have a feeling some misguided girl cut that out she she could wear the hat with her ponytail. It might just work too, but hard on the hat.

Toilet Paper and Guild Edges Heh heh, you asked for it. In my dark novel, „The Little Mornings", we provide the definitive answer to the toilet paper question. #Amazon (Cambridge Books). Obviously, a 1.5" sweatband costs less than a 2-incher. All my old hats have a nice wide sweatband, and I...

Dress to Impress This is a little late for the gathering, which I see was 2009, but I think the suit with a brown hat and brown shoes would look perfect. I used to think one had to wear black hat and shoes with dark blue or black, but I've since learned that some of the best-dressed people in...