To Stephen - With Love And Squalor

For some of us frustrated writers who turn to blogging, writing a blog post title like this is about as close as we'll ever to get to a Salinger masterpiece of short fiction like 'For Esmé - with Love and Squalor'. The title of this blog post has very little to do with Salinger except to say that I felt I looked like something out of Catcher In The Rye when I put on Mr. Temkin's hat this morning to head out to my first appointment.

The hat, which you have been watching the making of, is truly something different to any hat I've ever had the pleasure of wearing. Whereas an Akubra felt fedora is a sturdy workhorse of a hat and rather hot at times, by contrast this Leon Drexler hat, contradicting everything I would have perceived about beaver felt, is actually very light and supple to touch and accordingly the hat is also quite light and breathable. Whereas, given my heavy set and mediterranean complexion, I am used to sweating it up in hats if it's not freezing outside, this hat wore comfortably throughout an at times humid day. 

My concern of course is that I never reached my target. If you recall, I had talked about trying to copy a Tom Wolfe curl in the hat. Although this hat is probably more refined and less confronting, I had actually wanted to chase the gregarious over-the-top look of Tom Wolfe's cream fedora with navy blue trim. However, having worn this hat, I am very much warming to it and I think with time it will come to be one of those unique treasures in life which Mick Jagger once said of 'you can't always get what you want, but if you try some time, you just might find, you get what you need'. 

Leon Drexler custom made beaver felt fedora hat, I am sporting the new prototype silk jacquard braces from Le Noeud Papillon and featuring silk button ends instead of leather.