binkmeisterRick wrote:I can now consider myself a proper member of the Penman Club. Monday afternoon my custom fedora arrived at work. I would have posted this sooner, but I wanted to wait for sunny weather for the sake of taking proper pictures.
First off, I know I am not the first to communicate in great lengths the changing desires and specs of a single hat, yet John provided feedback and advice from the beginning and countless brainstorm sessions were always fruitful. I had an idea of how I wanted this hat to be from the start, but many conversations with John (some about hats, even!) helped to narrow down the details. Most importantly, I did not want another Indy hat. I have enough Indy hats. As great as an Indy fedora is, it is not the end-all-be-all. Sorry, kids, but variety is the spice of life and like the flavor of it. This was to be a pure binkmeister fedora; something special, something unique.
I went through my collection of hats and knew I wanted something along the lines of several of my vintage favorites. After settling on the felt color and rocking back and forth on the brim and crown specs for a while, I proceeded to search for the right ribbon. I was able to score some nice
vintage light copper ribbon as well as some trim ribbon which matched the color of the felt. I also Photoshopped a number of mock ups of the ribbon design, as I wanted to design a bow equally classic and unique.
The original plan was that the hat would have a bound brim matching the trim ribbon used as the accent color in the bow, but as John is still waiting on two specialized screws for the brim sewing attachment, we decided it best to proceed without the bound brim at this time. Should bound brims finally become a reality, the hat will return for its final touch.
The final result of countless conversations and brainstorming is a fedora of which John himself is jealous. He wants my hat! If that isn't the biggest compliment, I don't know what is. The ribbon and felt color complement each other superbly. The bow detail is subtle, yet stylish. The only thing which could make this hat better for me is if it had the bound brim, but even at that, this hat is a stunner. I am beyond pleased.
The hat is beautifully made. I compared the pounce job to a number of hats, and right out of the box, it's a nose ahead of my Crystal Skull Adventurebilt. It also feels nicer than a vintage Borsalino in my collection. VERY impressive. Of the modern hats I've handled or owned, both Indy and otherwise, John's pouncing skill is at the top of the list. His touch harkens back to vintage fedoras. (By far, the absolute softest fedora I own is my very first AB, an early production run which has been on countless adventures. I have a feeling that in time this Penman will match the buttery softness of that particular hat.) The sweat is set and stitched perfect in every way, down to the tiny bow. The execution of the ribbon and bow is stunning.
The brim has the right amount of floppiness to it, as if it's already been broken in. There's enough "movement" in the felt to allow me to easily style the brim or the crown. I ordered it with a C-dent crown, which I tweaked slightly to taste. After all, this is a binkmeister hat!
The fedora also came in the beautiful hat box made specifically for John by Sarah's Hatboxes. This is no wimpy box! It is heavy, sturdy, and covered in a nice black leatherette material. The Penman logo is nicely silkscreened on top. I wish all my hat boxes could be this nice. There's no question that it will protect your hat! However, there is only one small issue I have with this box. A number of vintage hat boxes in my collection have an insert with the "ring" part-way down the tube the hat rests within. This allows the brim of the hat to rest over the tube, retaining any curves in the brim. The Penman box has this ring flush to the top of the tube, which means the entire brim rests against the ring, flattening it in storage. I asked John about this (so this doesn't come as a surprise to him) and he said his original hat boxes had the ring placed further down as I prefer them, but that he received complaints about the placement of it. More people apparently wanted it the other way, so he had them made flush to the top of the tube as they are now. Fear not, though, for if you prefer to have the vintage style insert, all you have to do is flip the existing one over and it will work fine. That, or you could just make an additional higher sleeve to fit inside the original. Easy fix. So, in essence, you can have your hat box either way without fuss.
If anyone has been on the fence about ordering a hat from John, you will not be disappointed! What's more, you can get an Indy hat from every vendor here (it is, after all an Indiana Jones site) but how many of them offer something outside that box? Penman is among the few, and he does a fantastic job of creating a classic fedora, regardless of style. This new hat is already among the best in my collection. Thank you for my fedora, John.
On to the pics!
Just wanted to give everyone an update. I know how everyone liked this hat I made for Bink but I couldn't replicate it because I only had enough ribbon to make this hat. I know have a color close to this called rust in both 1 1/2 inches and 1 3/4 inches. The brown color ribbon for the knot I have as well.
John
Best wishes,
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