Choosing the Correct Hat for your Body Type

[sammyy]

+1 Jared, you have to see you in the mirror, not you wearing a hat. Appreciate the measurements Justin!

 

[Monte]

+2. I am up early to go do some snow removal. I really should go to the "what hat are you wearing today" thread
and try to beat David and the early risers, haha. Anyway, I will NOT be wearing a suit today. I just meant for life's special events like my last b-day or my friend's wedding.
As far as the photo you've shown...can't go wrong with a dark suit, contrasting light shirt, solid tie with some type of pattern or texture to it. The hat makes it cool as far as we're all concerned.
Point being, hats can dress up what you've already got going. I wouldn't dwell on hat measurements...but this Is a Hat Club after all and these guys own a lot of vintage lids. Welcome from me too. (Oh crap it's gettin' late.)

 

[sammyy]

Fair enough aye, there is such a thing as "overdoing" something. Agreed, the hat isn't the centrepiece, rather it should compliment the entire ensemble. It certainly is getting late, time for me to hit the hay. Appreciate the welcome, see you around.

 

[gtdean48]

Welcome Sammyy!
I wear hats with every type of shirt, outfit, hoodie, vest, jacket, & coat that I wear.
I go out the door, a hat goes on my head.
Which hat is determined more about what I am going to do & what the weather is like over what garments I am wearing.
Be a hat wearer & figure out what feels comfortable to you.

 

[memphislawyer]

I also subscribe to you wear the hat, not the other way around. Also, I can not tell you how invaluable it was for me to go to a hatter and let them give you several hats to play with. I ordered an Akubra Stylemaster off the net, after I bought a Stetson Saxon locally. I tried on like 2 dozen hats and the Saxon was what looked best on me. A 2 inch brim, center dent, shorter crown. The Akubra came in and not only did I learn that a lighter color was not the best on me, but a 2 5/8" brim was way too big.

I then went up about an hour north of me to Buckaroo Hatters and Major Mike gave me an education. He again pointed out things to me and I tried on a dozen hats there. I got a 2 1/4" inch brim and maybe could go to 2 1/2 but that is about as wide as I can go. I did not think a Western hat looked all that great on me but he did. Also, coloring is important and they had me try on a chocolate brown hat and its color was scrumptuous and I am still jonesing that one.

Anyway, if you can try on hats, and let a hatter help (and like me, I took my wife) that is so much better than trying to guess. Some men here like a variety, some are confined like me to a few hats that work best (at least work best in our own mind's eye).

 

[Historyteach24]

I have been wearing fedoras for roughly three years now. It is honestly all trial and error. If you feel silly in a hat sell it on ebay. You must have confidence. When I first started wearing hats the thought of a brim over 2 1/2 terrified me now I wear a 2 7/8 campdraft quite often

 

[deanglen]

With or without branch/unit device.

dean

 

[g.durand]

This is my first post on the Lounge, but I've been wearing fedoras off and on for over 30 years. I decided a long time ago to wear what I like after deciding if the hat works for me. It's a matter of trying on a lot of them to see what works, and then going forward with the confidence that I know what I'm doing when I wear it. Sometimes I've stuck with one hat at a time for a year or two. After going hatless for the last several years, I've started collecting a few new ones. They're generally 2 1/2 to 2 5/8 inch brim, low crown fedoras, but last week I picked up an Akubra Federation IV Deluxe with a higher crown than I've worn before. I've reshaped it several times to get it to my liking, and my wife says she likes it. Yesterday I went to work wearing a Borsalino with a 3 inch brim that I bought twenty-seven years ago. It's the first time I've worn that hat in public since probably about 1990, and as soon as I put it on I knew it was the right hat for that day. And it definitely got some attention. So the point is to experiment and find what you like to wear and what looks good on you so when you put it on you know it's the one for that moment. And of course it doesn't hurt to have enough hats to be able to change your hat when you change your mood.

 

[sammyy]

Thanks for the input gentlemen. Off to the hatters then!

 

[sal]

Man, I would love that overcoat. (Road to Perdition) Anyone know what brand?

