I have a dark moss from John, and it's an awesome color. As you said, it is dark. But, the color seems to go with what ever you happen to be wearing at the time. It might be the most versatile color I own. In fact, I'm sure it is, probably second to a charcoal rabbit AB with the dark brown Indy ribbon.
You're going to love the color, and Mike's work, as well.
I'll second dark moss being a great color. Mine is from Garrison, but I never fail to receive a compliment when wearing it. Even from people who see me wearing hats daily.
A fepsa rabbit felt fedora Mike made for himself. The body was pounced so fine he didn't have to do anything to it. It's super soft and floppy but holds it's shape. Dark gray with a hint of green in the light. Fepsa is a high class act.
lantzn wrote:Where is this shop? The site doesn't load.
the shop is in Eugene, Oregon
Mike is a very nice fellow and his hats are top class
Both statements are true. And here are few examples of the different hats Mike is capable of making. Both are 100% Winchester beaver and currently he charges around $250 to $275 depending on some options one wants. He also has some fepsa felt bodies available. Mike's edge bindings are second to none. If you want a dimensional cut brim he can do that as well and if you want that with an edge binding, that's no problem either.
Great hats for the price, at least that's what they seem on the pics...hard to tell without touching them.
The only thing I don't like is the logo, but's that's just me... whatever else seems right for the money...
I like the work they made with the bows...
I've said it before on this thread, but I really would recommend Mike to anyone.....Price wise, his hats are exceptional....Even if they were more expensive, they'd be very high on my list of makers...I own a Homburg and it's still one of the most worn hats I have...The quality is on a par with all the other hats I have (Penman and AB and the Fed IV), and I wouldn't say there is any gap at all in quality there...It's held up well the few times I've gotten it wet, although I don't know what techniques Mike uses....Mine hasn't shrunk at all (beaver felt)...
For the price? He's the best hatter out there for a custom design, easy to work with, personable, kind, open to new ideas and questions, and entirely reliable as a hatmaker.....I can't say enough about how impressed I was at the hat I received....It's a work of art....(Also, it only took a week to make and send...Which in and of itself, was exceptional..)
Mike doesn't specialize in Indy hats. Given the range of hats he does produce, I'm sure he could make something Last Crusade-esque, but may not be to the exact specs of the discerning eyes around these parts. It would be worth dropping him an email, he's always been quick with responses to my inquiries.
He makes no claim to have the exact block for an identical Indy fedora, rather he calls them "Indy Style". Here is one he has on his facebook page. If it was brown it would be close to a last crusade. All you would have to do adjust the pinch a bit and change the specs to suit your taste and head. The description is what he wrote about it.
Also, if you want a fedora with a different edge treatment, he does awesome double blind stitches, doubled overlaid edge bindings and over welts and under welts.
Here we have an "Indy" style hat in granite grey beaver felt. It has a 5 1/2" crown with a 1 1/2" black ribbon. The dimensional cut brim measures 2 3/4"front to back and 2 1/2" on the sides.
fifthchamber wrote:I've said it before on this thread, but I really would recommend Mike to anyone.....Price wise, his hats are exceptional....Even if they were more expensive, they'd be very high on my list of makers...I own a Homburg and it's still one of the most worn hats I have...The quality is on a par with all the other hats I have (Penman and AB and the Fed IV), and I wouldn't say there is any gap at all in quality there...It's held up well the few times I've gotten it wet, although I don't know what techniques Mike uses....Mine hasn't shrunk at all (beaver felt)...
For the price? He's the best hatter out there for a custom design, easy to work with, personable, kind, open to new ideas and questions, and entirely reliable as a hatmaker.....I can't say enough about how impressed I was at the hat I received....It's a work of art....(Also, it only took a week to make and send...Which in and of itself, was exceptional..)
Give Mike a try, you won't be let down at all.
i , for one, absolutely second that (er... the hats i got from Mike took a little more than one week to make, but never over 4 or five)
i have both beaver and rabbit fedoras made by Mike and they are top quality
fifthchamber wrote:I've said it before on this thread, but I really would recommend Mike to anyone.....Price wise, his hats are exceptional....Even if they were more expensive, they'd be very high on my list of makers...I own a Homburg and it's still one of the most worn hats I have...The quality is on a par with all the other hats I have (Penman and AB and the Fed IV), and I wouldn't say there is any gap at all in quality there...It's held up well the few times I've gotten it wet, although I don't know what techniques Mike uses....Mine hasn't shrunk at all (beaver felt)...
