Brim Width and Head Size

[Crease]

Brim size

Does size really matter? How does a newbie determine which brim size is appropriate? This is the most troubling issue to date ( except trying to figure out how I got outbid on Ebay for a vintage Borsalino I thought I had won until the last minute ) in my venture off into the world of Fedoras which I am loving. Comments on brim size, please. Thanks.
...Crease

 

[Orgetorix]

Honestly, it's very much an individual thing. Maybe the best course of action for you would be to go to a local hat store (this one showed up on a quick Google search) and spend a while trying on hats with different brim widths to see how they look on your head.

 

[MrBern]

You really have to go to a hatshop & try some on....
Some people can wear anything, some fret over 1/8th of an inch.

 

[Feraud]

Trying on a variety of hats is best. I own hats from 2" on up.
I choose a hat depending on my mood.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Depends what you want out of your hat. If you are looking at sun protection, the Canadian cancer society recommends at last 80mm (3") wide brim. I personally only use this wide of a brim if I am doing yard work or going camping. For the city I usually wear a 66mm (2 5/8") 73mm (2 7/8") brim. My pork pies and bowlers with 2" or less are my night time hats (no sun).
If you are looking for style. Style is subjective. There are no hard and fast rules. Go with what you like.
If you have a hat shop in your area, go down, try on some hats, find a style you like (and size that fits) If the quality isn't good or the price isn't great either, look for a similar style on line.
If that fails, look at the pictures and watch movies with people in hats with similar face and build as yourself and see what one looks best to your eye.
That's my two cents worth anyway.
Johnny

 

[feltfan]

For many of us, the solution is to *buy* fine vintage hats
of many brim sizes and try them on...

As long as you don't mind owning a few hats, you might
find, as I do, that different brim sizes are useful with
different outfits and in different weather.

 

[Cacklewack]

Being a short, scrawny fellow with a large noggin, I cannot pull off a brim larger than 2.5 inches. I lose 10 years of age with a wider brim and look like I just fell out of the womb. It is a terrible experience! On the other hand, I don't like brims shorter than 2 inches either. Most of the hats I wear are 2-2 1/4 inches or so.

This has been frustrating, because some of the highest quality hats I've acquired have had brims or crowns slightly too large to suit me. Soon I will sell them off to you larger fellows. Maybe I will keep them in my closet to gaze at from time to time, or give away to those just getting into hats.

Go try some on before forking out the dough. You'll be thankful you did.

Matt

 

[WideBrimm]

Besides trying on a variety of hats, different styles & sizes in a store, it's also a matter of getting used to seeing yourself in a hat over time. Antique stores, thrift shops, and Burlington Coat Factory are all good sources of inexpensive hats. Buy several, wear them for different occasions, or around home. You'll soon begin to see which ones you like, and which are the ones to give away, trade, or sell.

 

[AdmiralTofu]

It's been my experience that it's really just a matter of one's own attitude and tastes, as well as the ensemble the hat is paired with. Base guidelines about what brim size and crown shape go with what facial shape and all that are good, but what it boils down to is: do you think you look good in it? More important, do you feel good in it? This forum's chock full of examples of folks breaking "rule" after so-called "rule," and pulling it off stunningly. My advice is the same as those already expressed: don't be afraid to try on as many as you can, even if that means ending up with hats that might not work for you (that's what eBay and trading are for! )

-Tofu

 

[Cruiser]

your second most troubling issue...

... most troubling issue to date ( except trying to figure out how I got outbid on Ebay for a vintage Borsalino I thought I had won until the last minute ) ...Crease

I never could figure this out either, until one day someone suggested I go to www.esnipe.com and read about their service. This may clear up some questions for you. Regards.

 

[John in Covina]

HAT VERSUS HEAD/FACE SHAPE THING!

Although it is not set in stone, there are some general guidelines as described here: http://www.millerhats.com/hatcare_index/hatfaces.html

 

[Rottweiler]

4"+ brim and face shapes

Hey ladies and gents,

I've been wearing Akubra's Fed IV and CEO for some months after starting out a couple of years ago with a Jaxon Bogart (2 3/8" brim). The CEO is the broadest of my three with a 2 3/4" brim. I think it suits my head:

A lid is first and foremost functional, and I like how much a broad brim keeps the sun and rain off. I've read that Australian dermatologists found UV protection to scale with hat brim size, with diminishing returns only setting in beyond 4". That gets into the world of western hats, and I just don't know if my head shape can swing something like that.

Going by The face chart here, I guess I have a long slender face with big ears and slightly long nose? Any advice from the experienced on how big of a hat I can pull off, and optical tricks to maximize that? I suspect the the upward side curl common on western hats works against me, while a snapped down front increases what I can wear without submerging my face.

 

[DRB]

One question: do you want to stand out, or blend into the crowd? The one you are wearing in the picture looks good to me, and I am a 2 1/8" kind of guy.

 

[monbla256]

That CEO with its 2.75" brim looks good on you. I wouldn't go much past a 3" brim which would limit you to some of the older more traditional Western styles w/3" brims. The Open Road Stetson would work well as well as the Range models and Ft.Worth models of Stetsons as the last two come with 3" brims. And since you like Akubras don't forget the Squatter (3" brim) or the Campdraft ( the official Akubra here )

 

[danofarlington]

Hey ladies and gents,

I've been wearing Akubra's Fed IV and CEO for some months after starting out a couple of years ago with a Jaxon Bogart (2 3/8" brim). The CEO is the broadest of my three with a 2 3/4" brim. I think it suits my head:

Yes, that brim width is good. But as to a 4" brim, I would say at that point you have to curve the brim upward to avoid looking like an umbrella, and then we're talking about a cowboy hat more than a fedora.

 

[scottyrocks]

This is (was) a 4" brim:

I have an average size and shape head, though. But you can see how monstrous, and western, a brim this big looks.

 

[zetwal]

I suspect the the upward side curl common on western hats works against me, while a snapped down front increases what I can wear without submerging my face.

The upward curl on the sides allows you to wear a wider brim without looking like you have an umbrella (or worse) on your head. Snapping the brim down will partially cover (submerge) the face. Having it up will open the face up.

For most people, four inches would be way too much brim for a fedora style hat. Westerns come in a myriad of shapes and styles. If you want to go that wide find the western style that works best for you.

 

[carldelo]

Bencraft has some Borsalino styles with large brim, e.g. the Bellini comes with a 3-1/2" brim:

It only comes in black, as it is part of the 'Religious collection'. Here's another, the Diamante, with a 3-1/4" brim:

At least it also comes in blue and gray, so maybe would not look so 'orthodox.'

 

[Sam Craig]

No one can pull off a four inch brim in anything short of a Tom Mix Stetson or a Pancho Villa sombrero
I guess we're all going to fry
The good news is ... we'll go out looking good!

Sam

 

[danofarlington]

No one can pull off a four inch brim in anything short of a Tom Mix Stetson or a Pancho Villa sombrero
Sam

Well, there was Roy Bolger in the "Wizard of Oz." That hat brim must've been four inches.