Gustav Temple treads in Bogie’s footsteps to be fitted with a Borsalino Fedora.
“When your head says one thing and your whole life says another, your head always loses.”
Humphrey Bogart’s line from Key Largo (1948) rang in my head as I mounted the steps to Burlington Arcade in London. I may have been a long way from a storm-lashed hotel in Florida, but the spirit of Bogie didn’t seem so far away when, after passing all the sparkling jewels peddled by other stores in the arcade, I stopped outside Borsalino.
Reassuring rows of men’s hats, mainly Fedoras, greet the customer at this newest branch of Italy’s oldest and most reputable hatmaker. Giuseppe Borsalino opened his first atelier in Alessandria with his older brother Lazzaro, their very first hand-made felt hat going on sale on 4th April 1857. By 1868 the business was flourishing and had begun to garner industry awards. The five different hat styles Borsalino produced served all the headwear needs of late 19th century Europe, but one style began to catch on, and the felt Fedora soon became their signature style.
Guiseppe Borsalino
By 1888, Borsalino had grown from a small atelier to a vast factory in Alessandria, turning out 2,000 hats every day for the good folk of Italy. Those numbers may have dwindled slightly today, but the quality has not, despite attempts by Guiseppe’s son Teresio to introduce mechanised manufacture in the early 20th century. Today the process of making the finest Fedoras in the world continues to be largely done by hand, and still in Alessandria.
The reason I am here is because the Borsalino brand is suddenly back in the limelight, with the release of Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes. This epic documentary, the first to be officially sanctioned by Bogie’s son Stephen, features a panoply of Borsalino Fedoras. To commemorate the release of the film, the company produced a Bogart edition of their classic Fedora, retrieving from the archives the precise dimensions of Bogie’s signature style. His was a high-crowned version, typical of its day in the 1940s, with a 12cm dome and a medium brim of 6.5cm. The Bogart edition is made from Jorasse palette brushed felt, the grosgrain band being much wider than today’s typical Fedora styles. Inside the satin lining is etched one of Bogart’s most famous quotes, ‘At heart I am a lovable character’.
Today I am trying to convince the staff at Borsalino that at heart I am a lovable character, for I am here to commission a made-to-measure Fedora with a nod to Humphrey Bogart. Many of my vast collection of hats are already Fedoras, ranging from soft cream colours to jet-black, all with contrasting bands, my own particular preference. I usually have the band changed if it is in the same colour as the hat. Today, for once, I can choose this feature from the very start. Marco and Maddalena immediately seem reassured when I enter their shop wearing a vintage grey Fedora.
First of all my hat size is established through trying on various existing hats on display. This also gives me a chance to assess the three brim widths on offer, deciding eventually that the widest brim has more elan than the others. Marco agrees, saying that he thinks I can carry off the wider brim. Given a choice between a rabbit/hare combo or beaver for the body of the hat. Once informed that beaver is higher quality and is also better at keeping off the rain, reader, I choose beaver.
His colleague Maddalena then shows me the huge selection of grosgrain bands available. Having chosen a black hat, the band must, in my opinion, be of a lighter colour. Among the greys there is one that has a touch of green in it, and Marco observes the green of my eyes and declares this to be the right band for me.
And so to the lining. Silk, naturally. Greys and browns are the classic colours inside a black hat, although when I flashed the scarlet lining on my suit, the staff said that red lining was also available. ‘When you collect your hat from the cloakroom,’ Marco points out, ‘there will be no possibility of someone else taking your hat.’ Maddalena also points out that the inside of one’s hat should never be seen, which is why you carry it placed against your chest with the lining facing towards you. ‘It’s an intimate place, the inside of your hat. Your own sweat is there, so a gentleman never lets anyone see the inside of his hat.’ These Borsalino people are as well informed as I had expected them to be.
So red for the lining, and a black leather band on the inside. Gold or silver is offered for the logo stamped on the leather, and then, a final detail, the font for one’s engraved initials may be chosen. Naturally I choose the cursive font based on Guiseppe Borsalino’s own handwriting. The initials may be placed, instead, on the exterior bow of the band, but we all agreed that this would be a touch vulgar, like having monogrammed shirt pockets.
The final addition is a length of elastic attached to the band, which connects to the lapel of one’s jacket, preventing it from flying off in high winds. I wasn’t expecting to wear this Fedora in the hurricanes of Key Largo, but better not to take any chances. The Borsalino Fedora will take around eight weeks to manufacture, all my details being sent straight to the factory in Alessandria. We waited over a hundred years for a Borsalino hatters to open in London, so this didn’t seem too long a wait.
Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes is available to download on digital platforms
