Vintage Silhouettes Custom Hats - Official Affiliate Thread

Maybe you can get a message to him through his wife's ebay account where she's selling the ribbon???

 

I too suggest you try through the ribbon for sale on Ebay. He has responded to me through that means.

 

Great idea. I’m still waiting on some tools, and it turned out that the three of the hat bodies I bought aren’t big enough for me. Bummer, but it will all get worked out.

Thank you both.

 

My dark moss wasn't big enough either. Told Michael to make it for my daughter's birthday present. 3 of us looked at a dozen different ribbons.... felt has been blocked.

Blue smoke, though, should be a grand hat in my size. 59.4 cm LO.

 

I texted him on April 13th about a hat on eBay Marsha had listed. Asked if he was still in the Northwest, which he is.

 

I wrote to Art before placing my order and told him I was only interested in this size of hat bodies: “I just need them to be big enough for a 3” brim, 6” open crown, and my 7 5/8 head.” I bought two blue smoke, a dark moss, a silverbelly, and several of the Tonak felts. I sent Gannon three hat bodies and of them only one, a gray Tonak, will block out to my required dimensions. I’m sure it was just an oversight by Art as he had a lot going on, but I don’t have any use for hat bodies that are too small.

 

I basically said the same thing.... 6" x 2-3/4" for size 7-1/2.

I was pretty sure my dark moss felt wouldn't get there as soon as I opened the box from Art. Michael confirmed it.

But, in size 7-1/8, for my daughter, we're getting 5-3/4 x 2-3/4 , which is good for her but i still need my dark moss fedora, hehehe.....

 

Rather than return them ...let me know what you got and I will take them off your hands. I want to make women's hats as well so I can make them work.

 

I have some beaver bodies from Art that are on the small side too. I made one up for me and ended up with a 2 1/4' brim and about a 5" crown on a 59cm head. The rest are stored in my motor home in WA state so untouchable for a while yet but I fear they too will not fit me. But that is probably a good thing as I don't need that many hats.

 

I'm very late to the party, having been absent from TFL for a long time. Your retirement saddens me, as I've always admired your work, even though I was never able to get around to buying one. With that said, congratulations on the retirement. You are a credit to your craft. A scholar and a gentleman, as my Dad would have said. I hope retirement treats you very well.

 

I second the “Art had a lot going on” opinion. I know, because I had a hat on order with him to be finished before he handed the business over, and it just fizzled out. I even got a photo of the nearly finished item, then all communication stopped. Weird, but I get how things can snowball and get out of hand. Did anybody here end up with a silver belly 7 7/8 inch large brim hat? It looked like a beauty in the photo. Frank

 

7 7/8! You poor soul.

 

I’ve lost a lot of weight and been keeping my hair super short, getting back into 7 3/4 territory lately. Wasn’t trying to disrespect Art, by the way, I’ve had three or four of his hats, still have two that I’ll have till I die. I’m a big fan. It was just a weird situation.

 

Have you contacted David Gibson? It could be that your hat is still there.

 

Nah, I never put any $$ down, been a customer a long time. No real loss or damage done, just wanted to get one of the last 100% Art-made hats.

 

The second to last of my VS projects. I bought a very thin felt, too small for me Borsalino a while back. It was almost certainly made for the religious market. I had David at VS remake it in an OR style. I’m not usually a fan of black hats, but I really wanted a black hat in this style. The felt is very thin and soft and much lighter and...”flimsier” than any OR I’ve ever handled (vintage or modern). Due to the amount of felt available, the crown is “only” 5 3/4 inches. The bound brim is exactly 2 3/4 inches wide. I’m thrilled with how the hat turned out. David said he had to block the felt several times to get it to stay in the shape we wanted, but he assured me it has been tamed and will stay as blocked. I gave it a quick dry diamond crease and I’m beginning to reconsider my opinion on black hats! This is a great use of the commonly found black wide brimmed Borsalinos...all told with donor hat and the work by VS I’m into this hat less than the cost of a current 6X OR!

 

That is a beauty!

 

That turned out really well, Brent!

 

This is a 100% hare fur felt hat body that Agnoulita sold and that Panos @PanosChris gifted to me. The felt is very nice. It’s tightly felted and, in my opinion, the equal of Winchester’s beaver for feel and shaping. David called it a velour, but it’s more like a suede finish. The felt was very large, just like I like them, and David could make it just as I asked: 6 inch open crown on a 52 block and a 3 1/4 inch (that 3 2/8 inches for Bowen ).
This and the Borsalino conversion I posted earlier were sent to VS last October, but well worth the wait. Now for autumn and cooler weather so I can actually wear them.

 

Brilliant! Wonderfully done!