Brim Trim - Will 1/8" Make a Noticeable Difference?

[Scooterz]

I definitely am not aiming for the stingy look (which, like you, I can appreciate at times, but is not for me) I just feel that a 2 1/4" will look 2 3/8"+ on me, and so on. I guess I'd say I'm lanky though average height, and my face isn't narrow but angular (?). And even small button up shirts are too loose for my liking in almost any brand. My proportions must just be odd

Maybe I'll spend some more time obsessively looking over the photos and videos I've taken to see if I can convince myself it is okay as is. Haha

You (like all of us) are paying a lot more attention to how a hat looks on you than anyone else is. If people seem to looking or staring a little bit, the odds are they just see a guy wearing a hat not the brim width unless it's really big or something. Some people are looking to try to figure out what kind of hat that is. Many people are a little surprised to see someone wearing something other than a ball cap. When I wear hats out in public, especially ones I am a little hesitant about, someone will usually say that they like my hat.

 

[belfastboy]

You know, I deal with a wide range of folks. I’ve noticed that some people are offended and taken aback when asked if they use drugs. They answers an unequivocal, and to themselves truthful, “No.” If you asked those same folks when they last used marijuana they’d say earlier in the day. There really is a disconnect here.

As for me, I don’t consider those who use illicit stimulants or narcotics “stoners.” I’m not saying that Kevin falls in either group. He’s just...amped and twitchy...maybe a switch to decaf?

Rather than a judgement on the person of Kevin my remark about him was apropos his demeanour. He just reminds me of stoner acquaintances /....."not that there is anything wrong with that." He is my favourite stoner hat guy.....my only stoner hat guy....but still my favourite.

 

[Deeeluxe Definitely]

You (like all of us) are paying a lot more attention to how a hat looks on you than anyone else is. If people seem to looking or staring a little bit, the odds are they just see a guy wearing a hat not the brim width unless it's really big or something. Some people are looking to try to figure out what kind of hat that is. Many people are a little surprised to see someone wearing something other than a ball cap. When I wear hats out in public, especially ones I am a little hesitant about, someone will usually say that they like my hat.

You raise good points. I try not to let it influence my decisions much, but thus far I've received a lot of compliments on my hat. Those to whom I've mentioned trimming it down are rather against the idea.

It looks pretty great on videos, good in the mirror, but weird and wide at certain angles in photos. When I look down it makes my face look small.

I'd rather the hat not detract from my face but rather complement my style. Hmm

 

[Rmccamey]

Your body, and your head, is almost always in motion. If the hat looks good at some angles and not so good at other angles, perhaps you are being over-critical. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it is just a hat.

You raise good points. I try not to let it influence my decisions much, but thus far I've received a lot of compliments on my hat. Those to whom I've mentioned trimming it down are rather against the idea.

It looks pretty great on videos, good in the mirror, but weird and wide at certain angles in photos. When I look down it makes my face look small.

I'd rather the hat not detract from my face but rather complement my style. Hmm

 

[Frunobulax]

He’s too amped up to be a stoner. He looks like the guy who decides to rebuild his car’s engine in his front yard at 2:00 a.m.

Wait. Meth heads and speed freaks aren't "stoners" any more?

"Tweakers."

 

[Zombie_61]

"Tweakers."

In my day "tweakers" were a specific subset of drug users who preferred the chemical-based influences that made them feel overly energized and want to go and clean out the garage...or "clean out" someone else's garage.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Rather than a judgement on the person of Kevin my remark about him was apropos his demeanour. He just reminds me of stoner acquaintances /....."not that there is anything wrong with that." He is my favourite stoner hat guy.....my only stoner hat guy....but still my favourite.

I didn’t mean to imply that you were making assumptions or judgments for Kevin.

He has some entertainment value, but his mannerisms and rambling disjointed lectures are exhausting to me.

 

[Frunobulax]

In my day "tweakers" were a specific subset of drug users who preferred the chemical-based influences that made them feel overly energized and want to go and clean out the garage...or "clean out" someone else's garage.

Yes, and these days usually referring to meth-heads.

 

[belfastboy]

I didn’t mean to imply that you were making assumptions or judgments for Kevin.

He has some entertainment value, but his mannerisms and rambling disjointed lectures are exhausting to me.

I keep trying but cannot watch past the 45 second mark.

 

[Deeeluxe Definitely]

I love Kevin's videos; I learned so much from him. He also helped me with a free hat steaming! Awesome guy.

I can see where he is the opposite side of the spectrum from the general mindset here. In his most recent video he referred to 2 1/2" brims as (direct quote) "a little overdone, a little costumey, a little too much." Haha

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I love Kevin's videos; I learned so much from him. He also helped me with a free hat steaming! Awesome guy.

I can see where he is the opposite side of the spectrum from the general mindset here. In his most recent video he referred to 2 1/2" brims as (direct quote) "a little overdone, a little costumey, a little too much." Haha

Kevin is definitely more hipster/rocker than film noir. His business is also selling hats. Selling the hats that his company has in stock. Selling hats that tend to be offered more in stingy(ish) brims. If you’re surrounded by mostly 1 3/4 to 2 1/4” brims all day then a 2 1/2” brim might look huge. I’m sure Kevin knows a lot about modern hats and some about hats in general so if his aesthetic is what you’re after then he is someone to listen to. I don’t share his taste so I look elsewhere for inspiration. My preferences continue to evolve and expand too: I like most all styles of brimmed hats in varying degrees.

