Question on Panama hat sizing, (Brent Black?)

[Wildblue]

So I'm in the middle of having Brent Black make me a custom montecristi fedora. I received the hat sizing sweatbands a few days ago, and am torn on what to go with. My original head measurement I made myself came out to be 24 and 1/2 inches, so Brent sent out 5 sized bands, every 1/8" from 24 and 1/4, to 24 and 3/4". I decided to go with the brown leather sweatbands.

I tried them on from smallest to largest, and when I got to 24 and 1/2", I thought, "this feels good. I think it's this one." But then I tried on the 24 and 5/8", and it felt even better. The 1/2" version is nice and snug, but the 5/8" feels just ever-so-slightly relaxed. One suggestion Brent made in choosing the sizing is to "make sure when wearing, it's not so snug that you're 'eager' at all to take it off". I've been wearing both bands around quite a bit, and I do in fact get that feeling a bit with the 1/2" version.

To be honest, either one of those two measurements will probably work out for me okay, but of course, being such a high-end hat, I want to get it PERFECT. So I'm debating, whether to just go with the 24 and 5/8", or ask Brent for a custom 24 and 9/16", to go halfway inbetween the two sizes.

So as I'm talking to Brent, I thought I'd get ya'lls thoughts and experiences as well. Do leather sweatbands in panamas tend to shrink a lot? Specifically, for those that have Brent Black montecristis, what was your experience with sizing and shrinkage? If it matters, I'm also a Long Oval, and Brent is blocking the hat as such for me.

Thanks in advance,

 

[danofarlington]

So as I'm talking to Brent, I thought I'd get ya'lls thoughts and experiences as well. Do leather sweatbands in panamas tend to shrink a lot? Specifically, for those that have Brent Black montecristis, what was your experience with sizing and shrinkage? If it matters, I'm also a Long Oval, and Brent is blocking the hat as such for me.

I don't know about the leather band effect in a Panama, whether it shrinks or not, but I do know that when I bought my expensive Borsalino Montecristi Panama from Village Hat Shop, and my size came in a fair bit too big, the fellow on the phone said just fix it with sizing tape, which he sent me, because they didn't have a smaller size. So I did that, and got used to it, and now I like it because the hat's a little loose, which I now like, and also the sizing tape keeps sweat away from the front, which would otherwise happen because the band is a cloth ribbon and not leather. The point is that getting used to a hat a little too big is something you can get used to and deal with, but a Panama I've had a little too small, with a leather band, is always a pain. I'm having that one stretched right now.

 

[daizawaguy]

˙˙˙ǝɹns ǝʞɐɯ oʇ ʇsnɾ 'ןןǝʍ sɐ uʍop ǝpısdn ʇı ɹɐǝʍ p`ı

 

[Aureliano]

I'd go with the the 5/8. if it ends up being too big you can make a thin inner "paper-towel sweatband" to hide underneath the leather. Better a tad bigger than smaller, I'd say.

 

[singlechange]

I'd go with the the 5/8. if it ends up being too big you can make a thin inner "paper-towel sweatband" to hide underneath the leather. Better a tad bigger than smaller, I'd say.

Ditto from me. I very recently began using public transportation to and from work in downtown Washington, D.C. As a newbie hat person I took the plunge to rotate wearing my two panamas (one marked 6 3/4 and other 6 7/8) to work and find that the slightly larger size hat works best on those scorcher days. I find myself wiping the perspiration from my brow quite often and seems like I am more comfortable with slighter larger size. Bear in mind though that both of my panamas are manufactured hats and not custom.

 

[daizawaguy]

The larger for two reasons:

1. In summer a loser fit is better
2. I tighter fit will risk warping the sides of the brim - the loser fit will leave the brim in the flanged shape.

 

[Wildblue]

˙˙˙ǝɹns ǝʞɐɯ oʇ ʇsnɾ 'ןןǝʍ sɐ uʍop ǝpısdn ʇı ɹɐǝʍ p`ı

You know, I actually put one on upside down by mistake, and it does NOT fit like you think it might. Seems that Brent makes them so that they're ever-so-slightly tapered, which makes sense since human heads curve and are thinner the higher up they go. Since I wear hats, and not hatbands, I've never had the opportunity to try on a hat band upside down before.

I am indeed leaning towards the 24 5/8, just not sure how much (if any) to account/prepare for future hatband shrinkage.

 

[Teak]

Haaaah I'm glad to see I am not the only one to have this problem. Did Brent have to make your bands custom for you? I am also a 24 1/2 and he had to make the test bands to send for my Gatsby.
I went with 24 5/8 when it was all said and done. What I did was put the two bands on blindly and wear them around. I found that I was fixed on the number and not the feel. Go with what feels the best.
I was so excited the day I got my BBB I had an opening party like I had purchased a Picasso. Very fine choice my friend! What shape did you go with?

 

[Wildblue]

Heya, Teak! (and welcome to the Lounge!) I'm a classic kind of guy, and I strive for that kind of look, so I went for the Classic Fedora. Standard black ribbon. I personally like the Classic Fedora proportions best for hats on me, too. Being a somewhat big guy, wth a big noggin', I'm self-conscious of hats that make my head look even bigger, taller, or have overly large brims themselves.

As for the bands, no, I think he just sent me the standard bands. He and I just talked, and he'll be using a different band in my hat than the ones that I actually tried on.

