I don't respond to these types of posts very often, due to the, what has to be, admittedly intensely personal nature of "What looks good on me?". There have been times, when I categorically disagree with droves of people on what looks good on someone(especially those, "What suits your proportions" charts that I despise), so I usually just say nothing. But, I thought I would have a go here, anyway.
I don't think the first picture is worth much, due to the angle and the lighting. The hat itself looks perfectly fine in your pictures, and I appear to have the strongest response here, when I say that you are looking fine, leaning towards good, in that hat, in my opinion. If I walked past you on the street, I would take note of your hat, perhaps tip mine as we crossed paths, and think nothing of it because it looks just fine on you.
In the natural light with that band, the hat looks pretty good, in my opinion.
In your "Last summer action shot" with the jacket and all, the hat looks like it is seating quite low, almost or actually touching your ears?
I don't think there is anything to be ashamed with here on this hat, I would wear it on occasion, if I owned it.
But, if you feel the taper is getting extreme, you have to do what you think is best. In the pictures, the taper looks the same to me, but like I said, due to the lighting and angles and all that, I can't even pretend to have an accurate say on this.
As far as the stretching but no blocking goes, there can be some signs you should look for. Dimples in the sides of the felt at the base of the crown. Drawn or collapsed sweatband on the sides from pulling. Unless they use a stretcher that has more than two sides, of course.
I don't think the first picture is worth much, due to the angle and the lighting. The hat itself looks perfectly fine in your pictures, and I appear to have the strongest response here, when I say that you are looking fine, leaning towards good, in that hat, in my opinion. If I walked past you on the street, I would take note of your hat, perhaps tip mine as we crossed paths, and think nothing of it because it looks just fine on you.
In the natural light with that band, the hat looks pretty good, in my opinion.
In your "Last summer action shot" with the jacket and all, the hat looks like it is seating quite low, almost or actually touching your ears?
I don't think there is anything to be ashamed with here on this hat, I would wear it on occasion, if I owned it.
But, if you feel the taper is getting extreme, you have to do what you think is best. In the pictures, the taper looks the same to me, but like I said, due to the lighting and angles and all that, I can't even pretend to have an accurate say on this.
As far as the stretching but no blocking goes, there can be some signs you should look for. Dimples in the sides of the felt at the base of the crown. Drawn or collapsed sweatband on the sides from pulling. Unless they use a stretcher that has more than two sides, of course.