What size brim do you prefer

[metropd]

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 is my range. It is interesting how a few wider faced bigger guys can pull of shorter brims and alot of thinner faces guys can pull off wider brims. if you look at the pictures from the 20's to 40's many narrow faced slender men were wearing at least a 2 5/8 brim. And some picture in the late 50's and 60's showed bigger guys in stingy brims. Its all how you wear it, if its natural despite the face and brim in my opinion it will most likely work.

 

[funneman]

On Average a 2"

But I go from one extreme to another:

2-5/8 Penny's Marathon yesterday.
1-1/2 Lee stingy today.

I always feel like I have antlers on my head when I wear the Marathon.

 

[Fletch]

No more "duh" hat

Hacked it back by hand, then sanded the edge even.
Brim was 2 5/8", now 2 1/4".

Much better proportion with the crown and my mug.

Bandleader Joe Haymes (my avatar) was a good example of a small, lean-faced man who looked swell in a wide hat.

 

[jamespowers]

(Come to think of it, you're probably not lying!) :eusa_doh:

Actually, I am not.
I don't even know how many I have anymore. :eusa_doh:

Regards,

J

 

[jamespowers]

Hacked it back by hand, then sanded the edge even.
Brim was 2 5/8", now 2 1/4".

Much better proportion with the crown and my mug.

Bandleader Joe Haymes (my avatar) was a good example of a small, lean-faced man who looked swell in a wide hat.

Please tell me you didn't do that to a Cavanagh edge Borsalino.

Regards,

J

 

[captcouv]

1 7/8" to 2"

My face is to thin and nose to long to go over 2 1/4". Usually use a center crease (cause of my classic roman nose), but I'm starting like how I look in a diamond crease.

Couv

 

[Edward]

2 1/2 - 3"..... in a semi-formal hat for wearing with a lounge suit, anyhow. My top hats (a modern Christies of London fixed hat, and a vintage silk opera hat) are obviously narrowe than that.... My favourite hat for wear with a regular suit is a black wool Boston... TBH I'm ignorant of the difference between that and a Fedora, but the store call it a Boston. 30s style, very Indiana Jones in shape. Gorgeous thing to wear, though I must get a panama for this time of year.

I'm wearing more and more hats. Not always period hats, some are modern... well, ish - for warmth I typically wear a yachstmans-style corduroy cap, got a few of those in different colours, and I have a coule of GI boonie hats - all bought as modern, but they're really older designs, I guess. I started thinning over the top of my head at 26, got to the point about a year ago when I decided it was time to shave it all off.... I don't often leave the house without a hat now, even I don't necessarily wear it much. What this has also done is made me much fussier about wearing one that coordinates with my outfit...

 

[ScionPI2005]

I have been told that my Stetson matches my face shape perfectly, so I have determined that the best brim size for me seems to be 2" flat.

 

[warbird]

Typically 2 1/2 to 2 7/8 for a fedora. I have had some Akubra style hats which were 3 or a bit more and several cowboy 4 -5 that work well for me.

 

[DanielJones]

The 2 5/8" to 3" seems to work best for me. Anything smaller seems to look odd on me.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Anders]

Until now it's been 2 - 2 1/4, but I'm getting braver and might try on a 2 1/2 one of these days.

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

It depends

The majority of my hats have a 2 3/4" brim (all my ORs), but my work hat(western) for the farm in VA has a 4" brim.

 

[PADDY]

Still 'not sure' whether I look best in a wider brim or a stingier brim...

Jury's still out on this! As I have had shakes of heads and 'tut-tuts' over the 'stingey look.'

The hats (shown below) range from the stingier (grey hats) Cavanagh and Henry the Hatter Fedoras to the wider 40's Borsalino (in the cream), the 30's Barbisio (the furry grey one) and the Aviator (wide brown one). There's also the medium sized one which is the blue'ish/grey (side profile shot) Fedora.

The stingier ones all came first and the wider ones later. In the US I wore just the Aviator and it generated a lot of positive comments. But I'm still wondering for my head and face type, is the stingey or the wide brim the way to go...? (I know, every so often you hit these dilemmas in life!! ).

 

[Havana]

Having an average build with a large round head, I have to go with a minimum of 2.75" with a preference for 3" or even 3.25" and a lower crown. The typical low crown - wide brim Aussie look suits me best.

 

[anon`]

For my part, something like the lid in my avatar. Or thereabouts seems to look best in my eyes.

Nice collar pin!

 

[Doctor Strange]

2-3/4 seems about perfect on me. (E.g., the Akubra Stockman in my avatar.)

I regularly wear hats down to about 2-1/2 (Stetson Temple, actually 2-5/8 x 2-3/8) and up to 3-1/4 (Akubra Cattleman), but the ones that look best are generally 2-3/4. I find that I can't wear stingies at all. And while I do love the Cattleman for its practical shade in the summer sun, there's no getting around that it looks pretty big on me (especially here in the northeast, where big western hats are very uncommon).

 

[J.T.Marcus]

2 5/8" seems to be my ideal, but it can vary, depending on other factors. I don't have anything smaller than 2".

 

[scotrace]

2.5". A fair amount of money wasted experimenting until It got figured out though. That seems to be the only way - try 'em until it feels right.

 

[PADDY]

I'm looking at 2 3/4" on the Aviator hat, and although initially it felt 'big' in proportions (fits my head perfectly), I am getting used and comfortable with it 'now.' And from the PM's I've had about it regarding where it came from, there seem to be plenty of others who have taken a shine to it too.

So, I can only 'assume' that it is flattering on my noggin [huh] Which surprises me when I was attracted in the earlier days to more 50's styled mens' hats with the smaller brim. But others have said that they don't go well with my face/head type...[huh]

This is all 'useful' feedback because we don't always see 'ourselves' as we look to others. So feedback can be constructive in 'getting it right!'

 

[kpreed]

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 depending on the fedora. My everyday hat is really a newsboy.