Brim up or Brim Down

[Sam Craig]

I have several vintage fedoras ... dressier ones ... that I am coming to enjoy wearing with the brim 'up' in the front.
They just seem 'happier' that way. I wear a hat to the office every day and around the office during the day, and it seems like they have a more 'friendly' impact with the brim up, rather than snapped down.

So what is your choice?
Up?
Or down?

Just wondering ...

Sam

 

[Neophyte]

Most of my fedoras have too severe of a flange to wear them brim up. I compromise with the Hollywood flip. I do like the look of some hats brim up, though.

Also, with my receding chin, I find that hats with the brim up, or at least hats with some kind of upward curl to them (like some of my western), are most complimentary to my face/head shape.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I wear Milan's from the 60's that way. All of my fur felts have to large of a brim for the brim up. It was considered a more youthful and carefree style in the golden era.

 

[juggles]

Long time listener, first time caller . . .

I have an old, ill-fitting Dobbs fedora (thrift store find) that I always wear with the brim up. I feels a little geeky and a little less film noir to me, and yes, more "friendly" as well. Also, I seem to get fewer snide comments about Indiana Jones from 20 year olds who don't know which direction to turn their baseball caps.

 

[gtdean48]

Snap them down to wear them & snap them up to store them....

 

[KyleK]

I'm a photographer by trade so I need to flip the brims up on my hats pretty frequently when working in order to look through the viewfinders of my cameras. All day long - up, down, up, down. Sometimes I forget and leave the brim up for extended periods of time. It can be a nice, open and humble look.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

Brim down, when wearing them, all of the time. (Brim up to store them). On my new Roughrider from Major Moore, both the front and back are down. I'm considering a John Wayne, Fort Apache look sometime down the road, but will almost certainly go brim down on that too. I'm considering a Hollywood flip on a Tony B, sometime in the future also. I've only recently starting noticing hats, March 2010 per my profile, but the hats on Tombstone on the bad guys (the cowboys) were always up, and the Earps' brims were always down. From my memory, only the Duke kep the brims up and looked respectable and manly.

Later

 

[johnnycanuck]

Brim down when wearing them. Brim up when I am not wearing them.
Johnny

 

[Edward]

Snap them down to wear them & snap them up to store them....

That's the one. A small brim, 2" or so, can look nice flipped up, but I always prefer a brim down at the front myself.

 

[Brent Hutto]

Brim down normally, brim up when the camera is rolling.

 

[HatsEnough]

I'm a downer, too.

 

[Sam Craig]

The one I am wearing today I made out of a Miller brand long finish, gold colored cowboy hat that I bought in Shanendoah, Iowa, .... Whitehill Western Wear ... back in 1976.
It had been bagged and stored and my son dug it out of the garage a couple of years ago.
I sent to work on it, losing about three inches off the brim, turning it into a nice, rather dressy looking fedora ... very '30s style ... 2 1/2 inch brim and 4 3/4 inch crown with a rich brown Petersham ribbon.
It turns out that it looks great ... I think ... with the brim up.
I also enjoy my 1940s Mallory and my Whippit that way ... and I have even work my Campdraft with the brim up

It's like wearing a smile all day, I think.

Sam

 

[Undertow]

Long time listener, first time caller...

lol

 

[Undertow]

Down.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I always wear mine down in the front, up in the front looks too Art Carney/Archie Bunker to me.

 

[HatsEnough]

... though I can see up if it is a 2 inch or less brim... which I also would never wear.

 

[monbla256]

Most of the hats I wear would not look quite "right" worn up all around, though I have worn some "down" all around. I don't even wear my Optimo creased Panama's up all around, to much like charlie Chan who I'm NOT

 

[alanfgag]

It's like wearing a smile all day, I think.

Sam

Sounds like you've found the karma, Sam.

Variety is the spice of hat life... without it, we wind up with house full of the same hat. I wear fedoras both up and down in the front... sometimes with a bit of steam to bend a little downward attitude to the front and a little upward lift to the sides. I like the look for the change of pace and enjoy the comfort of not peeking out at the world from underneath my hat.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

You can always tell if your hat is well trained, the brim will go down when your Mother in Law is around, and go flat when your wife is talking to you, and will go hella up when those hot red heads in the convertible next to you are waving....!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I always wear mine down in the front, up in the front looks too Art Carney/Archie Bunker to me.

"Norton, is that you"? I loved that show...and agree....brim slightly down....