For the price? He's the best hatter out there for a custom design, easy to work with, personable, kind, open to new ideas and questions, and entirely reliable as a hatmaker.....I can't say enough about how impressed I was at the hat I received....It's a work of art....(Also, it only took a week to make and send...Which in and of itself, was exceptional..)
Give Mike a try, you won't be let down at all.
i , for one, absolutely second that (er... the hats i got from Mike took a little more than one week to make, but never over 4 or five)
i have both beaver and rabbit fedoras made by Mike and they are top quality
Third! I have a bogart-esque custom that I gave him specs for and he did an amazing job in beaver granite... it's a 5 3/4" crown with 2 3/8" snap overwelt and 1 5/8" black ribbon and bow (I may have posted pics in this thread previously). The overwelt snap-brim is perfect, the felt is pounced finely, and the bow/ribbon work is beautiful. I haven't worn it much lately, but when I dress up, it's my go-to hat; and that's saying something because I have 4 other dress hats including a mint vintage stetson whippet in blue-grey. I had him re-do (new sweat, ribbon/bow, reblock and flange to proper snap-brim) a dress hat I got from another custom maker a few years back that just wasn't really up to snuff (other guy doesn't come here but I won't mention by name anyway) and the result was just as good as his own new hand-made hats. There's quite a few pics of his work on the FL forum, too. Prices are very reasonable too, though I haven't seen them lately... he raised them after my hat, but it wasn't that much.
Yeah - the 2-hats I have on order are both Indy inspired. One in moss and one brown. Gave him the specs from the original Indy hat but asked for a CS style bash. The ribbon for the moss hat will be slightly wider but no big deal for me.
tedquinton wrote:I saw Mike has a new Fepsa body Indy hat on his Facebook page.
I got to see it in person before he sent it out. I can honestly say, the fepsa felt and depth of color is the best I've seen. It looks every bit as good as the brown Indy Optimo fedora I got a number of years ago. BTW, Mike doesn't claim to do an "EXACT" duplication of the Indy fedora. So if you look closely you will see some variances.
Which, honestly, is why I want one of his. You can get one SA in the box and if it's for a demo, that's great! But if you wear the dang thing, it will take on your own (non-SA) nuances and subtleties resulting from how you handle it, etc. I'm excited!!
Mike made me a "Rooster Cogburn" hat from The movie True Grit and he knocked it out of the park! He loves the challenge and works with you every step of the way to make sure you are completely satisfied. It is definitely worth the call to him.
True grit Jeff Bridges style. The hat in the movie didn't have a ribbon or a band so Mike suggested going with a buffalo leather band. He said that it would be textured and it would really stand out. Needless to say, I haven't taken it off. I can never figure out how to post pictures. I will find the link to his face book page and post it here.
I think I might be close to the maximum number of pictures I can post in a thread, so here's just one of Mike's latest commission for me. A Public Enemies inspired fedora. It is really hard to photograph the colour but it is amazing - extremely dark but with a really rich cherry undertone. This picture only hints at the depth of colour. It really is beautiful.
Glenville86 wrote:Yeah - the 2-hats I have on order are both Indy inspired. One in moss and one brown. Gave him the specs from the original Indy hat but asked for a CS style bash. The ribbon for the moss hat will be slightly wider but no big deal for me.
I saw your hats today. Good thing they aren't my size or you might have had to wait a while longer. lol. They both look great. I love the moss green one. I may have to get one myself.
Glenville86 wrote:Yeah - the 2-hats I have on order are both Indy inspired. One in moss and one brown. Gave him the specs from the original Indy hat but asked for a CS style bash. The ribbon for the moss hat will be slightly wider but no big deal for me.
I saw your hats today. Good thing they aren't my size or you might have had to wait a while longer. lol. They both look great. I love the moss green one. I may have to get one myself.
fedoralover
Looking forward to receiving them. Mike mailed them out yesterday.
Glenville86 wrote:Yeah - the 2-hats I have on order are both Indy inspired. One in moss and one brown. Gave him the specs from the original Indy hat but asked for a CS style bash. The ribbon for the moss hat will be slightly wider but no big deal for me.
I saw your hats today. Good thing they aren't my size or you might have had to wait a while longer. lol. They both look great. I love the moss green one. I may have to get one myself.
fedoralover
Received the hats today and am very impressed with the quality and workmanship. I have many rabbit and a few rabbit/beaver mix hats but am really impressed how these 100% beaver are don't feel heavier at all and don't seem to weigh more.
both hats have been posted by mike at Northwest earlier this month on his facebook page i believe (on dark moss and one regular dark brown indy models)