Hat Pins or Not??

T Jones said:

Not a hat pin but an interesting placement of a windcord button, on the bow itself. An idea I got from an old picture that a Lounger posted on another thread. The hat is a Stetson / Akubra Frankenhat.

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Edward said:

Sounds intriguing, any more information? I remember Akubra did make some Stetsons under licence for the Australian market some years ago - as I recall, they made the Stratoliner, which, once that arrangement came to an end, became the Campdraft under their own brand.

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T Jones said:

Actually, it's a combination of an Akubra hat body and the materials from a Stetson wool Whippet that I put together for my Frankenhat. The ribbon and bow work, the sweat, the liner, and the brim binding came off of the Stetson. The Akubra was missing the hat band and liner and the sweat just wasn't worth saving. I reblocked it to my size, patched a hole, and put the Stetson materials on it and made a wearable hat. You're right about Stetson once licensing Akubra to do some hats for them, but I was thinking that it was the Open Road. Maybe Akubra did both the OR and the Strat(?) Possibly a good question for Brad Bowers.

This was the donor hat. A modern Stetson wool Whippet....

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Edward said:

You did a lovely job! I love that wide brim binding - I need to get myself a hat with that on it.


Could well have been the OR Akubra did, right enough - the Capdraft does come open crown. I've never handled an OR but (pin deign difference aide), it does look to be basically the same hat as the Stratoliner, save with a cattleman crease rather than a front pinch and fedora style crease?

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T Jones said:

Thank you, Edward! I've always wanted an actual Whippet but my pockets aren't deep enough to afford one. So I have to make my own version of one. Although an actual Whippet is still on my bucket list along with other hats I'd love to have.

I'm thinking it was an OR that Akubra made and continued it under the Campdraft name. The brim on the Campdraft is wider with a more shallow flange, (closer to an OR), than you'd normally see on a Stratoliner. But, change out the brim flange to a deeper snap brim flange and you'd have something closer to resembling a Strat. Plus, I'd change out the hat band to a 3/8.

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Edward said:

Makes sense - now I think about it, the brim shape is a big difference. The Campdraft I steamed the brim into a fedora style downswoop at the front, but it's not a snap brim - which the Stratoliner does have. Seems a Stratoliner might ultimately by intent be an OR for those of us who prefer a Fedora over a Western; I wonder if that was ever figured into the design intent?

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RBH said:

Edward, it was the Open Road that Akubra made for Stetson.
As to the Stratoliner and Open Road comparison, here is a screen shot from a scholarly work on advertising from the 1950s.

and to answer the question adout Stratoliner/Open Road.....

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RBH said:

Edward, it was the Open Road that Akubra made for Stetson.
As to the Stratoliner and Open Road comparison, here is a screen shot from a scholarly work on advertising from the 1950s.

and to answer the question adout Stratoliner/Open Road.....

Click to expand...

RBH said:

Edward, it was the Open Road that Akubra made for Stetson.
As to the Stratoliner and Open Road comparison, here is a screen shot from a scholarly work on advertising from the 1950s.

and to answer the question adout Stratoliner/Open Road.....

Click to expand...

Edward said:

Thanks! This is fascinating! I was aware of the aeroplane connection in the name, but not that Stetson had cross-marketed it in quite such an organised way with TWA.

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T Jones said:

A vintage Stratoliner is another of those hats that's on my bucket list. In fact, I have it at the top of my bucket list.

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T Jones said:

Actually, it's a combination of an Akubra hat body and the materials from a Stetson wool Whippet that I put together for my Frankenhat. The ribbon and bow work, the sweat, the liner, and the brim binding came off of the Stetson. The Akubra was missing the hat band and liner and the sweat just wasn't worth saving. I reblocked it to my size, patched a hole, and put the Stetson materials on it and made a wearable hat. You're right about Stetson once licensing Akubra to do some hats for them, but I was thinking that it was the Open Road. Maybe Akubra did both the OR and the Strat(?) Possibly a good question for Brad Bowers.

This was the donor hat. A modern Stetson wool Whippet....

Click to expand...

Colonel seriously. said:

Thank you Mr.Jones. You just answered an unasked question that I had about my vintage Champ. It has a wind chord button just behind the bow. I did not know what that was. I just assumed it was part of the hatband as it matches the cosgrain ribbon exactly. A quick google search gave several YouTube videos on the subject. This lounge is a fount of knowledge.

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