Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

[EggHead]

Mystic, welcome. With you size as Alan suggested, your best bet at buying a good quality hat for low price is ebay. But try to go to a hat store and try some hats on and look in the mirror or better yet, take a friend with you to take photos, then examine your look in various hats styles.

Alan, I wonder about your statement above about people being smaller. I do know that 400-500 years ago people were shorter, just take a look at the beds in England for that period (I remember my legs hanging about a foot beyond the bed), but 70 years ago heads were smaller? I am not doubting you, just curious where you got that info and wonder what the reason for that was - malnutrition or lack of hormones in their diet? Cheers!

 

[alanfgag]

Alan, I wonder about your statement above about people being smaller. I do know that 400-500 years ago people were shorter, just take a look at the beds in England for that period (I remember my legs hanging about a foot beyond the bed), but 70 years ago heads were smaller? I am not doubting you, just curious where you got that info and wonder what the reason for that was - malnutrition or lack of hormones in their diet? Cheers!

I think you are spot on with your guess of nutrition and food additives.

My wife is a costume designer... I've heard her speak for many years about the challenges of matching vintage clothes to modern bodies. Directors often select a 1930s setting for a classical play and cast an army of size 48 and larger bodies that are near impossible to clothe within budget. I've always thought my size 9 shoe and size 7 head was dead on average for a five eleven medium frame. In the costumes shop, size 11 shoes are the median. The movie characters that I remember being typecast as "fat" from when I was a kid don't seem nearly as large as in my memories.

I've made no effort to support my comment with statistical research, though... they are just my impressions. There was a great photo of a swimming club posted in one of the photo threads a few months ago showing a collection of tiny early 20th century bodies... I meant to bookmark it.

 

[mayserwegener]

I know regarding vintage NOS smaller sizes are usually available because they didn't sell. I would think the average hat size was about the same in 1930s as today maybe one size down at most. Also men tended to wear hats higher (especially derbies) back then. Just my personal opinion and not based on statistical research.

 

[alanfgag]

Very interesting observation, Steve. Do you ever see a corresponding lot in an NOS lot of the largest sizes?

 

[Rodkins]

I believe that both the suggestions that Alan and Mayser have presented are partially to blame. I have wondered if the fact that the only person that can wear a smaller sized hat is a person with a smaller sized head, but more people can wear larger sized hats with or without padding has decreased the number of available larger sized hats due to them being worn versus put away.

 

[mayserwegener]

I know it is nearly impossible to find anything over 7 1/2 or 60cm so the demand must have been much lower than under 7 or 56cm.

 

[rlk]

Just because a hat can rest on your head does not alter its dimensions relative to your face. Larger sizes are wider and padding them makes them no better and sometimes more pushed out at the base of the crown. Same for stretching the base of the crown to make it larger, you are flaring the base or creating a step and the upper section is still too narrow. A re-block is another story. An article from the 20's indicated 7-1/8 was the average men's hat size at the time.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Just because a hat can rest on your head does not alter its dimensions relative to your face. Larger sizes are wider and padding them makes them no better and sometimes more pushed out at the base of the crown. Same for stretching the base of the crown to make it larger, you are flaring the base or creating a step and the upper section is still too narrow. A re-block is another story. An article from the 20's indicated 7-1/8 was the average men's hat size at the time.

What RLK said.

 

[mayserwegener]

I believe that both the suggestions that Alan and Mayser have presented are partially to blame. I have wondered if the fact that the only person that can wear a smaller sized hat is a person with a smaller sized head, but more people can wear larger sized hats with or without padding has decreased the number of available larger sized hats due to them being worn versus put away.

Sure that is factor. The high demand sizes were handed down or resold.

 

[mayserwegener]

Just because a hat can rest on your head does not alter its dimensions relative to your face. Larger sizes are wider and padding them makes them no better and sometimes more pushed out at the base of the crown. Same for stretching the base of the crown to make it larger, you are flaring the base or creating a step and the upper section is still too narrow. A re-block is another story. An article from the 20's indicated 7-1/8 was the average men's hat size at the time.

I would think that 7 1/8 isn't much off from what it would be today. I agree about padding and stretching issues but you still see it back in the day.

 

[Rodkins]

Sure that is factor. The high demand sizes were handed down or resold.

That's what I meant, Steve. I wasn't trying to say that it was a good look for people who had a size 7 1/8 head to wear a hand-me-down 7 3/8 hat, but that wouldn't stop them from wearing it.

