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Full Brim vs. Stingy Brim

Jack Henry

New in Town
Messages
19
Location
SF Bay Area
I think this pic of my band from last night pretty much says it all. My singer on the far right is wearing a stingy brim hat, and I'm standing next to him in my Penman Granite Indy hat.

166260_485151096563_577781563_6083890_6615451_n.jpg


Even though I know its not a very good photo, Alex's brim appears so small, it just looks like he's wearing a little cone on his head.

Jack Henry
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
From what I have observed and the information I have seen my opinion is as follows:

While fads, style and fashion all have influence as to the proportions of a fedora and may change over time, the extremes tend to be too far out there to do well on just anyone.

There is a vendor online that has a tutorial on face shapes and the proper hat for that shape. I just can't think of the vendor right now. But you won't find a real stingy brim in the selections at all.

It's like the lime stuffed into the bottle of beer, the actual reason it was done is totally lost! (In Mexico where the water may be not so good, bottles of beer in an ice chest bobbing in the melted ice which is made or was from the same water that would get you sick are an unwitting way to get sick Limes have an Anti bacterial action wipe off the bottle opening so not to get Montezuma's Revenge) But now the fad made it a global phenomenon that is truly not related to the concept of good beer. Well Stingy brims are the same. Somebody saw somebody famous wearing one and thought: "Hey that's how one can be cool, hip and fashionable." AS they push the lime wedge into their beer.

Oh contrare!

Such is life...
 
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The Good

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,361
Location
California, USA
I think that hat is a bit too stingy, just my opinion. There are great looking stingy brims though. They can have lots of style, and I believe they are generally more... accepted (as opposed to eccentric) in modern society, due to a rise in stingy-wearers.
 

monbla256

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,239
Location
DFW Metroplex, Texas
From what I have observed and the information I have seen my opinion is as follows:

While fads, style and fashion all have influence as to the proportions of a fedora and may change over time, the extremes tend to be too far out there to do well on just anyone.

There is a vendor online that has a tutorial on face shapes and the proper hat for that shape. I just can't think of the vendor right now. But you won't find a real stingy brim in the selections at all.

It's like the lime stuffed into the bottle of beer, the actual reason it was done is totally lost! (In Mexico where the water may be not so good, bottles of beer in an ice chest bobbing in the melted ice which is made or was from the same water that would get you sick are an unwitting way to get sick Limes have an Anti bacterial action wipe off the bottle opening so not to get Montezuma's Revenge) But now the fad made it a global phenomenon that is truly not related to the concept of good beer. Well Stingy brims are the same. Somebody saw somebody famous wearing one and thought: "Hey that's how one can be cool, hip and fashionable." AS they push the lime wedge into their beer.

Oh contrare!

Such is life...

I tend to agree with you John, but would add that it is probably as much and age/generational think as well. Most of the "stingy brims" I see these days, and I have noticed quite a few more over the past year, are on the heads of 20/30 somethings almost exclusivly with wider brims fewer, and mostly on 50+ yo heads when seen. The range of ages for western hats here in Texas encompasses almost ALL age groups though. Folks in the music business, notably jazz musicians, have always liked the stingy brimmed hat and look to still like it. Since I'm WAY past bieng a 20/30 something, not much under 2.5", brim wise, gets worn by me :)
 

Jack Henry

New in Town
Messages
19
Location
SF Bay Area
What does he think about this picture ?


Well, he loves the picture because I think we all agree that as a band that we look pretty good in general. But if I said to Alex, "How do you like the way your hat looks next to mine?" he would probably laugh and say, "I don't really care." He wears a lot of hats, though none of them are particularly nice in my opinion, and he's a good looking man, so he always looks pretty good anyway. I also wouldn't be caught dead wearing a stingy brim, with the exception of my black stingy fedora, which is an essential part of my Elwood Blues get up.

JH
 

kaosharper1

One Too Many
Messages
1,304
Location
Pasadena, CA
I wouldn't be caught dead in a stingy brim. I just don't think they look right.

I've found that its not the brim so much as the crown. I can wear a fairly stingy brim with a tall crown (4.75" or so) tall, but a stingy with a short crown (like the one in this pic) makes me look like Oliver Hardy.
 

fmw

One Too Many
Messages
1,017
Location
USA
For me the stingy brim doesn't work well with a fedora. However, it works very well with a pork pie. I have a pork pie hat but my wife won't let me wear it. I guess it works well just in my imagination.
 

Michaelshane

One Too Many
Messages
1,928
Location
Land of Enchantment
For me the stingy brim doesn't work well with a fedora. However, it works very well with a pork pie. I have a pork pie hat but my wife won't let me wear it. I guess it works well just in my imagination.
Isn't it funny how our wives don't like us to look like dorks.I think it might be a good idea to pay attention.I can assure you my wife would hate that hat on me.
 

TheBeak

One of the Regulars
Messages
122
Location
Tampa Bay area, FL
OK, in your picture, yours is a hat and his looks like part of a hat. I love how your hat looks, and I think his looks completely wrong.

I wonder though if that's not a fault of his particular hat design, than the actual concept of a stingy brim.

My 1 3/4 in brim Resistol is defiantly stingy, yet IMO it doesn't look like its missing its brim like his does. Ive recycled this picture a couple of times over the last week, but I think this looks completely different than the stingy pictured above.

TheBeak.jpg
 

150719541

One Too Many
Messages
1,288
Location
San Luis Potosi, SLP. Mexico
OK, in your picture, yours is a hat and his looks like part of a hat. I love how your hat looks, and I think his looks completely wrong.

I wonder though if that's not a fault of his particular hat design, than the actual concept of a stingy brim.

My 1 3/4 in brim Resistol is defiantly stingy, yet IMO it doesn't look like its missing its brim like his does. Ive recycled this picture a couple of times over the last week, but I think this looks completely different than the stingy pictured above.

TheBeak.jpg
This stingy looks fine on you and could make bad work on other ¡¡¡¡¡
 

Tone

A-List Customer
Messages
440
Location
Firenze
There doesn't seem to be a whole lot going on with the crown on the first pic of the stingy, either. Sort of Fez-like without the tassel based on the pic. Brimless and a blank cone kind of. Both are working against that hat, unfortunately.

Not a fan of stingy-brims really, but that doesn't mean they don't look right as TheBeak demonstrates with his better-formed crown version. With some conscious choices on style in a stingy, they do wear much more acceptably in public with some modern edge in their favor.
 

Cliffnopus

One of the Regulars
Messages
227
Location
Foxboro, MA
I like the black hat above but I don't care for the stingy brim when worn UP like this picture.
stingy.jpg


I'm sorry, but to me it looks like a clown hat.

Cliff
 

Chinaski

One Too Many
Messages
1,045
Location
Orange County, CA
Strictly my opinion, but it seems stingies are worn by the hipster element, so wearing one is kind of like "trying a bit too hard." It doesn't come off as natural. Our fellow Lounger Daizawaguy knows the way of the stingy! He wears them beautifully and he happens to own a lot of quality hats with narrow brims.
 

Big_e

Practically Family
Messages
654
Location
Dallas, Tx
I-I actually like my stingys. I'm starting to wear fuller brims but I fear that a full brim on a short guy like me, may give me a "mushroom" look. My Stetson Sovereigns are 2 1/2 inches and thats the fullest brim I care to get.
I have a stingy Stetson Sovereign

me2-2.jpg


And my favorite beater, Brixton Gain which is as stingy as I care to get!

Picture075-1.jpg


Ernest

PS: I guess you can say I'm a padawan of Daizawaguy as he has been an influence to me. I just can't seem to capture his style!
 
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