 

[crawlinkingsnake]

I love Kevin's videos; I learned so much from him. He also helped me with a free hat steaming! Awesome guy.

I can see where he is the opposite side of the spectrum from the general mindset here. In his most recent video he referred to 2 1/2" brims as (direct quote) "a little overdone, a little costumey, a little too much." Haha

Kevin may be somewhat of a "dude" but granted I also enjoy his videos. Also I'm perfectly ok with a 2 1/2" brim. So when it comes to cut or not cut.... my advise is "tread softly". Don't make any rash decisions (yet). Put the hat on your head, wear it for a while. Wheather that be a week, a month or months then see how you feel. Give it a chance first.

 

[Deeeluxe Definitely]

So when it comes to cut or not cut.... my advise is "tread softly". Don't make any rash decisions (yet). Put the hat on your head, wear it for a while. Wheather that be a week, a month or months then see how you feel. Give it a chance first.

That is good advice. I've been wearing it out and about for a month or so, have more than a hundred photos and ten or so videos and have spent a lot of time looking in the mirror. At this point I'm certain it at least needs to be taken down the smallest amount (to 2 3/8") if not all the way to 2 1/4". I have edited photos to approximate a slightly narrower brim, and I think it makes for a better balance with the crown height and with my face/body proportions.

Now to find someone with the right tool (Boston brim cutter) who has used it many times. I wouldn't trust anyone with taior's scissors, and I wouldn't trust someone who hasn't used the tool enough.

I know I sound particular; it's just I'm the type to have one thing and have it for life. (I would rather get it right straigt away and then be good to go.) Once I found what sunglasses suit me best, I have stuck with them and no other style. I definitely understand the appeal of collecting. But with something like a hat or sunglasses or my boots, I have them as mainstays of my style and then come up with all manner of outfits to work with them. Unorthodox maybe, but it's how I developed my style (which at this point is completely established and will probably evolve gradually as time goes on).

 

[jlee562]

...what's a Boston brim cutter? You talking about the little silver things?

The normal hatter's tool is a rounding jack. It's the tool in the center of this pic

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Most hatters use a rounding jack and not a Boston Brim Cutter. Rounding jacks are a lot more expensive but they are also a lot more versatile. It’s not rocket science and you actually can get good, if slow, results with scissors and some sandpaper.

Brother, it seems to me that you are an obsessive sort and something of a perfectionist. That’s cool. It also sounds like you had your mind made up and that you want to trim back your brim. That’s also cool. If that’s what you want, I say go for it. In the end it’s just a hat. There isn’t anything magical about them. I personally don’t think that 1/8” of brim is going to bring everything together in perfect harmony and fit your face shape perfectly. I think you’re way overthinking it. You have received some advice and some ideas, but it seems like you know what you want so why not pull the trigger? I hope you decide to post some photos so we can see the outcome. I also hope you stick around because we need new/more members and new contributions.

Full disclosure: I’m your opposite number. I have five or six pairs of sunglasses I rotate through. I wear stingy brims, wide brim fedoras, Homburgs, western dress hats, western “cowboy” hats, Panama hats, milan hats, polypropylene “straw” hats, hemp hats, wool caps, linen caps, and it goes on. I love diversity and I enjoy options. I’m not much of a fan of black hats, but I own a dozen including at least three customs. I’m convinced that there isn’t one perfect hat or one perfect set of dimensions/proportions for me.

We have a oft repeated saying here: you wear the hat and don’t let the hat wear you. Much more than 1/8 or 1/4 inch of brim width, it’s about you liking the hat and you being comfortable under it. It’s just a hat, and there aren’t any absolute rights or wrongs.

 

[dkstott]

Just a little bit of a thought;

Almost no one has the physical build to pull off a 10 gallon hat. It's all about the attitude while wearing it.
The same thing applies to brim width. No one is going to notice if your brim is 2 inches or 2 1/2 inches. It's all about your attitude while wearing the hat.

 

[Frunobulax]

Is it comfortable?

Stop looking in the mirror and wear the hat.

 

[Snowman]

Figured I’d contribute my two cents worth, since that’s what we do here.

I think everybody has their “ideal” brim size. For me, it’s somewhere around 2 1/2”. I have bought a couple of 2” brim hats, and I have a 3”, and everything in between, but that sweet spot for me is right at 2 1/2”. That being said, I have a 2 3/4” that I love, and I also have a couple of 2 1/4” hats that suit me really well. I have passed on some really nice hats because they were less than 2 1/4, and even a 2 1/4 that just looked small to me.

My point is, I have an aesthetic in my head that works for me. I really don’t care so much about what anyone else thinks, and I lost the self-consciousness of “does this make my head look small” long ago. I have some hats that see more wear than others simply because I like them more, and I have some that may collect some dust. Aaannnd still I continue that search for my elusive perfect hat...

 

[Deeeluxe Definitely]

I think everybody has their “ideal” brim size.

Exactly what I think. I'm simply looking to fine tune a hat that is otherwise perfect for me (it fits better than any I've ever tried on, the felt is thick but soft and pliable, the crown height and bash shape are perfect [though I think the crown would be better suited to a slightly narrower brim]). Instead of continuing the search, I'd just like to hone what I have already.

2-1/4" should be just right for my proportions and what I'm going for - closer to full than stingy (on me, of course, not necessarily anyone reading this) while being versatile enough to be worn with the various dressier outfits I wear (i.e. with the trench coat, or with just the blazer, or just the vest, etc)

 

[jlee562]

If I were going to chop 1/4" off a hat for some reason, I would also have it reflanged.

Just sayin.