After talking details through with Brent, I decided on the 24 5/8". As I mentioned, he's going to block it in Long Oval for me. Now I mail the test bands back, he makes the final sizing and blocking of my hat, and ships it out. Add in a very big chunk of time to deliver it to me all the way around the world in my deployed location, and then we'll have ourselves a hat!

 

[Teak]

Thanks for the welcome!
This is the worst part of the wait. Brent has one flaw, he is a perfectionist and he doesn't care if you are buying a $500 hat or a $50,000 hat he will not send out product he isn't proud of. He had to block my Gatsby three times I believe to meet his standards. I promise the wait is worth it! Do post pics when it arrives.

 

[Winston-Smythe]

So I'm in the middle of having Brent Black make me a custom montecristi fedora. I received the hat sizing sweatbands a few days ago, and am torn on what to go with. My original head measurement I made myself came out to be 24 and 1/2 inches, so Brent sent out 5 sized bands, every 1/8" from 24 and 1/4, to 24 and 3/4". I decided to go with the brown leather sweatbands.

I tried them on from smallest to largest, and when I got to 24 and 1/2", I thought, "this feels good. I think it's this one." But then I tried on the 24 and 5/8", and it felt even better. The 1/2" version is nice and snug, but the 5/8" feels just ever-so-slightly relaxed. One suggestion Brent made in choosing the sizing is to "make sure when wearing, it's not so snug that you're 'eager' at all to take it off". I've been wearing both bands around quite a bit, and I do in fact get that feeling a bit with the 1/2" version.

To be honest, either one of those two measurements will probably work out for me okay, but of course, being such a high-end hat, I want to get it PERFECT. So I'm debating, whether to just go with the 24 and 5/8", or ask Brent for a custom 24 and 9/16", to go halfway inbetween the two sizes.

So as I'm talking to Brent, I thought I'd get ya'lls thoughts and experiences as well. Do leather sweatbands in panamas tend to shrink a lot? Specifically, for those that have Brent Black montecristis, what was your experience with sizing and shrinkage? If it matters, I'm also a Long Oval, and Brent is blocking the hat as such for me.

Thanks in advance,

I have 2 BB's, a Roll Up Optimo and an Aficionado. The Optimo has the cotton sweatband and the Aficionado has the undyed leather. Both are 23 5/8 (60 cm). I would say the cotton is tighter (not uncomfortably so) than the leather and the leather has stretched ever so slightly in almost 9 months of wear. I wear the Optimo on the blisteringly hot, humid days in SE Texas and the Aficionado when I can be in and out of air conditioning. I don't want to add any undo wear and tear to the leather band.

Although I can't advise which size would be better for you, I would go with Brent's advice of snug, but not uncomfortably so. It should stay on in a breeze but you should not "want to take it off." I was deciding between two sizes just like you. I kept both bands on for about 30 minutes each and chose 23 5/8. Just in case you are wondering, yes, you can tell the difference in the weave counts since both hats are at different price points.

Either way, you'll be extremely happy with with your hat and I hope you enjoy your as much as I enjoy mine.

 

[feltfan]

I don't have a BB Panama.
But there's nothing inherent in the panama material that
shrinks leather sweatbands more than felt. I sure haven't
noticed anything like that in my panamas.

I personally like a snug fit with my panamas. This is because
they can be blown off your head more easily than felt. I had this
happen once, with disasterous results. Something to consider.

Sounds like a lot of you have BB panamas. I would appreciate it
if you'd start a BB panama thread and show them off!

 

[AlanC]

^I think a BB Panama thread is an excellent idea.

Will posted about his recent--somewhat mixed--experience with BB at A Suitable Wardrobe today. Apparently you don't get a hat box?

 

[Lefty]

Will's statement about this:

For one, I live in a building with a door person, but I was forced to go to the post office to pick up my hat since a third-party signature was not acceptable.


is a good thing. No one should be permitted to be able to sign for a hat that might be worth well over 10k but the buyer.

I like the idea of a BB thread. We've had a number of people post them over the years, but there's no dedicated thread.

 

[ccajackson]

So as I'm talking to Brent, I thought I'd get ya'lls thoughts and experiences as well. Do leather sweatbands in panamas tend to shrink a lot? Specifically, for those that have Brent Black montecristis, what was your experience with sizing and shrinkage? If it matters, I'm also a Long Oval, and Brent is blocking the hat as such for me.

Thanks in advance,

Out of curiosity, how did you decide on the Long Oval blocking? Did you measure/inspect another hat to see how it had "molded" to your head, or was it by describing the fit of standard oval blocks?

Thanks!

C-C

 

[Wildblue]

I'm pleasantly surprised with the participation in this thread, and other BB owners. YES, I think a dedicated BB thread would be excellent! I would start it, but I don't have mine yet--might be better for a current owner.

Of course, now that I've sent the bands back, I'm slightly second-guessing myself, even from just the memory of how the bands fit. But I do think that the hat band I picked will work fine, and if for some reason it does happen to be a HAIR loose, that can easily be remedied if I want it tight, i.e. for security if it's a breezy day. Really though? I do do realize I'm just "splitting hairs", being a bit obsessive about the tiniest detail to get it perfect.

Winston-Smythe, it's interesting that you think your band may have EXPANDED a bit over time instead of shrunk.

c-c, I'm positive I'm a long oval. When I got my first hat, a rigid Stetson Temple, it fit snug at the front and back, but had a rather large gap on the sides. For my next two fine hats, I bought them right in the stores, and still both fit tight front and back with room on the sides, so for those, I had the hatters re-shape them to long ovals to meet my actual head.