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Had a great style and hat day in New York City

Wildblue

One of the Regulars
Messages
214
Location
Alaska
I'm on a business trip to New Jersey, and took a day prior to go into New York City, for shopping and sight seeing. It's been probably 15 years since I last visited NYC. Living in Alaska, I also have limited access at home to fine stores of ANY kind, so it's trips like these that I take the opportunity to see the "good stuff" of the commercial world. This time, I especially was looking for good men's semi-formal hats.



BIG thanks to all those here that gave me some good NYC shopping tips!



I had a GREAT day. I thought I overslept, but ran down to check out at the hotel and discovered that I was a couple hours early on the time change, so I started at a good time. :) Caught a train across the river into NYC, started by walking Broadway, stopping in at the NYC Hard Rock cafe downtown, Times square, Ed Sullivan theater, etc. I'm a huge Hard Rock Cafe fan, so it was nice to go back to that cafe location again.



Then I went to a couple hat stores, starting with Worth & Worth, then the Hat Corner, which is a little hole-in-the-wall shop, REALLY nice owner. Got a couple hats on GREAT sales. (one for $10!) The 2nd shop was by the World Trade Center site, so I stopped there. I have to admit--this REALLY got to me, since this is the first time I've been back to NYC since the 2001 terrorist attack.


Was hungry, so I went to the new Hard Rock Cafe in the new Yankee Stadium. I think this is the 152nd Hard Rock Cafe location I've been to in the world, and the last Hard Rock I hadn't visited yet in all of the US/Canada. In the picture, this is the first hat that I bought for the day, wearing it through the rest of the day around NYC. I got a couple looks, wearing the hat, and several comments. (all complimentary) I don't think New Yorkers are shocked about much that they see--there's some crazy stuff on the street. People just don't seem to wear nice hats anymore, that's all.


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After lunch, I walked down 5th Avenue, stopping at a bunch of stores to window shop, like FAO Schwartz, the NYC Apple Store, which was awesome, the actual Saks 5th Avenue, which was nice, and others Then I went down to JJ's Hat Store, and found another great hat I bought.



After that, it was Brooks Brothers, going to their flagship BB store on Madison Ave and 44th Street. I have their AAAC corporate discount card, and they were having a storewide 25% off sale for that, so I picked up some ties and pocket squares. I gotta say--thank goodness I don't shop stores in NYC for my everyday stuff--I saw some crazy prices throughout the day, like $600 shoes, a $5,000 suit, etc. For a guy that doesn't get an opportunity to go to nice stores very often, though, it was fun to go to some nice shops, dressed nicely, and get some royal treatment. Got a complimentary shoe shine while I was looking at the $600 BB shoes. :)

Had some great NY pizza, took the train out of NYC, and then drove down to NJ. Was EXHAUSTED. Took some pics before going to bed of my new stuff, though. First is one of the new hats with my trench coat.


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Then my 3 new hats in the mirror. The first two are actually the same hat model, with one a medium grey, the other one charcoal grey. (one was on a great sale) The third one is the $10 hat out of the clearance bin at the Hat Corner, that will be a "beater hat" for cheap events like hiking or something. The last pic is one of the new Brooks Brothers ties and new polka-dotted silk BB pocket square, trying on as an example.



(then today, to top off the good times, I went to my favorite pizza/sandwich shop by my training location here in Jersey, and got a big old Philly cheesesteak. YUMMY!)


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dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Nice pics! Since I live in the Bronx, I had the opportunity to peruse the new mega facility last October, when I was on jury duty. I circumnavigated the edifice, and had lunch at the same Hard Rock Cafe.
Damn shame you didn't give us a yell yesterday. Doran (in town from Berkeley), Senator Jack and I had a hellaciously great time at Sofia's, near Times Square, listening to Vince Giordano and his Nightkawks. Let's hope it's not another 15 years before you get back to the Big Apple.
 

Slim Portly

One Too Many
Messages
1,283
Location
Las Vegas
I'm buying a pocket square like yours with the white dots the first chance I get. Also, great color combinations with the jackets and trousers.
 

Wildblue

One of the Regulars
Messages
214
Location
Alaska
Slim Portly said:
I'm buying a pocket square like yours with the white dots the first chance I get. Also, great color combinations with the jackets and trousers.

Thanks! There's actually two different pocket squares in those pictures. Except for the last one, all of them are with a silk Nordstrom's PS that I wore all day, with very small white dots printed. The last picture is the only one where I was wearing the new PS I bought at Brooks Brothers, silk with the white polka-dots. They're actually very similar, the polka dots on the new one are just much more obvious.
 

carldelo

One Too Many
Messages
1,568
Location
Astoria, NYC
Sounds like a good day in the big apple - FWIW I get shell-shock from $600 shoes and $5000 suits too. Then I go to Syms or Century 21 and get a decent suit for a discount.

