svelte.boulevardier
New in Town
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- 23
Hi everyone!
I wanted to share with you my summer hat experience, a little story.
This summer, I spent a few weeks in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Just a few days before my flight, I realized my old Borsalino Panama could use a new grosgrain band. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone in Paris to replace it before my departure, so I started searching for a Slovenian hatmaker — and that’s how I discovered Rudolf Pajk, a hatter from Ljubljana whose family has been in the trade since 1927. His brother also runs a workshop in the city, though I haven’t had the chance to visit it yet.
Back to the story: Rudolf did an excellent job on my Panama hat, and for less than half the price of the same service in Paris. While I was at his workshop, we got to talking about hats, and he even gave me a little tour around his workshop. After returning to my rental, I realized I had finally found the right place to bring to life a hat I’d been imagining for a while.
So I wrote back to Rudolf, shared my idea, and the very next day I was back in his workshop, finalizing the details. I wanted a Homburg, but with a proper brim, not flat, rather curved. Rudolf loved the idea and started working on the hat the very day. I was really excited about the project, and I couldn’t help but smile when, some days afterwords while enjoying a macchiato at one of Ljubljana’s cafés, I received an email from Rudolf with photos of the hat making process. Short information that the hat was ready.
I’ve attached photos of the hat and its making. You’ll notice it has a pinched crown — not typical for a Homburg (more reminiscent of 1900s American fedoras, or Lord's hat minus the bounded brim) — but I think it suits my head shape better, and also fits my age and the more casual way I plan to wear it.
The whole experience was incredible: meeting Rudolf and his wife, learning about the craft, and seeing tradition come alive through skilled hands. I’ll definitely be returning to his workshop. If you ever find yourself in Ljubljana, I highly recommend stopping by.
The hat cost me just €160 — I find that a steal, considering the quality and the entire experience, and taking into account the prices of my modern Borsalino's fedoras which I find inferior at the quality level.
What do you think? Does it suit me well?
I wanted to share with you my summer hat experience, a little story.
This summer, I spent a few weeks in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Just a few days before my flight, I realized my old Borsalino Panama could use a new grosgrain band. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone in Paris to replace it before my departure, so I started searching for a Slovenian hatmaker — and that’s how I discovered Rudolf Pajk, a hatter from Ljubljana whose family has been in the trade since 1927. His brother also runs a workshop in the city, though I haven’t had the chance to visit it yet.
Back to the story: Rudolf did an excellent job on my Panama hat, and for less than half the price of the same service in Paris. While I was at his workshop, we got to talking about hats, and he even gave me a little tour around his workshop. After returning to my rental, I realized I had finally found the right place to bring to life a hat I’d been imagining for a while.
So I wrote back to Rudolf, shared my idea, and the very next day I was back in his workshop, finalizing the details. I wanted a Homburg, but with a proper brim, not flat, rather curved. Rudolf loved the idea and started working on the hat the very day. I was really excited about the project, and I couldn’t help but smile when, some days afterwords while enjoying a macchiato at one of Ljubljana’s cafés, I received an email from Rudolf with photos of the hat making process. Short information that the hat was ready.
I’ve attached photos of the hat and its making. You’ll notice it has a pinched crown — not typical for a Homburg (more reminiscent of 1900s American fedoras, or Lord's hat minus the bounded brim) — but I think it suits my head shape better, and also fits my age and the more casual way I plan to wear it.
The whole experience was incredible: meeting Rudolf and his wife, learning about the craft, and seeing tradition come alive through skilled hands. I’ll definitely be returning to his workshop. If you ever find yourself in Ljubljana, I highly recommend stopping by.
The hat cost me just €160 — I find that a steal, considering the quality and the entire experience, and taking into account the prices of my modern Borsalino's fedoras which I find inferior at the quality level.
What do you think? Does it suit me well?
