Brim Width and Head Size

[Rottweiler]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

One question: do you want to stand out, or blend into the crowd?

Stand out, for sure. I think that's inevitable when dressing appropriately for the weather these days. Here's my typical look outdoors October to May (the rainy season):

So looking flashy is no matter. I just want a hat to be functional, dapper, and not make my face look too small.

And since you like Akubras don't forget the Squatter (3" brim) or the Campdraft ( the official Akubra here)

I've been eying the Squatter, since messing with the Fed IV made me never want to go back to pre-creased crowns.

But as to a 4" brim, I would say at that point you have to curve the brim upward to avoid looking like an umbrella, and then we're talking about a cowboy hat more than a fedora.

That's a concern for me, not because I'm adverse to the cowboy look, but because the face shape chart strongly recommends against the upward side curl with big ears.

@scottyrocks: I don't think it looks monstrous on you at all. The tall crown with off-center pinch would give you a Shadow look if it was black. What did you cut it to?

For most people, four inches would be way too much brim for a fedora style hat. Westerns come in a myriad of shapes and styles. If you want to go that wide find the western style that works best for you.

That's what I'm attempting. If you look at period photographs, a Western hat could have any sort of bash (no surprise, since they were sold open!) and the side curl was uncommon. By the Golden Era, you had Tom Mix and Hollywood standardizing the shape. I think any other authentic shape would have to be paired with wool trousers, white shirt, a vest, and good western boots like Lucchese Classics to be carried off.

No one can pull off a four inch brim in anything short of a Tom Mix Stetson or a Pancho Villa sombrero

Not even Wild Bill Hickok?

(Note how already in the Victorian era, well-dressed men knew to match lapel widths to their brims!)

 

[DanielJones]

Well, you wouldn't want to mess with or comment on Wild Bill's hat, you might have gotten your self shot.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Sam Craig]

Hickok and Cody paved the way for the Tom Mixers

Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp opened the door for Phillip Marlow and led to our fedora-obsession

In fact, late in life, Masterson wore a pretty decent fedora

Hickok had the handicapped of being killed in 1876

Cody dressed the part he played and kept the widebrim, wearing it well

I believe they'd all have agreed, however, that 4 inches is too much for a fedora

Sam

 

[MCGMB]

What's the biggest brim that's not too "big"

Here's a question that I can't seem to find an answer to by searching.

I'm relatively new to the hat thing, having recently bought a Stetson Chatham (Sage) and Temple (Mink) that I think are just the greatest.

But as the warmer weather is approaching, I'm thinking about getting something that does a great job of shading the sun, without looking unusually large. Not that there's anything wrong with something like a big country hat, I may eventually get one, but for a variety of reasons, in a casual urban (or suburban) setting, I just don't think I'd feel completely at ease with that right now.

Additionally, which color might minimize the perception of brim size? My gut feeling on that is something lighter and more neutral, but how much lighter, and which neutral color? The hat's use would be primarily casual, with jeans or khakis and the like.

My first idea on something that would work pretty well is the Akubra Banjo Paterson in Heritage Fawn with its 2.75" brim. But are there others that might be a better choice? And is there a hat with a 3" brim (or larger) that just doesn't look as big as its measurment?

This is a great site and have had hours of enjoyment reading through old threads.

 

[Buggnkat]

I think more so color is your own body dimensions. Wide shoulders and a more round type face can make a wide brim seem small not so wide. Where as a long slender face with a narrow shoulders make even a relatively narrow brim seem large.

 

[MCGMB]

Yeah, I agree on the body dimensions. I have roundish face, and it does seem I can get away with a wider brim because of it.

This prompts another thought -- the dimensions of the hat itself, apart from the brim. It seems a taller, broader, perhaps straighter, crown would make the brim seem a bit smaller than it is. But which hat brand & model optimizes this to the greatest effect?

 

[Rick Blaine]

:rofl:

 

[jlee562]

Yeah, I agree on the body dimensions. I have roundish face, and it does seem I can get away with a wider brim because of it.

This prompts another thought -- the dimensions of the hat itself, apart from the brim. It seems a taller, broader, perhaps straighter, crown would make the brim seem a bit smaller than it is. But which hat brand & model optimizes this to the greatest effect?

IMHO, the taller and straighter the crown, the "bigger" the entire hat looks. Think about a typical cowboy hat. Those are tall, straight crowns.

 

[Otateral]

:rofl:

That's a frightening set of images there LOL

 

[Chepstow]

:rofl:

Rick, thats a brim!!:eeek:

 

[gtdean48]

.... But are there others that might be a better choice? And is there a hat with a 3" brim (or larger) that just doesn't look as big as its measurment?

This is a great site and have had hours of enjoyment reading through old threads.

