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Short Balding Guy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,557
Location
Minnesota, USA
I wekcome some input. I have a beaver /mink blend in Whiskey close to being on the block and am stuck for ideas on ribbon colour. I have a Whiskey in beaver with a copper coloured ribbon (borrowed the idea from Moon) Love the look but dont want to repeat. What other colours have worked for you?

Another option is charcoal of sage green ribbon and edge treatments. Whiskey with charcoal works for me. A plus is that wind cords are available in this hue.

i-jK8pQBd-M.jpg


Best, Eric -
 

tsores

Familiar Face
Messages
87
Location
Chicagoland
Can someone help me find a sun hat? With summer on the way I am looking for a hat for sun protection. Ideally, it will have...
  • A brim all around ideally around 2 1/2 inches that will stay pretty straight and not get wavy.
  • A wind string under the chin since I will be in a convertible.
  • The brim should be flexible enough to bend easily when my head is near the head rest.
  • Weatherproof
  • I am a long oval. I don't expect to get a LO fit but some ovality would be preferred.
I am not looking for a fancy fedora but I am open. I don't care for most "bucket hats" with turned down brims. I tried a Tilley mid-size brim which is a good hat but the almost round crown shape around the head gave me a headache even when I ordered an upsize. If it had fit me I would not need to go any farther.

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide.
 
Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
...I tried a Tilley mid-size brim which is a good hat but the almost round crown shape around the head gave me a headache even when I ordered an upsize. If it had fit me I would not need to go any farther. Thanks for any suggestions you can provide.

Which Tilley did you try? The nylon LTM hats should have some ability to conform toward your long oval in a hat stretcher when damp. This hat seems to fit most of what you are looking for.
 

Just A Hat Rack

Practically Family
Messages
619
Location
Buckeye Nation
Can someone help me find a sun hat? With summer on the way I am looking for a hat for sun protection. Ideally, it will have...
  • A brim all around ideally around 2 1/2 inches that will stay pretty straight and not get wavy.
  • A wind string under the chin since I will be in a convertible.
  • The brim should be flexible enough to bend easily when my head is near the head rest.
  • Weatherproof
  • I am a long oval. I don't expect to get a LO fit but some ovality would be preferred.
I am not looking for a fancy fedora but I am open. I don't care for most "bucket hats" with turned down brims. I tried a Tilley mid-size brim which is a good hat but the almost round crown shape around the head gave me a headache even when I ordered an upsize. If it had fit me I would not need to go any farther.

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide.
Have you ever looked into Sunbody hats? They are a good and fairly inexpensive option. They offer many styles and brim widths. They will also take the rain with no ill effects. It is actually recommended by the manufacturer to soak the hat on occasion to help prevent the hat from drying out and becoming brittle. They have an online store, and there is also a dedicated threat here called the Sunbody Association.
 

tsores

Familiar Face
Messages
87
Location
Chicagoland
Which Tilley did you try? The nylon LTM hats should have some ability to conform toward your long oval in a hat stretcher when damp. This hat seems to fit most of what you are looking for.
I tried the Airflo medium brim.

A nylon/synthetic hat will conform with a hat stretcher? That seems counterintuitive to me. Have you tried it?
 

drmaxtejeda

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,329
Location
Mexico City
I wekcome some input. I have a beaver /mink blend in Whiskey close to being on the block and am stuck for ideas on ribbon colour. I have a Whiskey in beaver with a copper coloured ribbon (borrowed the idea from Moon) Love the look but dont want to repeat. What other colours have worked for you?
Golden. That looks really nice.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
 
Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
I tried the Airflo medium brim.

A nylon/synthetic hat will conform with a hat stretcher? That seems counterintuitive to me. Have you tried it?

I really haven't tried it as their standard sizing fits me well. But I do wash my Tilley several times a year and dry it on my Garvé stretcher. Nylon stretches when wet though the stitched welts and bands will likely work to retain the size. But perhaps worth a try if you still have the larger size that doesn't fit right.
 

Rmccamey

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,614
Location
Central Texas
Anyone know of a place to get a custom Balmoral or Glengarry bonnet? I'd like to get something that looks good and lasts, not one of the $20 throwaways that show up all over the interweb.
 

JessieJames

One of the Regulars
Messages
280
Location
Canada
I read that the stetson open roads vintage were better because you could reshape it a little. I went to try one on in store and was impressed with the 6x but the middle crease is a little too pronounced for me I'd like to steam it and reshape it a little which on the modern ones is apparently too difficult.

I found one second hand in my size that says vintage pre 2000. Is that old enough? what era should I be looking for? And is there a giveaway to how old it is like the ribbon color or something otherwise I just need to trust they're telling the truth and/or didn't make a mistake.
 
Messages
19,096
Location
Funkytown, USA
I read that the stetson open roads vintage were better because you could reshape it a little. I went to try one on in store and was impressed with the 6x but the middle crease is a little too pronounced for me I'd like to steam it and reshape it a little which on the modern ones is apparently too difficult.

I found one second hand in my size that says vintage pre 2000. Is that old enough? what era should I be looking for? And is there a giveaway to how old it is like the ribbon color or something otherwise I just need to trust they're telling the truth and/or didn't make a mistake.
There are several threads on the Lounge that will help you date a Stetson hat, by tags, liner, etc. To get the qualities you are hearing people talk about, you need to find something at least pre-1960.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
 
Messages
11,130
Location
Alabama
I found one second hand in my size that says vintage pre 2000. Is that old enough? what era should I be looking for?

What you're looking for is an open crown open road. My two are late 40's and early to mid 50's so, I would be looking for something in that range. There are a number of ways to date the hats such as liner type, size tag and a number of variables too numerous to name here. There are several threads dedicated to dating Stetson's and I would spend some time reading through those. The most effective way to search for them is using google with "Fedora Lounge" the key words at the end of the query. To try and open the crown on a newer one would be an exercise in futility. It could be accomplished but not worth the effort.
 

JessieJames

One of the Regulars
Messages
280
Location
Canada
There are several threads on the Lounge that will help you date a Stetson hat, by tags, liner, etc. To get the qualities you are hearing people talk about, you need to find something at least pre-1960.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
I'm having a hard time navigating the website tbh, I tried using the search but it doesn't give me quite what I'm looking for
 

jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,047
Location
San Francisco, CA
Thanks!
Do you know when around they starting getting stiff though? So I know which years to look for?

it's not so much the stiffness as it is that they stopped making them open crown hats and pressing in the cattleman crease. That shape is set into the felt with steam and pressure, which makes it hard to undo.

Basically, look for the oldest hat you can find. The most common in the vintage market will probably be from the 60's. You don't really want anything later than that.
 
Messages
19,096
Location
Funkytown, USA

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