 

[mayserwegener]

That's what I meant, Steve. I wasn't trying to say that it was a good look for people who had a size 7 1/8 head to wear a hand-me-down 7 3/8 hat, but that wouldn't stop them from wearing it.

You are 100% correct. Hats were padded and stretched back in the day. Also the way you wear a hat could factor in up or down one size. The most extreme case is how most wore Derbies back in the early 1900s.

 

[Mystic]

thanks for the responses and welcomes guys.

as to the thread direction about average hat size.....I found this on the Fedora Lounge very interesting. http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?20764-Celebrity-Hat-Sizes

 

[mayserwegener]

thanks for the responses and welcomes guys.

as to the thread direction about average hat size.....I found this on the Fedora Lounge very interesting. http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?20764-Celebrity-Hat-Sizes

Thanks! I see a large number of 7 1/4 and up.

 

[alanfgag]

Very cool link... I share a head size with Woody Allen.

Woody and I are now ready to accept that we wear a smaller than average hat.

 

[hatophile]

Wow, I share a size with Madonna! I'm such a "Material Guy":eeek:

 

[delectans]

Very cool link... I share a head size with Woody Allen.

...and I with Steve Allen. lol

Quite a few in Hollywood with big heads, it would appear!

 

[Mystic]

Thanks for the welcome.

The problem I've seen with hat sizes is different hat sizes on different size charts. My head measures 21 1/4...on some charts it would be a 6 7/8 on others a 6 5/8 or 6 3/4.
Even asking for a inside measure isn't a safe bet.....I've found that measureing the inside of a hat is not as easy as it sounds.

This question of size has been the biggest block in my buying more than a few hats I've seen. Don't want to be just feeding UPS and the USPS ordering hats and sending them back after slipping them on my head one time.....or worse beening stuck with a hat I can't wear.

Haven't found a good hat store in driving distance except one about 40 miles away (mostly straw hats)in another city. I just found out about them a couple of days ago. When I can find some extra time, maybe they can help with the problem of correct brim width, crown height and style. for me.
I'm not a big guy with a little head.....I'm a little guy with a little head. 5'7" 145 lbs. 150 lbs. after holiday feed bag.

But, I suppose there will always be a lot of trial and error involved.

 

[gtdean48]

Thanks for the welcome.

The problem I've seen with hat sizes is different hat sizes on different size charts. My head measures 21 1/4...on some charts it would be a 6 7/8 on others a 6 5/8 or 6 3/4.
Even asking for a inside measure isn't a safe bet.....I've found that measureing the inside of a hat is not as easy as it sounds.

This question of size has been the biggest block in my buying more than a few hats I've seen. Don't want to be just feeding UPS and the USPS ordering hats and sending them back after slipping them on my head one time.....or worse beening stuck with a hat I can't wear.

Haven't found a good hat store in driving distance except one about 40 miles away (mostly straw hats)in another city. I just found out about them a couple of days ago. When I can find some extra time, maybe they can help with the problem of correct brim width, crown height and style. for me.
I'm not a big guy with a little head.....I'm a little guy with a little head. 5'7" 145 lbs. 150 lbs. after holiday feed bag.

But, I suppose there will always be a lot of trial and error involved.

Buying used & especially vintage, you are going to get hats in a range of sizes & fits even if they are by the same maker & marked the same size.
Vintage hats may have drawn some due to the contraction of the leather sweatbands. Used ones will too due to sweat evaporating & taking oils out of the leather sweat causing it to draw in.
So even new hats marked a certain size may fit different = get a stretcher & some felt strips to adjust the fit.
Buy hats around the size you think you wear to open up your market supply. I'm a dead on 24"/61cm/ 7 5/8 Long Oval. I buy vintage 7 3/4 to 7 1/2, got all in my current collection & wear regularly.
I have 4 stretchers, all in use almost all the time, stretching or retaining shape.
Hat wearing is a full contact endeavor.... lots of gadgets to get & use

 

[Mystic]

A hat first or a stretcher first.....sounds like....which came first ......the chicken or the egg......

Are felt strips a viable comfortable method for adjusting a hat's size or a "just get used to it" type of temporary adjustment?

BTW....My last post before this one was supposed to be in reply to Alanfgag's post #18323.......why wasn't his comment included in my reply?

what did I do wrong??????