Brims - How do you like them

[belfastboy]

I am finding that I wear my fedoras with the brim left up and it looks best with a slightly upward curve to the brim. Unless it is just 2" brim then I can handle a bit more curve for a more casual look. Even up to 2 1/2" brims I have been wearing with the brim up.

 

[moehawk]

Depends on the hat. Some of mine look best with a flatter brim, others need a bit of a flange. I let the hat tell me.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Well now with a western hat, the sides are up and front level with the back of the brim....I like a light amount of "snap" brim but my Husband likes his fedora hats to be flat on the front and a slight cup on the back of the brim.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Down in front and back - Aussie style. This protects my face and neck from the elements.

 

[Zombie_61]

Definitely curved; a relatively deep flange with the front snapped way down. I just find it more visually appealing.

 

[Michael R.]

I'm kind of like Moe , depends on the Hat . Some I leave up , some I don't snap , just add a light tug in the front (anti-Nortonize) Flange . Westerns I'm all over the place , depends on the Hat , Brim width , and Crown Height . On Fedoras , I'm not a gangster low snap guy , but I like it on others . Just me . My Strat seems to want to go down lower than I like , but if I can use my fingers and keep the trim curled up , that's the way I like it . Just hard to take it off , and get it right when I put it back on without looking in the mirror . I'm weird . ... Not into the Safari look at all .

 

[Lean'n'mean]

I'm not a fan of perfectly flat brims such as on scout & gaucho hats. Fedoras I think look best with flanged brims, a deep cup along the sides & back with a snapped down front. I quite like the western hats with strong curved sides but I wouldn't have the confidence to wear them. But what really gets the old ticker pumping, are asymmetrical brims; one side flattish & the other slightly curled, that to me is brim heaven.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

1st I like my brims to be BIG. 6" and I'm (really) happy. 3" is the lowest I can bare (well 3 1/4").

2nd Shape... flat, aussie style, with a pencil curl. Taco or shovel brim no thanks.

 

[RJR]

Down in front and back - Aussie style. This protects my face and neck from the elements.

+1

 

[WideBrimm]

For me it's always Wide Brim hats, brim down in the front and down in the back

 

[LTDAVIS]

New member but a long time reader. This is my first post and my question regards brim flanging specifically the sides of the brim. On a fedora is there a proper way for the brim to curl on the sides or is it the wearer's taste? I gathered some photos I think best explain a flatter brim on the sides to a more dramatic curl with some in between. I personally prefer some curl and do not mind lots of it.

 

[LTDAVIS]

These two photos are further examples.

 

[Who?]

That’s an interesting question.

 

[Frunobulax]

Hats are shaped by the maker in two main ways: the crown block and the brim flange. For.factoery made vintage hats, every model uses a combination of block and flange to achieve the designer's desired look.

That doesn't stop the owner from putting his mark on it as a daily wearer.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

A lot depends on the amount of flange used. It also depends on how the brim is handled over time. I’m a long oval and when I put on some regular oval hats it makes the sides of the brim curl up a lot as the tensioning is changed.

 

[belfastboy]

If you can find a picture of a vintage custom hat maker many of them had an entire wall of various blocks and flanges. For every size hat block a hatter may have upwards of 6-8 different flanges. Each one a different width form 1 7/8 on up to over 3'" and also different profiles, Some with gentle slopes while others have much steeper slopes.

This flange selected sets the amount of curl to the brim and then from there the owner can add his own personal touch...snapped down, left up, snapped off centre......

 

[jlee562]

Well, there's two different things going on here.

As has been stated above, the flange is the primary way a brim would be shaped by the maker.

Here's two of my flanges


Obviously they're different widths, hopefully you can see the difference in shape. Not sure if the highlights are helpful or no.....But the 3d printed (black) one is essentially flat, the vintage one has more curvature. Flanges used for fedoras will have the same profile all around.

The Last Crusade Indy hat on the other hand had its brim manipulated and shaped by Ford, in addition to any aging/distressing that may have been done by the costumers.

So there is some degree of shaping that can be done by hand, but if you want more curl, better to start with more curl.