Brim up or Brim Down

[Yeps]

I think JD's has a slightly "gangster" curve to the brim, similar to something Al Capone would have worn.

Generally, we call that the hollywood brim, in reference to some period ad or another. I am a big fan of it, and wear my hats that way pretty often.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I tried the brim up look...I just looked like a goof. So, it's brim down for me. If I want a more casual look, I'll tilt the hat back a bit.

I've seen other fellows wearing the brim up, though, and they look just fine.

I believe you summed up how I am 100%...

 

[Herzen]

This is actually a point of contention between the wife and me. She insists that ALL of my hats look better on me with the brim down, where I feel that many of them look better with the brim up. I don't really know why. It seems to suit me better. I wear most of my hats both ways, depending on my mood and the weather, but I have a couple that I ONLY wear brim up.

My Penman is one of them:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Sam Craig]

This is actually a point of contention between the wife and me. She insists that ALL of my hats look better on me with the brim down, where I feel that many of them look better with the brim up. I don't really know why. It seems to suit me better. I wear most of my hats both ways, depending on my mood and the weather, but I have a couple that I ONLY wear brim up.

My Penman is one of them:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

See?

Based on this picture, I am sure this hat looks best, brim up ... AT the very least, it looks more congenial with the brim up.

It's just a happy look.

And a great hat, too!

Sam

 

[Alan-Eby]

If you see me wearing a fedora it will probably have the brim turned up. It seems to fit me a bit better.

 

[Sam Craig]

My older sister found me a great long finish gray Mallory this year. It look like the Mallory ad for 1940. Nice hat. Wide brim. Medium ribbon and every so often I like to wear it with a dressy Hawaiian shirt and dress slacks and when I do I wear the brim up, because it looks more casual.

But when I wear that hat with a sports coat and tie, I always wear the brim down in front, up in back ... it's just dressier.

I believe they marketed them that way back then ... up all around, down all around, or up in back and down in front.

Sam

 

[danofarlington]

I try the brim up where it works. But whereas the likes of Al Pacino and FDR look good brim up, I seldom do. It's kind of for a macho, confident man. Italian Mafia types (in movies) often wear brim up. On them, it looks good. On me, not so much.

 

[MCrider]

Like others here have stated, the brim up just doesn't work for me. I end up looking like a Red Skelton character. But my teenage son can pull off the brim up and looks good doing it. I think it has to do with face structure. I'm a bit fuller in the face than he is.

 

[Tomasso]

I've always worn mine down. Probably influenced by the men in my family who wore theirs down.

 

[Dronak]

FWIW, for whatever reason, I thought that turning the brim down in the front and up in the back was the usual way to wear fedoras. I guess wearing it up in front would be fine, too, depending on how it looks on you and the general look you're going for with the hat. I only have one fedora that fits well now, and it's down in front, up in back, and I'm fine with that.

 

[Sam Craig]

I try the brim up where it works. But whereas the likes of Al Pacino and FDR look good brim up, I seldom do. It's kind of for a macho, confident man. Italian Mafia types (in movies) often wear brim up. On them, it looks good. On me, not so much.

I have always been amazed that with the incredible care that was taken in all three Godfather movies, as to costuming, especially for Pacino, that the one scene where he makes a statement with a hat is when he and Kay are reintroduced after he comes back from Sicily in the first film. He's wearing a homburg that looks like it's about three sizes too big for him.

That is one example where I would suggest brim down ... in the back of the car and stop off at the local hat shop.

BTW ... Rocky wore his brim up.

Just sayin' ...

Today I came into the office for a couple hours, getting out Sunday's paper, and I wore my great gray Mallory and a Hawaiian shirt (pants, too, of course) ... The brim is UP!

Sam

 

[alanfgag]

2 1/8" brim with significant curl, worn up. A slight tug down front and back helps I think.

 

[BR Gordon]

2 1/8" brim with significant curl, worn up. A slight tug down front and back helps I think.

The slight dip in the front makes all the difference. I don't normally like the brim up, but this one looks really good.

 

[danofarlington]

The slight dip in the front makes all the difference. I don't normally like the brim up, but this one looks really good.

Yeah, but he tends to carry it off well no matter what.

 

[Sam Craig]

Alan ...

That is exactly what I'm talkin' about.

I keep hearing .. from people who don't wear hats ... that women and kids are intimidated by hat wearers.
I figure it's our naturally masculine and magnetic personalities ... but it could also be that we don't put the brim up and smile!

Give it a shot,

Sam

 

[Sam Craig]

Wearing my willow green Camp Draft today ... that's the way it's spelled in the sweatband ... and it is one of those hats that, in my opinion, looks just as good with the brim up or down.

I wore it down driving from the church to the office this AM because it was pointing right into the sun.

Wearing it brim up in the office because it still keeps the florescent light out of my eyes and also looks cool, to me at least.

Sam

 

[hatophile]

The slight dip in the front makes all the difference. I don't normally like the brim up, but this one looks really good.

Very hip-looking Alan, and I mean in a good way!

 

[marshack]

I've been trying to get the perfect "brim up" look for myself. I like the casual look and feel I look like I'm taking myself too serious when I wear it down.

Here's a James Taylor look that I'm trying to recreate.

 

[Sam Craig]

I've been trying to get the perfect "brim up" look for myself. I like the casual look and feel I look like I'm taking myself too serious when I wear it down.

Here's a James Taylor look that I'm trying to recreate.

That shot of James Taylor is like the great pics of Johnny Depp ... they are discouraging in that they are utilizing a very singular vintage hat.
In this case, it's especially singular because of its texture with the really long finish.

That is also encouraging, too, though. You don't have to come up with huge bucks for a custom hat. You just have to be diligent long enough to find the original and then fix it up to wear.

This one is expecially nice, however and it looks great, brim up.

Sam

 

[harty]

I am another person that wears mine either way. Up is a bit more casual...but my "casual" is a bit dressier than others! I do notice that when I wear brim down I tend to tug it down a little more in back, whereas up looks better on my head roughly parallel to the ground.