Johnny's Magnoli Clothiers/Adventurebilt:Herbert Johnson Hat
Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:04 pm
The Background: I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark as a ten year-old and was hooked from there on out. Brown hat, duct tape and rope whip, I was set. I wanted nothing more than to be a part of that world. To be Indiana Jones, and to my little kid mind, the key was that hat. Temple, loved it flaws and all. Last Crusade, loved it even more and with Indy products everywhere, I found a brown Stetson that I wore constantly. (Luckily, I had enough class to pull it off without too much ribbing) But I wasn’t happy. It was too dark, squat, and wool. The insert for the Last Crusade soundtrack cassette had a fur felt that you could order and I did. It wasn’t bad. Not great, but closer. I wore it until an unfortunate stiffener accident in 1992 at a place that blocks cowboy hats. I had to throw that lid away. In New Orleans in ’96, I found a Dorfman fur felt that I wore until a week and a half ago; when the package arrived from Steve and Tony.
The Order: First, let me say that Tony and Steve’s care and customer service has been exemplary. They answered my questions and helped me out every step of the way and let me tell you it wasn’t a run of the mill order, I’m sure I was a pain. First, my wife ordered the hat for me so I did not place the original order. So, I had to talk with both Steve and Tony to get the little details that only another gearhead could appreciate. Then between the order and shipping we moved, and due to an error on my part I was privileged to receive and send on, BendingOak’s HJ reblock at my house for a night. Through all of this Tony and Steve were a great help and Steve even accepted photos of my face and head to fit the hat correctly to my features. I have always believed in customer loyalty, and between your care, responsiveness, attention to detail, and the tear I shed at seeing what you made for me, you two gentlemen have not so much earned a customer for life but gained a friend. Thank you!
The Fedora: My hat is a size 7 Magnoli Clothiers/Adventurebilt: Herbert Johnson Fedora styled to resemble the hat in Raiders of the Lost Ark during the Idol Grab scene. First, the presentation; there is nothing like getting a box with Steve’s return address and then opening the box the first time to see the familiar HJ crest staring up at you.
Awesome! Pulling the hat out of the box the first thing I noticed was how soft the rabbit feels. Very nice! Scanning the hat, it is the nicest lid I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen some on COW that are great, mostly Adventurebilts). Liner, sweat, brim, ribbon, bow, block and bash all seem perfect. The block is a thing of beauty, tall, stovepipey awesomeness, with just a hint of mushroom. You know the still of Indiana ready to switch the idol, that’s my hat. No question. It does look as though the tight pinch at the front has relaxed a little in shipping but that’s fine. I’ll just work the pinch the way Harrison seems to have during Raiders (and KotCS!). It even has (that ever so slightly towards the right ear) very slight bulge where the crease meets the back of the hat.
Incredible detail! Putting it on, I notice that it feels great. Now my old DP hat tightened up a little bit over the years but even new it never felt this comfortable on my head. The difference being, a hat that was bought off the rack, as opposed to tailored to the millimeter like this one I suppose? Steve told me once, that if what I was used to wearing was a DP then I was in for a real treat, and man was he ever right! Ok, time to see what it looks like on my melon.
As I slide in front of the mirror I see Indiana Jones’ hat in person for the first time. The silhouette is instantly and undeniably Indy. My wife (who can be jaded where my obsessions are concerned) will later comment that it’s identical to Indy’s and that it looks great on me (The benefit of Steve’s fitting it to my face. Wow!). The next thing I notice is the brim warp for the first time. Son of a gun! There’s the turn working its magic. Wow, now I get it. I’ve read the posts, seen pictures, but till the thing is on your head, you don’t know how cool it is. In fact, over the week I’ve been wearing this I’ve caught my reflection and a couple of times it’s looked like the hat wants to return to its true front, and I’ve had to reposition the hat to its turned configuration. (Does that happen sometimes to you other gearheads out there? Or is it my noggin?) Anyway, the color is perfect.
Rich and warm accentuated by that perfect ribbon and bow with a slight flying v effect. Also, the construction is flawless with the hat feeling like it could take whatever it has to and more. This is no costume piece. It’s the real world hat that Steve and Indy promised and it’s going with me everywhere. In fact it will be interesting to see how this hat develops its own character over time and how it ages. Come to think of it, I think I’ll update this review from time to time with new pictures in order to see how one of these hats performs over its life.
