fur felt hat shrinkage, brim too?

[NukeMeSlowly]

I have a Stetson navy fedora I bought about 7 years ago from the Henri Henri shop in Montreal. I have worn it infrequently over the years and it has spent most of its life in a hat box in a bedroom closet - definitely not exposed to extremes in temperature.

I would swear when I bought it that the brim size was at least 2 1/4 inches, maybe more. But I when I pulled it out yesterday to try it on, not only has the crown seemingly shrunk (the taper is much more pronounced than I recall or pictures of me wearing it years ago would indicate) but the brim now measures just barely two inches.

Couple of questions:

Is this a "normal" occurence?

I know that a hat crown can be stetched/shaped back to size but can a brim be similarly restored?

 

[warbird]

The size of the hat can shrink. But in general no, I don't think the crown has shrunk and if it hasn't gotten wet I doubt it has tapered. The size of the brim is pretty much fixed by the hat making process. If the brim had shrunk the hat would no longer have the crease between the crown and brim.

Perhaps your personal proportions have changed? A gain in weight can make a brim seem smaller, vice versa for losing weight.

Most likely you have the phenomenon many of us have had over the years. As you see old style fedoras such as many on here have or a new one in an old style, and as you read and learn more about hats your newer fur felt hats all of a sudden seem to have a lot of taper, seem to have a low crown and seem to be awfully stingy brimmed in many cases. In most cases it is you and your perceptions that have changed, not the hat.

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

The size of the hat can shrink. But in general no, I don't think the crown has shrunk and if it hasn't gotten wet I doubt it has tapered. The size of the brim is pretty much fixed by the hat making process. If the brim had shrunk the hat would no longer have the crease between the crown and brim.

Perhaps your personal proportions have changed? A gain in weight can make a brim seem smaller, vice versa for losing weight.

Most likely you have the phenomenon many of us have had over the years. As you see old style fedoras such as many on here have or a new one in an old style, and as you read and learn more about hats your newer fur felt hats all of a sudden seem to have a lot of taper, seem to have a low crown and seem to be awfully stingy brimmed in many cases. In most cases it is you and your perceptions that have changed, not the hat.

I suppose this is possible but I am not sure.

I actually weigh less than when I originally got the hat. And yet, the old photos (of me wearing the hat) I pulled up on my pc look markedly different compared to what I see in the mirror presently with the hat on. I am speaking specifically of my perception of the difference between the crown shape/taper and the apparent brim size then and now.

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

The size of the brim is pretty much fixed by the hat making process. If the brim had shrunk the hat would no longer have the crease between the crown and brim.

Can you elaborate on this point?

 

[Brent Hutto]

I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with Nuke's shrinking hat but yesterday when I took a first look at my big ol' Borsalino Alessandria in the mirror I couldn't believe such a massive crown would actually be wearable, day in and day out. Then an hour later I put my tapered Christy's Marlborough on my head and couldn't believe I ever wore such an ugly, tapered monstrosity.

But whichever one has been on there for an hour or two starts seeming "normal" enough. Perhaps it will always be a bit jarring to switch from one to the other. But anyway, that's no help with the original shrinking question. Sorry...

 

[AlterEgo]

Your hat is possessed by satanic forces that have visibly warped it into a noticeably different form.

This sometimes happens when a hat is left unattended for long periods of time. In the absence of love and attention, a hat becomes vulnerable to The Dark Side, in which Belzebub and his--or her, to be politically correct--black angels enter the hat and abscond its soul.

The appearance of the hat is the least of your problems. In short order, expect the hat to hiss, bark, howl, rotate round and round, break all glass in the vicinity, cause your home to tilt and rumble, and eject smelly revolting exputa in your general direction. You have seen "The Exorcist," right?

It's practically impossible to find a good exorcism priest these days as so many have given it up for mamby-pamby stuff like weddings, last rights, first rights, middle rights, and funerals. And then there's confessions--ten times more stimulating than the most lurid edition of Lifestyles of the Naked & Naughty and far easier than exorcisms. I mean, what would you do if you were in such a line of work?

But if you're lucky enough to find a man or woman of the cloth who still does the tough stuff, it's gonna COST YA--big time!

I would therefore suggest immediately dragging your hat into bright sunshine, driving a wooden stake through it's heart, and burning it at the stake at high noon. That'll do it. Well, probably.

Please post a few photos here when you do.

 

[steveforse]

I agree with AlterEgo. I had that happen to an old pair of tennis shoes one time.

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

dumb jokes aside...

Anyone have any concrete information to provide regarding my questions? It would be appreciated

 

[gtdean48]

Anyone have any concrete information to provide regarding my questions? It would be appreciated

The period you purchased that Stetson was not one of the their "up" periods of quality. Modern felt is not "aged" like in vintage days & has a lot of "gaps" in the felt that over time will tighten up. Even the humidity of the closet air could moisten the felt & going thru the seasons, with central heat running in the winter, dry out. This will cause felt fibers to form tighter bonds that typically happened during ageing process before shaping & sizing into a hat. Your hat continued "felting" while stuck in the box in the closet...
That's my story & I'm sticking to it...

 

[Lefty]

my favorite

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

But can I get it back?

The period you purchased that Stetson was not one of the their "up" periods of quality. Modern felt is not "aged" like in vintage days & has a lot of "gaps" in the felt that over time will tighten up. Even the humidity of the closet air could moisten the felt & going thru the seasons, with central heat running in the winter, dry out. This will cause felt fibers to form tighter bonds that typically happened during ageing process before shaping & sizing into a hat. Your hat continued "felting" while stuck in the box in the closet...
That's my story & I'm sticking to it...

So, could the brim theoretically be stretched back to size?
A pertinent question because "getting back" that 1/4 inch of brim is the difference between me keeping or ditching this hat.

 

[Bill Greene]

Is it possible that one's head can grow so large as to skew the perception of a hat? [huh]

 

[gtdean48]

A hatter could make the brim wider but at the expensive of crown size, I guess. I've stretched some hats about 1 size, 7 1/2 to 7 5/8, but never bothered about lengthening a brim, only trimming them down. If it shrunk that much, I don't think it is worth sending off. JMHO...

 

[zetwal]

So, could the brim theoretically be stretched back to size? A pertinent question because "getting back" that 1/4 inch of brim is the difference between me keeping or ditching this hat.

I'd say get another hat. Get one that has and will hold the shape and proportions that you want. Just my opinion ...

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

I'd say get another hat. Get one that has and will hold the shape and proportions that you want. Just my opinion ...

I know that is the sensible solution (and one I am already engaged in) but I would still wear this hat if the $#@%ing brim was just a bit wider. lol

 

[gtdean48]

I know that is the sensible solution (and one I am already engaged in) but I would still wear this hat if the $#@%ing brim was just a bit wider. lol

I know how you feel. If my 2 5/8 inch brim went sub-2 inches, I'd be highly miffed & moving on...

 

[johnnycanuck]

As for the shrinkage, it could be a bad batch of felt. It could be some moisture got to it at some point in time. It could be anything. I personally have a Robert Hall that tapered over time, just sitting there [huh] . In the end it sounds like you are not happy with it anymore and need to decide if you are going to send it off to be fixed or just replace it.
Fixing it may cost as much as $150. If you really love the hat it may be worth it to get it done. If not then just replace it. There is a lot of information about brands and durability on the lounge. With a little reading you will find that a modern Stetson shrinking is not going to be a surprise to anyone. My two cents worth.
Johnny