my first hat?

6StringShooter · Feb 17, 2007

Well folks, after a bit of research (and of course trying it on) I'm thinking about purchasing my first hat. This might be a rather steep purchase for my first, but hey if you're gonna do it, do it all the way

(that philosophy has gotten me in a little trouble, but not much lol). Anyway, here it is. What do you folks think? Is it a smart buy? Could I get more for my money, or is this what I should expect to pay for a quality fedora?

http://www.villagehatshop.com/borsalino_allesandro_packable.html

Andykev · Feb 17, 2007

Try something less expensive

I would go to Miller hats.com...buy a more modestly priced hat. If you KNOW what style, brim,crown, color, ribbon..etc. YOU WANT..then only $100 bucks more will get you a VS Custom made hat. Look at the posts here. You won't be sorry. Don't make the same mistake I did when I started buying hats. I got a lot of crap, then found the "real" hats. I wish I had the cash I threw away on cheap hats, and put it towards the good stuff. IMHO.

MattJH · Feb 17, 2007

You can read my thoughts on that hat (or an extremely close variation of it) as well as the thoughts of others here.

Depending on the size of your head, for $200.00 you could probably pick up 4-8 vintage hats from eBay / consignment shops / Goodwill / Salvation Army / antique shops / vintage clothiers, too. Ultimately, I'd say it'd be a waste of your money to immediately purchase a modern Borsalino.

And like others have said, at that price, you're just short of a custom-made hat. If you're looking for a packable travel hat specifically, check out the Akubra Casual or the Akubra Traveler. Less money, better durability.

You could also visit a Burlington Coat Factory and pick up fur felts for as low as $12 each. They're not the best quality, but they're great starters.

There are lots of threads on this all over. Search around, and good luck! I'm new here, too, but I've learned an extraordinary amount already.

6StringShooter · Feb 18, 2007

Thank you very much!!! All of you. You folks have saved me from needlessly wasting a lot of money

6StringShooter · Feb 18, 2007

Andykev said:
I got a lot of crap, then found the "real" hats.

What are the "real" hats? Is that in reference to Akubras, custom made hats and such, as opposed to Baileys and other hats of comparable quality?

tonyb · Feb 18, 2007

Andykev speaks for a lot of us, 6stringshooter, when he bemoans all the dough he spent on crummy hats back before he knew any better. As to your question: The prevalent opinion around here is that most modern "factory" hats (you know, the big names) aren't very good. This is not to say they aren't adequate to the average consumer's needs and desires. But the folks here aren't your average consumers.

6StringShooter · Feb 18, 2007

tonyb said:
The prevalent opinion around here is that most modern "factory" hats (you know, the big names) aren't very good.

Right, but does this include the Akubra line as well? Those seem to be heralded around these parts. So if not a modern factory hat (and the vintage ones are nearly unattainable in good condition) where would one go, other than a custom hatter? Is there a good quality, "off the rack" company out there today that would make a good quality hat similar in appearance and dimension to the Borsalino I posted earlier? I mean, I really do love the way it looks on my head...but I don't want to buy something just because I sold myself on it...especially if I could get more bang for my buck. I just don't know where to look! Once again thank you folks so much! You are all being so helpful!

tonyb · Feb 18, 2007

What's your size? Unless you have an unusually large melon, you could get at least two high quality vintage lids (yes, in very good condition, too) for what that new Borsalino costs. Indeed, if you're as cheap as I am, you would come away with half a dozen.
Buy maybe that Borsalino is for you. You like the way it looks on you, you say? Well, then I'm guessing you'd wear it a lot and get your money's worth out of it. Nothing wrong with that.
But what I and some others here are telling you is that it really isn't that great of a hat, and its price is on the high side for hats of that grade. I happen to have a no-name (but Italian made) hat much like that Borsalino. Its felt is actually pretty good, I think, at least for a modern hat. But it's still a cheap hat. It is unlined, has a cloth sweatband and a raw brim edge. As I recall, I paid something like 80 bucks for it a few years ago.
Akubras? Couldn't tell you. I've never owned one, but I like the look of their Federation model.

John in Covina · Feb 18, 2007

As you have read here many Loungers are Akubra fans and a few are not. They tend to be well made and again many will tell you they hold up well in all weather. The draw back is in one area, that they are not stocked in a lot of hat shops which leads to the whole try it on problem. I have 2 I bought thru the internet and they are just a tad tight. (But should break in nicely.) However if I had been able to try on some i may have found a couple that were "Just right" and not anguished as to whether of not to return these and try again. The strange thing was it seemed that more people were complaining they were running "Big" for their size and needed felt strips for sizing. Oh Well, they are coming along nicely.

I kinda sorta wanna say to you, if you are willing to spend $200 right now, wait and add another $100 so you can get something from Art Fawcett from his Vintage Silhouettes line. Don't know if it would be much more but: you can ask him about recreating a hat from the past or a movie maybe, he's done some really superb work. Like the Howard Hughes Hat, that is awesome. He has recreated the Jeff bridges Seabiscuit hat which is "Choice" If you can find pictures Art can really do the job. I believe Art has real neat head measure thing-a-ma-bob that makes sure it will fit like a glove, or actually more like a custom made hat, made just for you. So it is much more a sure thing it will be right.

A delightful torment, this whole choosing business, eh?