I have a few 3" brimmed OR styled hats including this Stetson 100.
I am used to wide brims & really don't care to go less than a 2 5/8" brim width.
I have a Knox 20 & Marathon OR clones both with 3" brims.
It is what you get comfortable with....

 

[TipTop]

:rofl:

Let me guess: you wear a 58Long (with some shoulder padding)....



Here's a full-length of me (6'3"/46L) but not broad-shouldered, in full western :

 

[scottyrocks]

For those of you thinking that westerns are even more 'out of place' than fedoras, for many years, in even the metro NYC area, I saw way more western/cowboy hats than I ever saw fedoras, and probably still do. This is not to say that everyone should be more comforatble in any one item, but, as in so many aspects of society, there is 'safety in numbers.'

I believe the original question here was about brom width. While it is true that the shape of the wearer's head and facial features have a lot to do with what will 'look good.' the hat itself, meaning its other parts, also play a role. How a brim with will look any you is influenced by teh size and shape of a hat's crown, as well as its band or ribbon. This is why trying hats on is so important.

If you go into a hat shop, and everything you try on looks 'wrong,' let's say the crowns are too tapered as is the case these days with most new hats sold in stores, then when looking on line, one would know to focus on hats with less tapered crowns, whether new or vintage. This doesn't mean you'll always get your perfect hat, but at least you'll be moving in the right direction for yourself.

 

[MCGMB]

I have a few 3" brimmed OR styled hats including this Stetson 100.
I am used to wide brims & really don't care to go less than a 2 5/8" brim width.
I have a Knox 20 & Marathon OR clones both with 3" brims.
It is what you get comfortable with....

That's a really really nice Stetson you have there -- both from a style and color perspective. I especially like how the ribbon and bound edge only slightly contrast with the rest of the hat. I think the OR-type just went way high on my list.

 

[Buggnkat]

For those of you thinking that westerns are even more 'out of place' than fedoras, for many years, in even the metro NYC area, I saw way more western/cowboy hats than I ever saw fedoras, and probably still do. This is not to say that everyone should be more comforatble in any one item, but, as in so many aspects of society, there is 'safety in numbers.'

I believe the original question here was about brom width. While it is true that the shape of the wearer's head and facial features have a lot to do with what will 'look good.' the hat itself, meaning its other parts, also play a role. How a brim with will look any you is influenced by teh size and shape of a hat's crown, as well as its band or ribbon. This is why trying hats on is so important.

If you go into a hat shop, and everything you try on looks 'wrong,' let's say the crowns are too tapered as is the case these days with most new hats sold in stores, then when looking on line, one would know to focus on hats with less tapered crowns, whether new or vintage. This doesn't mean you'll always get your perfect hat, but at least you'll be moving in the right direction for yourself.

Good advice Scotty!

 

[Otateral]

Problem is a western hat signifies a certain lifestyle. Living in an urban sprawl and rarely ever stepping off the pavement, its difficult to pull off a western hat. Whereas a fedora symbolizes class without a specific way of life.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Problem is a western hat signifies a certain lifestyle. Living in an urban sprawl and rarely ever stepping off the pavement, its difficult to pull off a western hat. Whereas a fedora symbolizes class without a specific way of life.

Why not try a thin ribbon w/ a brim at or less than 2 7/8"?

That always says "L.A.- John Huston in Chinatown" to me who is strictly from back east.
Western yet urbane tho' not exclusively Urban, if you see what I mean. [huh]
It may well be that very tension between the rural & urban that appeals to me about that style, particularly when re-creased from an alpine or Cattlemans' (rural) crease to a snap brim fedora (urban),- Tho' that is likely more a subject for the "thin ribbon" thread.

 

[Buggnkat]

Yeah they do convey a different attitude and lifestyle when compared to the fedora. I am seeing a rebirth of the cowboy hat in cities again. Even in NOLA I see a few moving about downtown. Even in my office building there are at least 3.

 

[Joe Rotax]

I live in a large city and wear a straw or felt cattle hat pretty much every day - I don't really see it as having anything to do with lifestyle and I'm not at all interested in western stuff it's just that I find this kind of hat to be the best option for me in the same way that jeans and a t-shirt is practical attire for everyday. Near as I can tell I don't actually have a lifestyle...lol


Tried a fedora once but they don't work for me. One thing though, I'm this close to ordering a Stetson Range which is just a cattle hat with a 3" brim instead of 4" My concern is that the 3" brim might be too small for me - any thoughts or suggestions on that ?

 

[Derek Cavin]

I love my Stetson Gun Club, with its 3 1/4 brim. The hat looks great and I think one of the keys to wearing a hat is looking comfortable and confident in it.