So what is the make and model of your first two hats? The 2nd one looks quite nice to me, a lot like a Stetson Hampton I just bought online. I believe I went to the Hat Corner a number of years ago, but they had nothing big enough for me - not too surprising, I suppose. They looked like they were on the verge of closing, so it's nice to hear they're still in business.
 

Wildblue

One of the Regulars
Messages
214
Location
Alaska
carldelo said:
Sounds like a good day in the big apple - FWIW I get shell-shock from $600 shoes and $5000 suits too. Then I go to Syms or Century 21 and get a decent suit for a discount.

So what is the make and model of your first two hats? The 2nd one looks quite nice to me, a lot like a Stetson Hampton I just bought online. I believe I went to the Hat Corner a number of years ago, but they had nothing big enough for me - not too surprising, I suppose. They looked like they were on the verge of closing, so it's nice to hear they're still in business.
Great! If I get a chance to go back to NYC on this trip, I'll swing by Syms or Century 21. Actually, the first two hats are the exact same model, just one in medium grey and the second in charcoal grey. They're Selentino Sterlings, fur felt. I'll see if I can take some pictures of the crown labels and post them.

bendingoak said:
Did you say they put a hard rock cafe in the New Yankees stadium? Please tell me that was a typo.
No, no typo. When NY built the new Yankee stadium, HRC put a Hard Rock Cafe in the stadium building. It's on the ground floor next to gate 6. This is a second cafe in the city, in addition to the original cafe which has moved to Times Square. See details on www.hardrock.com

Aureliano said:
Hey Wildblue, what do they sell at the hat corner store. I've never been there.
Well, they sell... hats. (sorry, you know I had to say it) :) They have a good variety of hat styles, from the crowned to the flat caps. (nothing like baseball caps) The inventory supply is limited, so you might not find something in your size in a particular style, but it's a fun little "mom and pop shop" to go through. Peter has a couple boxes of clearance hats for UNBELIEVEABLE prices, too. That's how I got that third $10 hat.

To be fair, all three shops I visited in NYC were much lower on selection than I had hoped. Even the one that came closest, JJ's, said that this time of year their inventory is low of hat sizes NOT right in the middle range (I wear a 7 3/4 or so) and I should come back in the fall to check. Unfortunately, that's something I can't do. I couldn't find a good Akubra at any of the stores.
 

carldelo

One Too Many
Messages
1,568
Location
Astoria, NYC
I also wear 7-3/4, so have similar troubles. Every time I've been in JJ, the only hats he has in my size are the most expensive Borsalinos, which I don't crave. So no joy there for me. For W&W, you would have to order the size and style you want, so being there in person doesn't help much, except to see that they're nice hats that are worth the price. It's only a few more dollars from W&W to a VS, however. The fact you found 2 hats in your size where you did is kind of remarkable. I've never seen an Akubra on sale in NYC.

You weren't able to get there, but Bencraft is really the best bet, but even they have a limited selection of lids in that size - mostly Stetsons that come big (Chatham, Ashland, Temple, etc.), multiple Borsalino models (for a lot less than JJ) and whatever they can dig up in the back - they've never found anything in the back for me, though.

Other than those, the only place I've seen quality hats in my size was at Bergdorff's (incredibly, god-awful expensive) and various small men's boutiques on the upper east side (not quite as expensive, but close), but that's hit-or-miss. I think you did quite well. Now you've got a few lids, you'll have an easier time ordering online now that you have an idea what looks good.
 

Wildblue

One of the Regulars
Messages
214
Location
Alaska
Aureliano, I was just kiddin ya--

In regards specifically to the Hard Rock Cafe, FWIW, the Yankee Stadium HRC is the second one to go in a baseball stadium. The Toronto Skydome had a HRC, but when I was there about 9 months ago, they said they were closing down. So Yankee Stadium should be the only one, now.

(it's not a bad thing that there's a HRC in there)
 

CRH

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,094
Location
West Branch, IA
cptjeff said:
Hey, we've won a world series in our new stadium...

If they're not sniveling they're bragging. Damn %$#@^^&!

And just so's you don't punch me in the head.

...the lid in my avatar is from Amsterdam, NY.

You guys need a hot dog? Beers?

UP HERE BUDDY!
 

besdor

Vendor/Sponsor
Messages
1,726
Location
up north
Next time you are in town, please visit our store in Brooklyn. Besides having a great selection , we are one block from Peter Lugers Steakhouse.
So come to Brooklyn to get a great hat and a good meal!


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com
 

150719541

One Too Many
Messages
1,288
Location
San Luis Potosi, SLP. Mexico
New York, New York

besdor said:
Next time you are in town, please visit our store in Brooklyn. Besides having a great selection , we are one block from Peter Lugers Steakhouse.
So come to Brooklyn to get a great hat and a good meal!


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com
I think so... I hope visit New York soon ahhh¡¡¡ also Bencrafthats
Enrique:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
 

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