 

[sammyy]

Man, I would love that overcoat. (Road to Perdition) Anyone know what brand?

Custom tailored I believe, but there might be examples available.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...o-Perdition-Tom-Hanks-Polo-Coat-NEED-HELP!!!&

 

[barrowjh]

sammyy, brims are inherently intimidating at first. It takes some time, you have to invest in the experience itself. I didn't like beer the first time I tasted it either.

 

[BladeOfAnduril]

I've only been wearing fedoras for about 3 months. My first was a thrifted Mallory with about a 2 3/8" brim that's gray, but badly faded (uniformly though, so you can't really tell by seeing the outside). For my birthday I got a carbon grey Akubra Stylemaster, which has been my daily hat since getting it. It has a wider brim at 2.5". It was daunting. For a while I didn't feel comfortable with a brim that wide. I'm still not 100% sure I look my best in it, but I get more confident each time I wear it. Right now, I need to look into a lighter hat for the warmer months. I think I'm going to pick up something with a 2" brim to try out. It's all experimentation... plus I'm losing the battle against my urge to buy more hats! :eeek:

 

[in/y]

I posted a 1950's hat selection guide here a while back. You may find it useful too.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?40817-Selecting-The-Right-Hat-1950-Style&highlight=

 

[jthix]

I posted a 1950's hat selection guide here a while back. You may find it useful too.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?40817-Selecting-The-Right-Hat-1950-Style&highlight=

Thanks for linking back to that, in/y, I enjoyed looking through it. Love that art style, it's kind of funny.

This is the music that plays in my head when I see things like that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOZu3NiBjBk

 

[HatLoverGirl]

I want to get a Fedora hat, however, my face is so round and my hair curly and long, I am having a hard time finding a Fedora that doesn't look weird on me, any women out here who have any suggestions for me?
I wonder if I am after the wrong hat, someone suggested to give up altogether that some people are just not meant to wear hats, I can't believe that...

 

[Cornshucker77]

I want to get a Fedora hat, however, my face is so round and my hair curly and long, I am having a hard time finding a Fedora that doesn't look weird on me, any women out here who have any suggestions for me?
I wonder if I am after the wrong hat, someone suggested to give up altogether that some people are just not meant to wear hats, I can't believe that...

I think you look good with the one you're wearing in your avatar.

 

[HatLoverGirl]

I think you look good with the one you're wearing in your avatar.

Thank you! I was told the crown was a little tall, when I bought the hat I was told a taller crown is better for round faces? I get mixed opinions. I like how it looks, but I was told it didn't fit my face by a family member so I want to find something that is "correct" for my face. Maybe my family member was wrong... lol

 

[Cornshucker77]

Thank you! I was told the crown was a little tall, when I bought the hat I was told a taller crown is better for round faces? I get mixed opinions. I like how it looks, but I was told it didn't fit my face by a family member so I want to find something that is "correct" for my face. Maybe my family member was wrong... lol

I don't really worry too much about what family tells me. Of course I'm older than you and the older you get the less you care about stuff like that. LOL. If you like it wear it. There are others on here who can give you some good advice, hopefully they will chime in.

 

[Bamaboots]

I want to get a Fedora hat, however, my face is so round and my hair curly and long, I am having a hard time finding a Fedora that doesn't look weird on me, any women out here who have any suggestions for me?
I wonder if I am after the wrong hat, someone suggested to give up altogether that some people are just not meant to wear hats, I can't believe that...

First of all, welcome to the lounge. I see you've belonged for a bit but have not posted much. As Scott said, the one your wearing in your avatar looks good on you. The main thing about hat wearing is to find one you like and feel comfortable in and wear the hell out of it without consideration of what others think. As is often said around here, "wear the hat , don't let it wear you".

There are guides out that call for particular hat styles in regards to ones facial shape. I've never given them consideration and I don't think many here have either. I own and wear everything from a low crown, 2" brim hat to a 4" brim cowboy hat with a 6 1/2" open crown, creased to about 5 1/2"

Here is one such guide as an example. https://www.hats.com/face-shapes