Fedora
Vendor
- Messages
- 828
- Location
- Mississippi
I went to see my old friend and western outfitter today to pick up some more felt stiffener. A gallon.
It is cheaper by the gallon. While there of course the talk turned to hats, as this was the fellow who got me my first fedora years ago, and tried to help in sourcing a proper Indy fedora. It never panned out since his suppliers did not offer one that I thought to be suitable. The conversation turned to beaver hats, vintage felt, etc. He excused himself for a moment, went to his house next door(his shop is in the country), and brought back this dark brown cowboy hat. You won't find felt like this anymore he says, and hands it to me. 100 per cent beaver, he says. Look at the felt. Well, I had already picked up on the fact that this was not your ordinary felt. My fingers joined my eyes in the examination. It was a fine felt like you see on the Optimo hats, but slicker, for lack of a better word. This was not a stiff cowboy hat, far from it. The density was unbelievable!! While the hat was not stiff from stiffener, the density of the felt added stiffness to it, but not the same way that stiffener would. The hat was not hard, very, very pliable, and if you pushed in on the crown, it would not spring back out. I never saw a western hat with a ribbon and bow, but his one had one!! A silk ribbon. Another surprise came when I looked inside the hat. The sweatband was made of flat woven sheepskin. Woven like a basket. I did not know they even made em' like this. I am still salivating over that hat. This felt was much more dense than even the Optimo felt. It felt like it would be hard to sew a sweatband on, and Walt said you had to have a thimble to do so. The hat brand? None. The only word inside the entire hat was Montana. No stickers, solid yellow silk liner, stitched in. No other identification. Has anyone ever heard of the Montana brand? Walt is originally from Texas and says the hat came from there. It was his grandfather's!!! That would put it solid in the 30's he said. The style was open crown, no bashes. And it was 7 inches tall!!!! I asked him right off to put me in his will, since he has only daughters. The look in his eye told me his response. Has anyone ever seen vintage beaver hats on ebay? Fedora
It is cheaper by the gallon. While there of course the talk turned to hats, as this was the fellow who got me my first fedora years ago, and tried to help in sourcing a proper Indy fedora. It never panned out since his suppliers did not offer one that I thought to be suitable. The conversation turned to beaver hats, vintage felt, etc. He excused himself for a moment, went to his house next door(his shop is in the country), and brought back this dark brown cowboy hat. You won't find felt like this anymore he says, and hands it to me. 100 per cent beaver, he says. Look at the felt. Well, I had already picked up on the fact that this was not your ordinary felt. My fingers joined my eyes in the examination. It was a fine felt like you see on the Optimo hats, but slicker, for lack of a better word. This was not a stiff cowboy hat, far from it. The density was unbelievable!! While the hat was not stiff from stiffener, the density of the felt added stiffness to it, but not the same way that stiffener would. The hat was not hard, very, very pliable, and if you pushed in on the crown, it would not spring back out. I never saw a western hat with a ribbon and bow, but his one had one!! A silk ribbon. Another surprise came when I looked inside the hat. The sweatband was made of flat woven sheepskin. Woven like a basket. I did not know they even made em' like this. I am still salivating over that hat. This felt was much more dense than even the Optimo felt. It felt like it would be hard to sew a sweatband on, and Walt said you had to have a thimble to do so. The hat brand? None. The only word inside the entire hat was Montana. No stickers, solid yellow silk liner, stitched in. No other identification. Has anyone ever heard of the Montana brand? Walt is originally from Texas and says the hat came from there. It was his grandfather's!!! That would put it solid in the 30's he said. The style was open crown, no bashes. And it was 7 inches tall!!!! I asked him right off to put me in his will, since he has only daughters. The look in his eye told me his response. Has anyone ever seen vintage beaver hats on ebay? Fedora
