Hat Blog

Customers Review Hats at VillageHatShop.com

A few months age VillageHatshop.com introduced Product Reviews at their site. Hats at the site have received hundreds of reviews and as a result of the feedback VHS says it will continue to improve their offerings.

Some highlights among the most highly reviewed hats will follow [5 stars is tops]:

For Men:

1. The Jaxon Crushable C-crown Fedora and Jaxon Crushable Pinch-front Fedora have received 32 reviews and 16 reviews respectively. C-crown averages 4.69 stars and Pinch-front averages 5.0 stars (all reviews are 5-star!) These two hats are very similar. Price is $28.95.
2. Wool Greek Fisherman’s Cap has 26 reviews averaging 4.88 stars. $19.95, made in Greece.
3. Indiana Jones Fur Felt has 24 reviews averaging 4.88 stars. $105. (New Indy movie is coming this spring.)
4. Golden Gate Panther has 9 reviews averaging 4.89 stars. $72, made in the USA.
5. Bailey’s packable/crushable hats all receive great reviews. Made in the USA.

For Women:

1. The Betmar Enchanted Cloche has 4 reviews (3 are 5-star and one is 4-star). $52. Many of the Betmar hats have been reviewed.
2. The Plaza Suite Bryant Park has 3 reviews, all 5-star. $125.
3. All the Canadian made sur la tete cotton berets – 10.5-inch Beret, 11.5-inch Beret and the Pointelle Beret – have good reviews. $12.95, $13.95, and $24.95 respectively.
4. The Lanakai by Scala is available in a large selection of colors and is very highly reviewed.
5. Ivy Caps and Eight-quarter Caps are very popular with women right now. The reviews have mostly been great.

For Either Men or Women:

1. Virtually every Beret has been reviewed and people like them all. The big winner is The Jaxon Basque Beret with 11 reviews - all 5-star! We import this beret directly from Basque Country, in the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain. $48.
2. The Kangol 504 Cap has 15 reviews averaging 4.87 stars. $33.60.
3. The Maroon Fez with a Black Tassel has 6 reviews, all 5-star. We offer many different fez/tassel color combinations in this same quality all-wool Fez. $16.95.
4. The French Pith Helmet and the Indian Pith Helmet have of 4 reviews each - 5 are 5-star and 3 are 4-star. $28.95.
5. The USA made Deerstalker (Sherlock Holmes) Hat has 7 reviews averaging 4.43 stars. $25.95.

By far, the Jaxon line is the brand with the most reviews. People seem are nuts for these hats.

Importantly, you no longer need to take VillageHatShop.com’s word alone with regard their products. These customer reviews add a lot of information.

Jaxon Hats Brings The Authentic Basque Beret To North America

Everything we wear is made in China these days, right? Wrong. It’s true that berets – classically European - are made in Asia and sold in droves in North America, but not all berets.

This iconic headgear originally hails from Europe’s Pyrenees Mountains, home of the Basque culture. With the US Dollar consistently losing ground to the Euro and the quality of apparel from Asia getting better all the time, who in their right mind these days would go to Europe for hats? Answer: Jaxon.

“In our quest for the best, we wanted to bring this authentic headwear to our customers where the differences in quality are obvious,” says Jaxon Hats designer Bruce Zales. Pressed for details, Zales begins by lecturing on the making of wool felt, likening it to a kind of “conjuring” where one hatter’s felt-making formula (compressed, entangled fibers making an incredibly strong material) can be “light years” better than another’s. The quality of the wool-felt material is the important starting point in any felt hat, and if that were the only difference it would be sufficient reason to go to Europe for the Basque Beret. But it’s not the only difference. This meaty pure virgin wool beret is “Impermeable” (Waterproof). The sweatband (many berets don’t even have sweatbands) is made from genuine leather (most US importers of European berets have gone to vinyl as a cost saving strategy). The lining is sewn (not glued) to the inside top of the hat, but not on the sides (so that the beret can “breath” on the wearer’s head). Together, these details make a big difference in comfort, looks, and functionality.

Price? Not an arm and a leg, as Jaxon purchases the substantial quantities required for working directly with the factory-no middleman. The retail is $48 and bulk purchasers/resellers can buy directly from Jaxon at $27.50 each with a purchase of 12 units minimum. You’ve got to see these berets to appreciate this value. Stay warm, stay dry, and be cool.

The Jaxon Basque Beret is available in three colors: Black, Navy, and Grey. Five sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, Double-extra Large.

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com
www.Berets.com
www.JaxonHats.com

Sur La Tête Designer Susan Lee Visits Borsalino Hat Company in Italy

Susan Lee, VillageHatShop.com buyer and milliner (see her sur la tête line of women's hats at VillageHatshop.com) visited the Borsalino factory in Alessandria Italy. Following are some of her notes from that that visit:

"While I was in Torino, Italy, I decided to visit the Borsalino Factory in Alessandria, one hour outside of Torino. Carla drove us to the factory that was five minutes outside of the city center in the Industrial Zone, where Patrizia Sossai (Customer Service and Sales Controller) took us on a tour of the factory and introduced us to many of the employees.

Attached are images from my visit. [Note: We will add Susan's images to the MAKING HATS page of VillageHatShop.com.]

They were so nice and very hospitable; there was a really nice atmosphere in the factory. I was hoping the images could possibly be used on the Borsalino Brands page and that we could relay to customers that the hats are made with such care and attention.

Human hands in every step touch each hat, they use machines that are over 100 years old and hats are made in the age-old tradition. Quality is their top priority and seeing the factory in action was a real treat.

They will be celebrating their 150th Birthday next year and they are very excited about it. We saw the factory in two steps: from the old wood bins of rabbit fur being felted into sheets of loose felt, to the very end where one woman tapes up the boxes that arrive into our stores.

Borsalino hats may be expensive, but there is a reason behind the cost. The employees are very proud of their work and they have every right to be as each hat is made with such care and attention. It's truly amazing. They have been in business for 149 years, let me repeat 149 years! So if you have a customer interested in a Borsalino hat, make sure they know that the hat they buy is of the utmost quality."

Thanks Susan.

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com