Anyway, thanks Baby for buying it, thanks Indy for offering it, and thank you Steve for crafting it. It’s what I’ve wanted since that first showing of Raiders so long ago, and it’ll age from what it is today, into “a nice, old, very well loved hat”.
Johnny
p.s. These are just preliminary photos that the wife and I shot. This past weekend I had my brother (a professional photographer) take some much better shots and a couple of fun comparisons. They’re coming when he has time to finish the color corrections.-J
The Order: First, let me say that Tony and Steve’s care and customer service has been exemplary. They answered my questions and helped me out every step of the way and let me tell you it wasn’t a run of the mill order, I’m sure I was a pain. First, my wife ordered the hat for me so I did not place the original order. So, I had to talk with both Steve and Tony to get the little details that only another gearhead could appreciate. Then between the order and shipping we moved, and due to an error on my part I was privileged to receive and send on, BendingOak’s HJ reblock at my house for a night. Through all of this Tony and Steve were a great help and Steve even accepted photos of my face and head to fit the hat correctly to my features. I have always believed in customer loyalty, and between your care, responsiveness, attention to detail, and the tear I shed at seeing what you made for me, you two gentlemen have not so much earned a customer for life but gained a friend. Thank you!
The Fedora: My hat is a size 7 Magnoli Clothiers/Adventurebilt: Herbert Johnson Fedora styled to resemble the hat in Raiders of the Lost Ark during the Idol Grab scene. First, the presentation; there is nothing like getting a box with Steve’s return address and then opening the box the first time to see the familiar HJ crest staring up at you.
Awesome! Pulling the hat out of the box the first thing I noticed was how soft the rabbit feels. Very nice! Scanning the hat, it is the nicest lid I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen some on COW that are great, mostly Adventurebilts). Liner, sweat, brim, ribbon, bow, block and bash all seem perfect. The block is a thing of beauty, tall, stovepipey awesomeness, with just a hint of mushroom. You know the still of Indiana ready to switch the idol, that’s my hat. No question. It does look as though the tight pinch at the front has relaxed a little in shipping but that’s fine. I’ll just work the pinch the way Harrison seems to have during Raiders (and KotCS!). It even has (that ever so slightly towards the right ear) very slight bulge where the crease meets the back of the hat.
Incredible detail! Putting it on, I notice that it feels great. Now my old DP hat tightened up a little bit over the years but even new it never felt this comfortable on my head. The difference being, a hat that was bought off the rack, as opposed to tailored to the millimeter like this one I suppose? Steve told me once, that if what I was used to wearing was a DP then I was in for a real treat, and man was he ever right! Ok, time to see what it looks like on my melon. As I slide in front of the mirror I see Indiana Jones’ hat in person for the first time. The silhouette is instantly and undeniably Indy. My wife (who can be jaded where my obsessions are concerned) will later comment that it’s identical to Indy’s and that it looks great on me (The benefit of Steve’s fitting it to my face. Wow!). The next thing I notice is the brim warp for the first time. Son of a gun! There’s the turn working its magic. Wow, now I get it. I’ve read the posts, seen pictures, but till the thing is on your head, you don’t know how cool it is. In fact, over the week I’ve been wearing this I’ve caught my reflection and a couple of times it’s looked like the hat wants to return to its true front, and I’ve had to reposition the hat to its turned configuration. (Does that happen sometimes to you other gearheads out there? Or is it my noggin?) Anyway, the color is perfect.
Rich and warm accentuated by that perfect ribbon and bow with a slight flying v effect. Also, the construction is flawless with the hat feeling like it could take whatever it has to and more. This is no costume piece. It’s the real world hat that Steve and Indy promised and it’s going with me everywhere. In fact it will be interesting to see how this hat develops its own character over time and how it ages. Come to think of it, I think I’ll update this review from time to time with new pictures in order to see how one of these hats performs over its life.
Anyway, thanks Baby for buying it, thanks Indy for offering it, and thank you Steve for crafting it. It’s what I’ve wanted since that first showing of Raiders so long ago, and it’ll age from what it is today, into “a nice, old, very well loved hat”.
Johnny
p.s. These are just preliminary photos that the wife and I shot. This past weekend I had my brother (a professional photographer) take some much better shots and a couple of fun comparisons. They’re coming when he has time to finish the color corrections.-J
Thanks! It's true. Steve out did himself with this and I love it!
I found out that it is difficult for some folks to copy my work. And I found out making hats is not a piece of cake, for everyone. All she did was to sew in sweats and ribbonwork. But, it shows. Now, I need to clone myself. I need 4 of me.