Sincerely,

SHARPETOYS · Feb 18, 2007

If you like the "Style" of the Borsalino and $200 is your budget I would check with Jimmy Pierce. I'm sure he could make that hat from better felt, leather and ribbon that comes on that Borsalino. A hat like that is very easy to reproduce by a skilled hatter and you would even have some money coming back. I promise you it will be a better hat... Check his web site or give him a call.

http://www.jimmypiercedesigns.com/index.mv

or

Art Fawcett hats in pure beaver felt are only $305

http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/

WEEGEE · Feb 18, 2007

Above said

Keep it real, keep it right.

playitagainsam · Feb 18, 2007

Must be great to try 'em on. I could probably spend more comfortably if there was a shop local where I live. I say if it looks good on you, and you can afford it, then go for it

Nice looking hat!

ufguy11 · Feb 18, 2007

If you're willing to invest that much in a hat then go for it, but for the same quality and look you can get a hat like that for less. It's all up to you.

Matt Deckard · Feb 18, 2007

The advantage of Akubra is the price and the durability when compared to many other brands. It will hold up to rain better than a modern Borsalino and will shrink less.

As a starter felt Akubra is still what I recomend for those who are just begening to wear fedoras. Vintage is the best all around though Aubra is where to go if you are new to the fold and want something new though don't want to pay for custom.

We have several good hatters such as Art and Graham who can help you with custom when you want to pay a higher price for a better product.

Hondo · Feb 19, 2007

With all these advisors you can't go wrong so I just an order from Akubra for their "The Federation" in Carbon Grey, wil post a follow up once it arrives.

6StringShooter · Feb 19, 2007

Awesome advice folks! thanks so much. I think I'm going to make a trip to southwest Florida sometime in the next couple of weeks. There are three fine hat shops there within 30 minutes of each other. I'm planning to hit all three and try on a ton of hats (keeping in mind that I wrote down the dimensions of the Borsalino). I definitely like the look of that borsalino, but I'll definitely look for something simiar and more affordable...is the borsalino what you would call a medium full crown?

tonyb · Feb 19, 2007

Oh heck, 6, I don't know. But I can tell you it has a center dent with a widely spaced fedora pinch and that its brim is on the wide side and the crown tapers in a bit. It's what I think of as a "modern" style.
Hang around this place long enough and you'll start noticing subtle (and not so subtle) differences that set one hat apart from another. You'll begin to see how even a small fraction of an inch difference in brim width can make a big difference in the hat's overall effect. You'll think that one hat begs for a teardrop bash while another looks right only with a center dent. You'll see a hat in a movie and think that it's pinched too tightly, or loosely, or wonder if it might look better if its ribbon were a quarter of an inch wider, or narrower, and what if that ribbon's color contrasted more (or less) with the body?
And then you'll be in trouble.

6StringShooter · Feb 19, 2007

LOL oh goodness!!!

So I guess i'm going to become a fanatic hat afficionado before too long lol. I guess I better start reading!

tonyb said:
Oh heck, 6, I don't know. But I can tell you it has a center dent with a widely spaced fedora pinch and that its brim is on the wide side and the crown tapers in a bit. It's what I think of as a "modern" style.
Hang around this place long enough and you'll start noticing subtle (and not so subtle) differences that set one hat apart from another. You'll begin to see how even a small fraction of an inch difference in brim width can make a big difference in the hat's overall effect. You'll think that one hat begs for a teardrop bash while another looks right only with a center dent. You'll see a hat in a movie and think that it's pinched too tightly, or loosely, or wonder if it might look better if its ribbon were a quarter of an inch wider, or narrower, and what if that ribbon's color contrasted more (or less) with the body?
And then you'll be in trouble.

tonyb · Feb 19, 2007

Ooh ooh ooh

Did you happen to see those $48 Italian hats Aaron is selling? Check out the "Merchants" at the bottom of the Fedora Lounge home page.
It ain't a bad looking hat. I kinda like that color, and at that price a guy wouldn't worry much about it getting sat upon or having beer spilled on it.
This is pure speculation, but you gotta wonder if the bodies they make those no-name Italian hats out of come from the same factory that produces the big name (and big money) brands. I know that my generic Italian lid is every bit as good as those modern Borsalinos I wish I would have never bought. Sure, they're unlined and have cloth sweatbands, but it ain't like the leather Borsalinos uses these days is any great shakes, and they use glue to hold the liners in place. Sheesh.

6StringShooter · Feb 19, 2007

tonyb said:
Did you happen to see those $48 Italian hats Aaron is selling? Check out the "Merchants" at the bottom of the Fedora Lounge home page.
It ain't a bad looking hat. I kinda like that color, and at that price a guy wouldn't worry much about it getting sat upon or having beer spilled on it.
This is pure speculation, but you gotta wonder if the bodies they make those no-name Italian hats out of come from the same factory that produces the big name (and big money) brands. I know that my generic Italian lid is every bit as good as those modern Borsalinos I wish I would have never bought. Sure, they're unlined and have cloth sweatbands, but it ain't like the leather Borsalinos uses these days is any great shakes, and they use glue to hold the liners in place. Sheesh.

Yes, I did see those, but I'll probably still wait to hit up these stores...thanks for keeping an eye out for me though!!

my first hat?

One of the Regulars

I'll Lock Up

One Too Many

One of the Regulars

One of the Regulars

One of the Regulars

Call Me a Cab

Practically Family

New in Town

One of the Regulars

Man of Action

One Too Many

One of the Regulars

One of the Regulars

One of the Regulars

Similar threads

Log in

Forum statistics