Can anybody make me a Whippet?

[Tukwila]

Michael made my last hat a 59.5 cm Long Oval and it fits great.

 

[JC225]

Hey Tuk,
I appreciate the insight and the photos! Those are beautiful pieces and I will certainly give Gannon a call this morning and see what he thinks. I think Brent also mentioned that he possibly has the shortest wait at the moment as well.

I'm on his site right now and he does some beautiful work. I love the "Steel Pure Beaver Fur Felt" that he has in the gallery, that is awesome.

 

[Bill Hughes]

I can not speak directly to Optimo aside from being scarred off do to the prices. On the other hand Mike Miller of Northwest Hats is a fantastic hatter and at a fair price. You can not go wrong with Mike. Check out the Northwest Hats thread to see many more examples.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/northwest-hats-eugene-ore.66155/

I do own a couple of Gannon hats. Both are very nice.

 

[rharlow]

The good news is that you have choice. The Stetson you purchased is a rabbit felt and for not too much more you can have a custom rabbit felt hat made. If you want to jump up in price you can get a beaver felt.

Check with the hatters for their current wait list.
Northwest Hats in Eugene OR.
Phoenix Hats in Knoxville
Michael Gannon in CA
The 3 named above I can speak to the superb quality of their work as I have multiples of their creations. And the first two listed have been great at replicating a hat from the pictures I have provided.

The 3 below are also great custom hatters but the wait list is a killer.
Black Sheep WA, last checked his wait list is 12 months
VS Hats, Medford OR wait list 8 months
Leon Drexler, Toronto Canada 12 months

Hello belfastboy. Have you, or anyone else here, heard any updates from Stephen Temkin at Drexler? I wrote to him in February and he said he will not be taking new orders for some time, due in part to a possible move. He said he put me on his list and will drop a line when he's taking orders again, but I haven't heard anything yet. Just curious if anyone has heard any more recent news from him, apart from receiving new hats from his existing queue

 

[belfastboy]

Hello belfastboy. Have you, or anyone else here, heard any updates from Stephen Temkin at Drexler? I wrote to him in February and he said he will not be taking new orders for some time, due in part to a possible move. He said he put me on his list and will drop a line when he's taking orders again, but I haven't heard anything yet. Just curious if anyone has heard any more recent news from him, apart from receiving new hats from his existing queue

I inquired a while back (5 months?) but the exact time frame escapes me. His queue was over 12 months long
at the time and I decided to not get in the line. I sent him another email with a follow up question in March and did not receive a reply. I opted for BlackSheep and his 12 month long wait. I do love Stephen's work he has a (from what I hear) an obsessive attention to detail and it shows. However, I have taken pics of his designs and asked other hatters to replicate and they have done a masterful job. If you PM me I will pass their names along to you.

 

[rharlow]

I inquired a while back (5 months?) but the exact time frame escapes me. His queue was over 12 months long
at the time and I decided to not get in the line. I sent him another email with a follow up question in March and did not receive a reply. I opted for BlackSheep and his 12 month long wait. I do love Stephen's work he has a (from what I hear) an obsessive attention to detail and it shows. However, I have taken pics of his designs and asked other hatters to replicate and they have done a masterful job. If you PM me I will pass their names along to you.

Thanks, belfastboy. Hopefully Stephen will be back soon, as I very much like his designs and his work is, of course, well regarded. Great to learn about BlackSheep as well. I'll have to take you up on your offer for other recommendations at a later date. I'm in line with Gannon and am pursuing a panama, so my hat budget may be allocated for the time being, with the possibility of a Homburg later this year (was waiting for Stephen for his Budapester). Thanks!

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks, belfastboy. Hopefully Stephen will be back soon, as I very much like his designs and his work is, of course, well regarded. Great to learn about BlackSheep as well. I'll have to take you up on your offer for other recommendations at a later date. I'm in line with Gannon and am pursuing a panama, so my hat budget may be allocated for the time being, with the possibility of a Homburg later this year (was waiting for Stephen for his Budapester). Thanks!

I have Stephen's Lord's and the Cotswolder with the brim pushed out a bit more than spec, Contemplated the Budapester or the Milaner. I have a Milaner clone now on order at Phoenix. I think Stephen's strength is in the finish he puts on his felts they are perhaps equalled but none surpass him.

 

[Rmccamey]

Here is a new custom homburg from Northwest Hats, if you are looking for an example. Lead time was about 4 months.

Gannon fedora with an antique copper ribbon. Lead time was comparable, maybe a couple of weeks shorter. Both were definitely worth the wait!

 

[Just Daniel]

What a great thread! So many great answers from everybody!