BUCKAROO BONANZA! - The Hats that Major Mike Moore Makes

[barrowjh]

Nice looking combination; much impressed with the hatband.

 

[Neophyte]

Oh Man, that Sturgis recreation looks amazing! Congratulations on the new hat and bravo to the Major for his excellent work :eusa_clap.
That grey color is very appealing.

 

[Cliffnopus]

Great hat, love the band - looks good on you.

Cliff

 

[Duper]

Beeeautiful fmw! It looks great on you!:eusa_clap

 

[Neophyte]

Beeeautiful fmw! It looks great on you!:eusa_clap

:arated:

I gotta admit, I'm feeling some MAJOR (pun intended) hat envy right now!

 

[frussell]

Nice piteado hatband. I've got loads of old belts and hatbands in the traditional colors, handmade, before they started using machines to sew all the details. My grandpa had a charro saddle completely covered in that same embroidery, he said it took the guy over a year to get all the stitching done. Looks great on that hat. Frank

 

[fmw]

Thanks, guys. Mike Moore certainly knows how to make a great hat. I couldn't be happier with mine.

I've never seen embroidery on leather before so it was a bit of a surprise to me. I don't know if he made the band or bought it from someone who did. When I specified the hat to him I told him I'd leave the hat band up to him. That turned out to be a great move.

 

[fmw]

:arated:

I gotta admit, I'm feeling some MAJOR (pun intended) hat envy right now!

Thanks. My MAJOR concern is that I won't wear any of my other hats. This one simply puts them all to shame.

 

[frussell]

Google piteado, you'll come up with tons of images, mostly a reddish brown leather backing with natural or white fiber embroidery. The real good stuff comes from natural plant fibers and is done by hand. I've got belts with rodeo scenes, farm animals, floral motifs, my name, etc... It's a huge business in Mexico, and any charro worth his salt has some of this work on his gear somewhere, whether it's on his sombrero, saddle, spur straps or belt. Used to be real high end, due to the limited supply and labor intensive nature of the work, but now that several states in Mexico are making it, and automation has become acceptable, it's become much more common. Comes in lots of colors now, even in metallic threads. I think the one you got suits that hat just right.
Frank

 

[DJH]

Thanks, guys. Mike Moore certainly knows how to make a great hat. I couldn't be happier with mine.

I'm not usually a fan of the western hats, but your new one is great. Mike Moore certainly does make a nice hat!

I'm sure you will be enjoying wearing it.

 

[thebroker]

Great hat, sir! Actually, every hat I've ever seen you in seems to look like it was made specifically for your head. Either you look great in any hat, or you have impeccable taste. Or both.

 

[fmw]

My goodness, what a compliment. Thanks kindly, Broker.

Frussel, I did spend some time searching out piteado on the web. It is something I hadn't seen before. It is strange. I did some rodeo and horse show competition in my past so I've certainly been around a lot of people in western wear, western and tack stores, horse arenas and the like. I even worked a cattle roundup in Eastern Oregon in my youth. Obviously, I've had and still have western boots with sewn designs on the shaft but I still have never encountered true embroidery on leather like piteado before. Even at my age, I learn something every day.

 

[fmw]

I'm not usually a fan of the western hats, but your new one is great. Mike Moore certainly does make a nice hat!

I'm sure you will be enjoying wearing it.

Thanks, David. With a mere 3" brim and a C crown crease, this hat wouldn't be adopted as Western by many people in the horse community. It is more Western than Eastern, to be sure, but pretty tame by Texas standards. Maybe that's why it works for you. Don't worry, though. I have plenty of big cowboy hats as well.

 

[hatophile]

What's nice about this hat, it could pass for Western, Outback, or even used in the city, and look equally at home in all places.

 

[fmw]

Yes. It is a pretty flexible design like the Open Road. In fact, there isn't any reason an Open Road couldn't be creased and blocked this way. It has similar dimensions and a bound brim. I don't think I'd wear it with a suit without changing the hat band but it certainly would play well as a casual hat in the city. Slacks and something like the black leather jacket in the photo would complement it perfectly. I could see it fitting in very well with any long sleeve shirt when Spring arrives.

 

[hatophile]

Very versatile, some of our hat manufacturers should consider this style of hat.

 

[fmw]

Well it was influenced by my Stetson Sturgis. The Sturgis is a dark brown hat with a little less crown but in wool felt. My goal was to have a similar look in the black/gray/blue color family but in fur felt. I bought the Sturgis because I loved the look. Now I have the look and the quality as well. Here's the Sturgis.

 

[gtdean48]

Very versatile, some of our hat manufacturers should consider this style of hat.

Reminds me of the Stetson Dune but in a nicer color & cool hat band = http://www.delmonicohatter.com/Merc...=SF04161139&Category_Code=LARGE&Store_Code=DH

 

[fmw]

Another similar one. If it were gray I might have passed over getting the custom. Major Mike has a good feel for hat styling for sure. I wouldn't change a thing on my custom. I think it is something of a cross between the Open Road and an Australian outback style hat. Since I like both, it's an ideal look for my preferences.

 

[bowlerman]

Another similar one. If it were gray I might have passed over getting the custom. Major Mike has a good feel for hat styling for sure. I wouldn't change a thing on my custom. I think it is something of a cross between the Open Road and an Australian outback style hat. Since I like both, it's an ideal look for my preferences.

Can't think of anything that hasn't already been said, so I'll reiterate... Great hat, great band, great fit, and it looks great on ya! nice acquisition, and a good complement to that recent homburg!