If you happen to be fond of vintage hats,chances are you've seen lids trimmed in what is commonly referred to today asthe "Wanderer" style. That's a reference to the StetsonWanderer---a model of soft felt fedora Stetson briefly marketed under that namein the early 1950s. The Wanderer featured a medium-to-wide brim with a thingrosgrain binding and a ribbon treatment of moderate width. TheWanderer's evocative-sounding name may have made it a watchword among today'shat wearers, but it's worth noting that most hat companies---includingStetson---offered soft felt hats with similar trimmings long before and longafter the brief 50s marketing push devoted to the "Wanderer" name. In fact, lids trimmed in this manner have been aperennial favorite among hat wearers and it's easy to understand why that's thecase. A fedora styled this way offers an eminently versatile look---hatswith Wanderer-style trimmings manage to perfectly thread the needle between"formal" and "casual." Such a hat's modest ribbontreatment adorning the crown (usually between 3/4" and 1 1/4") iswide enough to look smart, but not so wide that it has the somewhat fancy lookone finds on a "dress" or "city" hat. The narrowgrosgrain brim binding (1/8-1/4") adds a dash of elegance to the hat'sprofile without looking as flashy or demonstrative as the wider swath ofgrosgrain used to trim the brim of a more formal-looking fedora like the famousStetson Whippet. This combination of casual & formal styling ensuresa Wanderer-style hat will look sharp in just about any sartorial situation.If you take a look at the websites operated by contemporary customhatters, you'll see that today's hat makers get a lot of requests for lidsstyled this way. That makes perfect sense to me---I probably have atleast a dozen vintage fedoras with similar trimmings in my own collection.The fedora profile generated by these perfectly proportioned trimmingsare sure to make anyone---even an ugly mug like me---look good.The Wanderer-style lid presently up for offers has a particularly nice streamlined profile, thanks to its slightly more narrow than usual brim width. Tags, stamps, and trimmings on this hat indicate a late 1950s production date. Around that time, more aerodynamic-looking, modestly proportioned hats were coming into vogue; that trend is reflected in this hat's moderate 2" brim. This hat's moderate profile---combined with its classic trimmings---ensure this lid will be especially versatile: a hat like this one will look nice wherever you happen to be wearing it, without seeming at all "obtrusive," if you will.This fetching design was conceived by the good folks at Resistol---one of America's most beloved 20th century hat companies. The Resistol brand is still alive `n well today, but these days,Resistol is primarily known for its western hats. Resistol always made aswell western, but during the mid-century period, the firm also offered a lineof highly regarded soft felt dress hats like the one you see here. In fact, no lessan august hat-wearer than Humphrey Bogart himself actually appeared in a seriesof Resistol ads back in the late 40s & early 50s---not long before this hatcame off the line. Celebrity endorsements were just as distressingly common backthen as they are now, but it's worth noting that Bogart wasn't nearly asendorsement-happy as some of his famous peers. Bogie actually found thepractice rather unseemly---but he agreed to appear in the Resistol ads becausehe actually wore `em and liked `em, buster.Once you have this splendid Resistol in hand, you'll have no troubleunderstanding Bogie's fondness for the brand: this is a beautifullyfashioned hat in every respect. For the record, Resistol referred to this particular model as the "Bentley." I'd say this swell hat is worthy of the air of high-toned elan suggested by that name. This hat makes the most of those classic "Wanderer" trimmings, and it's in nice shape, to boot! Best of all, this Resistol Bentley is blocked in a hard-to-find larger size! If this sharp-looking Resistol has caught your fancy, read on for all the pertinent specs & condition details:Size & Dimensions: Factory data tag attached to the rear of the sweatband lists the size as 7 3/8 (see last pic). I measure the internal circumference (hard to do with absolute accuracy) as around 22 7/8" or so. This hat is a bit too loose on my size 7 1/4 noggin, so I thought I would pass it on to a gent with a slightly larger cranium than my own.Brim measures 2" wide; it's finished with the aforementioned narrow grosgrain binding. Crown as creased measures 4 7/8" tall at highest point. Grosgrain ribbon adorning the crown is 1" wide.Condition: The fur felt finish on this Bentley lives up to its hoity-toity name. The felt is soft, smooth, supple, and luxurious to the touch. Youcan shape the brim & crown into your favorite fedora crease/configurationwith ease. Although the felt is quite soft, it also somehow feels dense& substantial at the same time. That's a sure-fire sign of premium-qualityvintage felt. This evident density indicates that the time, effort, andexpense was taken to ensure the felt's fur fibers were closely interlaced---or"densely felted." The extensive rendering & finishingprocess required to create a felt hat body like this one produced hats thatwere both soft & durable; felt like this retains its shape & textureafter exposure to wear and the elements in a way no modern hat can equal.Today's economies of scale would make producing hat bodies like this prohibitivelyexpensive for modern hat companies. In short: they don't make `emlike this anymore, fellas.The hat looks pretty clean overall: I don't see any significant signs of wear or handling. I'm sure the chap who originally purchased this Bentley wore his hat a bit, but I don't see any evidence of heavy wear or abuse. No stains, blemishes, or indications of insect activity. If you're looking for a bit of "new hat sparkle," I think an ordinary clean & block is all it would take to get you there. Personally, I think this Bentley looks mighty good as is!The felt is rendered in an attractive shade of light grey the hat's data tag refers to as "Nubud." I'm not quite sure what Resistol meant by that, but this looks to me like a pretty standard light grey with some warm undertones---I'd call it sort of a "granite" color. The grosgrain trimmings are a somewhat lighter burnished silvery color, which lends the hat's profile a nice bit of contrast. This is a pleasing color combination that should match up nicely with a lot of the items in your spring wardrobe. I've taken the photos in natural light without flash in order to provide the best possible representation of these fetching colors.Inside the hat, the leather sweatband is still soft & flexible; it exhibits nothing more than a little mild wear. Stitching is tight. The Resistol "Self-Conforming" logo (a reference to Resistol's patented sweatband fitment designed to enhance the wearer's comfort) is embossed in the leather & filled in with brown ink. "Glosser Bros. Johnstown, Pa" (the name & location of the hat's original retailer) is stamped in gold on the leather. The white satin liner is clean & the clear plastic protector over the Resistol crest in the crown tip is intact.