Ask a question, get an answer

[ILB Frank]

I have a vintage fedora that had a new sweatband installed. It was a little roomy on me so I've put some folded strips of paper towel front and back and it fits much better. Unfortunately, the padding is making the sweatband ripple along the top so that I feel the leather pressing against my temple on either side enough that it is quite noticeable and annoying.

Discounting any presentation or resale issues -- could I just cut out triangular sections along the top of the sweat on either side to relieve the pressure? The sweat is two inches tall, I was thinking about notches on either side about 3/4" tall. Anyone every done this successfully? Advice or considerations?

Thanks!

David

Your hat, your choice. But - maybe try some other options first. Maybe use less padding at the temple area. And/or maybe you can work the sweatband so the ripples move towards the back of the hat.

 

[belfastboy]

I have a vintage fedora that had a new sweatband installed. It was a little roomy on me so I've put some folded strips of paper towel front and back and it fits much better. Unfortunately, the padding is making the sweatband ripple along the top so that I feel the leather pressing against my temple on either side enough that it is quite noticeable and annoying.

Discounting any presentation or resale issues -- could I just cut out triangular sections along the top of the sweat on either side to relieve the pressure? The sweat is two inches tall, I was thinking about notches on either side about 3/4" tall. Anyone every done this successfully? Advice or considerations?

Thanks!

David

Discern as best you can where the pressure originates. If it is caused by the edge of the sweat along the reed then cutting the notches won't do much if anything at all. Usually the reed edge is where the pressure is created not along the top line. It seems that you are a Regular Oval and the hat may be a Long Oval and unless the hat is soft and may eventually form to your head a fix for this is going to be hard to come by.

 

[Mighty44]

Discern as best you can where the pressure originates. If it is caused by the edge of the sweat along the reed then cutting the notches won't do much if anything at all. Usually the reed edge is where the pressure is created not along the top line. It seems that you are a Regular Oval and the hat may be a Long Oval and unless the hat is soft and may eventually form to your head a fix for this is going to be hard to come by.

Thanks Robert. It wasn’t happening before I padded the sweat so I think the top is being angled in by the padding and that is causing it to ripple along the top edge.

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks Robert. It wasn’t happening before I padded the sweat so I think the top is being angled in by the padding and that is causing it to ripple along the top edge.

I would continue to play with it. I use cuttings from felt or on Ebay you can buy some dedicated hat spacer that are uniform in thickness. You might have better success with something uniform in thickness.

 

[dkstott]

I've had success with strips of old tshirt material.. it's uniform in thickness & it's thin enough that you can double and sometimes triple it to adjust hat fit.

 

[Gary in NC]

I have a vintage fedora that had a new sweatband installed. It was a little roomy on me so I've put some folded strips of paper towel front and back and it fits much better. Unfortunately, the padding is making the sweatband ripple along the top so that I feel the leather pressing against my temple on either side enough that it is quite noticeable and annoying.

Discounting any presentation or resale issues -- could I just cut out triangular sections along the top of the sweat on either side to relieve the pressure? The sweat is two inches tall, I was thinking about notches on either side about 3/4" tall. Anyone every done this successfully? Advice or considerations?

Thanks!

Village Hat shop sells terry cloth hat sizers with an adhesive backing that can stick on the leather sweat band. Since it doesn't have to go behind the sweat, there's no rippling. It also gives you some softness in the forehead area to soak up some of the sweat. You can pull it off and replace if it gets too nasty. I've got them in a couple of my hats and swear by them.

 

[Mighty44]

Village Hat shop sells terry cloth hat sizers with an adhesive backing that can stick on the leather sweat band. Since it doesn't have to go behind the sweat, there's no rippling. It also gives you some softness in the forehead area to soak up some of the sweat. You can pull it off and replace if it gets too nasty. I've got them in a couple of my hats and swear by them.

Thanks, Gary—sounds promising.

David

 

[johnnycanuck]

Who makes Steve’s hats? I read Goorin brothers did the matching hat bands for the outfits but who made the hats? Yes I know they are probably wool numbers but Mr. Martin looks sharp as a tack in this series.
Johnny

 

[belfastboy]

View attachment 444985
Who makes Steve’s hats? I read Goorin brothers did the matching hat bands for the outfits but who made the hats? Yes I know they are probably wool numbers but Mr. Martin looks sharp as a tack in this series.
Johnny

Is it just me or does that hat look too small for his head?

 

[dkstott]

Is it just me or does that hat look too small for his head?

It's not just you. I think the stingy brim make it appear small on his head. Something looks out of balance.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Is it just me or does that hat look too small for his head?

I remember first seeing this style in the Biltmore Catalog. Last owner before it got bought out by Hatco. The company was focusing on the urban market, so the catalog said. Lots of short crown, stingy brims in real flash colours. Made for big city people. Very much Steve Martin’s character.
Johnny

 

[StoryPNW]

Village Hat shop sells terry cloth hat sizers with an adhesive backing that can stick on the leather sweat band. Since it doesn't have to go behind the sweat, there's no rippling. It also gives you some softness in the forehead area to soak up some of the sweat. You can pull it off and replace if it gets too nasty. I've got them in a couple of my hats and swear by them.

The only thing I have against these is that I bought a hat that had them on it and it was a pain to clean the adhesive off of the sweatband. Otherwise, I like the idea of not wrinkling up the sweatband by putting spacers inside it.

