What Hat Are You Wearing Today ?

Tukwila said:

I consider many of these rare vintage hats to be works of art. I would no more alter one than I would a 1st Generation Colt Single Action Army or a Picasso.

If I want custom work on a revolver, I'll use a ubiquitous Ruger as a base gun. If I want something homey for my living room wall I'll buy something from Thomas Kincaid's line.

The hat I posted today is your basic Royal Stetson, but in a nice taupe color with unique ribbon colors. I over paid for this hat because it was unique. It is also my very first Royal Stetson. The felt is amazing for a late 50s hat that sold for ~ $12.50.

When I asked Bob Jesse to refurb the hat I told him I wanted it to remain as original as possible. Apparently, the liner was replaced previously with a sample that was too small which caused the front crown to buckle when the hat was placed on your head. Bob had a replacement liner but it is not period correct. I am looking for a correct liner to add to this.

Now, I could have had a new liner added, and new, more colorful ribbons for the crown and brim binding. But I want it to remain original, and therefore more period correct. It means something to me.

I also wanted something newer to compliment this style, so I commissioned a hat from Michael Gannon that has the colors and the taller crown and wider brim that I prefer.

Of course, absolutely, the owner of personal property can do whatever they want with their property. But I have to agree that cutting, shrinking and customizing works of art falls under the definition of heresy as you, @hatsRme , @M Hatman and others have indicated.

.

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hatophile said:

Here ya go Max


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Frunobulax said:

Edward Biskup. A very nice thin ribbon with a 5 1/2" OC and 2 5/8" bound brim. Nice, thin, dense felt. I haven't done anything to it beyond a good brushing and modifying the center dent to more of a diamond (or claw foot).

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

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scottyrocks said:

Posting this because I have rarely worn it because it came to me as a snug 7 1/4. I pulled it down on my 7 3/8 block last night to relax it a bit, and now I can wear it without it giving me a headache.

Late '40s/early '50s Cavanagh.

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bowlerman said:

Scottyrocks, that is niiiice.

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Dlaniger said:

Biltmore Rosellini in Black Oak this Tuesday.

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AbbaDatDeHat said:

Reggie:
Been watching a long time and i’m yet to find a shade off hat coat match.
Impeccable both!!
B

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M Hatman said:

Could not have said it better!!!! I would never buy a suit of George Washington's and tear it apart to add fabric so I could wear it around and say "look at me wearing George's suit" for it would no longer be his suit but rather scraps of fabric he once had. The object and the history is TOTALLY destroyed!
And as for any comparison for the wonderful work TJones does, THAT is an entirely spurious way to justify ones actions for destroying truly historic hats. TJones uses common, readily available and dare I say "cheap and unwanted" newer westerns for his artful conversions. He does not destroy history. I deal with historic garments, books, documents, etc. every day, I would no more, clip, edit, rebuild any, but rather try to be the best caretaker I can for future generations to discover and share. In the end if we alter Lincolns hat for our own use or refelt, shrink, reblock on the wrong block, etc a fine vintage Marathon, Stetson, Fletchet, et al. anything about that hat thst we could learn from....is LOST! Again, having a name in a hat DOES NOT make it THAT HAT, or even a poor example......
YOU MAY AS WELL GO CUSTOM!! and sew in what ever name you want. For it will also no more be that hat than the ones altered........but at least you will have a nice hat! SO, lets not buy a historic home to tear down, and use the bricks for a new home......for it will no longer represent the old home than the hat conversions do......
Sorry for the rant.......I am tired of seeing history destroyed.
M

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Tukwila said:

I consider many of these rare vintage hats to be works of art. I would no more alter one than I would a 1st Generation Colt Single Action Army or a Picasso.

If I want custom work on a revolver, I'll use a ubiquitous Ruger as a base gun. If I want something homey for my living room wall I'll buy something from Thomas Kincaid's line.







My uncle retired from the US Forest Service after over forty years of service. For his retirement gift we found a pristine pre-27 Smith and Wesson Registered Magnum (pre-war) and sent it off for customization where it’s barrel was cut down and its factory cylinder and barrel were recahmbered/rebored for .44 Special. The gun was given 3/4 scroll engraving, Fishpaw Walnut stocks, and charcoal case hardening and rust bluing. The revolver also received custom sights and a new profiled trigger and hammer. Some would say we destroyed a classic revolver, I’d say we made it into what we wanted and the owner is much happier with it than he would have been with it in original condition. No denying that a piece of history was permanently altered. As an example of pre-war craftsmanship it was “ruined.” I don’t regret doing it at all, in fact I want a plainer 38/44 converted to .44 special for my own retirement.

I have a couple NMBHs in .44 Special and a GP-100 in .44 Special, but I still have no compunction with altering a classic long-discontinued revolver. We all have different takes on altering classics. Even the rarer hats that we’ve recently seen modified aren’t one-of-a-kind pieces equivalent to a Picasso...more like a limited run print.

The biggest thing that would keep me from altering a fist generation 1873 peacemaker is the price of the base gun. If I found one cheap it would be a basket case and I wouldn’t think twice before having it modified; not restored, but made into exactly what I’d want. Not much to fear about that ever happening.




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deadlyhandsome said:

I agree that the resizing and alterations isn’t what I think should be done. I also find the hunt for hats in my size to be part of the fun. I just object to the lack of perspective: posting opinions on someone else’s property as absolutes. I personally don’t feel I have the moral superiority to tell another what to do.

Isn’t it also all matters of degree? Terry recently resized and reblocked a 1950s era Dobbs fedora, a Melton Fedora, and two 1970s era Borsalino fedoras. They aren’t making more of any of those hats and there is a finite and ever dwindling supply of them all. They weren’t unwanted and undesired hats, they were hats too small for him and not blocked to his liking. He permanently altered the hats to his liking and received universal praise for his creations. I get that a Dobbs Fifty or a Stetson Flagship is rarer, but where is the line drawn? No one is talking about altering historically significant hats. Being rare and expensive doesn’t make them sacrosanct. Even if it was a recent manufactured run-of-the-mill hat with important historical significance I can see the need for preservation, but just like people who are hot rodding classic muscle cars, rare and valuable does not automatically qualify something for preservation.

Again, I too think that the better course is to leave these vintage hats as they were made and have the patience to find examples in your own size (all the more so when your size is a fairly common one). I would not feel good about altering them. They are original only once and I don’t want to be the person who alters them. I also don’t want my hats to be of one or even a few homogenized shapes: I want them to retain the individual characters. I like the #52 block, but I certainly don’t want all of my hats made in that shape.

I think it is appropriate to plead a case. I think it is fine to explain the caretaker concept. I also, however, embrace the individual’s right to use his property as he sees fit without being lectured to. If the opposition was presented as a philosophical and practical position rather than telling the member what he was doing was unequivocally wrong it might have been better received.

I’m of a stubborn disposition, and have a contrary streak, and when someone tries to force their opinions on me I’m more likely to do just the opposite.

Taking a little liberty with a John Wayne quote sums up how I feel:

I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a hand on. I won’t be told what to do with my property. I don’t do these things to other people and I require the same from them.

That’s just how I feel. Just my opinion. I accept that some of my friends will feel differently.

Brent


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DOGMAN said:

Put this modern Stetson Stetsonian on Friday,still wearing it today.Pic is from Friday at the Cleveland I X center Christmas show.

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Dlaniger said:

Good look Dogman! I really like the way you have blocked that Stetsonian.



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Dlaniger said:

Thank you, Bowen. I appreciate your kind words. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I tell her all the time, its all about the hat. Coats/clothes have to compliment the hat, not the other way around.

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DOGMAN said:

Put this modern Stetson Stetsonian on Friday,still wearing it today.Pic is from Friday at the Cleveland I X center Christmas show.

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Dlaniger said:

Thank you, Bowen. I appreciate your kind words. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I tell her all the time, its all about the hat. Coats/clothes have to compliment the hat, not the other way around.

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scottyrocks said:

That's an interesting point, and, for the most part I agree, but I have indeed found myself picking out a hat to match what I'm wearing after I have dressed myself. Quite often. Yes, heresy, I know.

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