 

[belfastboy]

I remember first seeing this style in the Biltmore Catalog. Last owner before it got bought out by Hatco. The company was focusing on the urban market, so the catalog said. Lots of short crown, stingy brims in real flash colours. Made for big city people. Very much Steve Martin’s character.
Johnny

Did the hats sit high on the head like Steve's?

 

[Lean'n'mean]

I remember first seeing this style in the Biltmore Catalog. Last owner before it got bought out by Hatco. The company was focusing on the urban market, so the catalog said. Lots of short crown, stingy brims in real flash colours. Made for big city people. Very much Steve Martin’s character.
Johnny

Both the brown & blue hats are very similar to the Stetson Morgan but the Morgan doesn't come in those colors.

 

[nvilletele]

View attachment 444985
Who makes Steve’s hats? I read Goorin brothers did the matching hat bands for the outfits but who made the hats? Yes I know they are probably wool numbers but Mr. Martin looks sharp as a tack in this series.
Johnny

The hat in this pic is a different one that the one that appears in most of the pics I can find on google. Same style, but different color (Blue) and hatband.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I remember first seeing this style in the Biltmore Catalog. Last owner before it got bought out by Hatco. The company was focusing on the urban market, so the catalog said. Lots of short crown, stingy brims in real flash colours. Made for big city people. Very much Steve Martin’s character.
Johnny

Did Hatco buy Biltmore? I thought it was Bollman, but I can’t say why I thought that.

 

[Who?]

I remember first seeing this style in the Biltmore Catalog. Last owner before it got bought out by Hatco. The company was focusing on the urban market, so the catalog said. Lots of short crown, stingy brims in real flash colours. Made for big city people. Very much Steve Martin’s character.
Johnny

Well …. as they say, “To each his own.”

 

[nvilletele]

I remember first seeing this style in the Biltmore Catalog. Last owner before it got bought out by Hatco. The company was focusing on the urban market, so the catalog said. Lots of short crown, stingy brims in real flash colours. Made for big city people. Very much Steve Martin’s character.
Johnny

I looked through all the Fall/Winter Biltmore catalogs that I have, but for F/W mine only go back to 2014 (I have SS back to 2011), but found nothing just like this. A number of similar hats, to be sure. In looking at other pics of the hat (the blue one), it seems to be a diamond crown stingy brim.

Do you by any chance have any earlier Biltmore catalogs? I'd love to see any before 2014 for FW and before 2011 for SS.

I believe the last owner before Hatco that you speak of was Erik Lynes. Here is an excerpt from a history of Biltmore that was posted elsewhere on this site:

Despite these successes, Kloepfer and his successor, Walter Gosk, struggled to keep the company afloat. That struggle finally failed in 2004 when the company was placed in receivership. Rescue was found in the form of an accountant turned hat-seller from Louisville, Kentucky. Eric Lynes had originally approached the Biltmore Company about selling hats in the American market. He had been looking for a company that could produce a style of short-brimmed hat he had seen in pictures of Malcolm X, and which he believed would be popular in the American market. His search brought him to Guelph and the only company that could provide the quality of hat he sought. Lynes and Biltmore reached an agreement on selling hats in the US market, but before the deal could be finalized Biltmore was forced into receivership. Undeterred Lynes attempted to bid on the company, losing out initially, but eventually in May 2005 he became the sole proprietor of Biltmore Hats.​

​

Lynes had benefitted from the market for uniform hats, selling to other police forces and pursuing American contracts. The focus for Biltmore, however, has become a return to the company’s history as a benchmark of fashion in the hat industry. Lynes has focused on selling stylish short-brimmed hats as fashion accessories. More than 70 percent of the company’s business in now with the American market and Lynes has noted that as much as 70 percent of that market is young African-American men.36 As opportunities increase to sell the hats across North America, Biltmore has once again become a vibrant part of the fashion market. As in the past, fashion success needs to be accompanied by financial survival. Lynes has been active in seeking for the new venture and in promoting his belief in the return to fashion of well-made stylish hats.​

I believe Biltmore was sold was around 2010~2011 as in the 2011 SS Biltmore Catalog Lynes mentions a new CEO and owner, Douglas Highsmith, who was the CEO of Dorfman Pacific. Lynes stayed on as President though, for a little while, until around 2015.

 

[nvilletele]

Did Hatco buy Biltmore? I thought it was Bollman, but I can’t say why I thought that.

Dorfman Pacific is the parent company now of Biltmore I believe, and the Biltmore line manufacture was taken over by Milano Hat co., which is another subsidiary of Dorfman Pacific.

Not sure if Dorfman Pacific is owned by Hat-Co. (the hyphen seems to be in its name, as there is another Hatco in an unrelated field). Stetson shows up as a brand for each on their respective websites.

I am pretty certain it was not Bollman.

EDIT: Dorfman Pacific seems now to be going under the name Dorfman Milano.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Village Hat shop sells terry cloth hat sizers with an adhesive backing that can stick on the leather sweat band. Since it doesn't have to go behind the sweat, there's no rippling. It also gives you some softness in the forehead area to soak up some of the sweat. You can pull it off and replace if it gets too nasty. I've got them in a couple of my hats and swear by them.

I bought a yard or so of felt material from Walmart for a couple bucks. Cut strips to fit...hat sizers forever.
B