In Praise of Narrow Brims

[vespasian]

Currently on sale in a lot of British high street stores now, a selection of stingy brim fedoras. Ive seen a few being worn.

 

[tonyb]

tonyb, to be honest, I'm waiting right now on a gray Cavanagh on eBay in exactly my size (23"; that 7 3/8 one you've got is probably a tad tight, unless you tell me otherwise). This gray Cavanagh is $4 right now, $4 shipping, no moth nibbles, no discoloration (checked with the seller several times), just needs to be cleaned and blocked. I think I'll wait and see if that one goes out of control ... I'd really like a taupe fedora. I bought a vintage Dobbs one, perfect color, thick fur felt, but it had moth nibbles in obvious places, and discoloration under the grosgrain (which I, of course, wanted to change for a narrower one). That one ended up at Goodwill; even my hat super-hero said it was no use ... Like I said, I'd consider trading you for one of my three, but they're really all pretty dear to me. If you came over and I totally loved that Cavanagh and it fit like a charm, well, then who knows?

Well, I doubt you'd fall instantly and deeply in love with this dark-grey/nearly black one. It cleaned up pretty nice, but the bow is fraying at the rear. The felt is in good shape, though, ditto for the liner and the leather, and I got it cheap, so I can't complain. I think it looks OK on me, but just OK. And that's a two-inch brim. The narrower ones residing in the closet don't even rise to the "OK" level on my head, so there they sit, awaiting a trade for something more suitable to my large-ish self. Good luck on that gray one, and let's hope a taupe one finds its way to you.
BTW, there's a nice Brooks Bros. house brand stingy at a local antique/vintage shop (it was still there a week or so ago, anyway), in a mossy green color, size 7 1/8. It was marked at $32.50, as I recall. Anyone interested? Lemme know.
As to sizes--my head measures 23 1/8, and 7 3/8s often fit a bit loose. But that Cavanagh 7 3/8 fits just about perfectly. I've seen sizing charts that indicate that 23 1/8 inches translates into something between 7 3/8 and 7 1/2. But 7 1/4s often fit me just fine, I can usually stretch up a 7 1/8 to fit, and I've yet to find a 7 1/2 that wasn't decidely loose. It seems you can't know for sure until you drop it on your head.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I'm a two inch brim man myself, I wear them every day. I just think the look is perfect for my height and build. I have a few 1.5 that were grandpaw hand-me downs that I still wear too, and a couple 2.5 that I very rarely wear. Oh, and I'm always brim up (unless it's real windy).

 

[Quigley Brown]

Wearing a 2" Charles Knox porkpie, this is the Fuller Brush Man of the Year for 1964.

 

[Wild Root]

HAHAHA!

Mr. Brown, you've done it again!!! I just love it!

Any way my top favorite style is wide brims but, I do like the narrow brims of the 20's and early 30's.

Here is my NOS Stetson "Standard Quality" long hair finish 5 ¾� un-tapered crown from about 1930. I got this off of ebay for a song and it came with the original box! This hat is as "Dead Stock" as it gets ladies and gents.

Enjoy.

=WR=

 

[adamgottschalk]

This is the image that forever linked the stingy to ska. Certainly they were merely emulating the rude boys of Kingston, Jamaica who wore the stingy and narrow ties in the early 60s but of course as a 15 year old in '79 I didn't know that. The Specials, indeed, were the band that introduced the ska sound to our whole generation. The only ska song we probably knew of till then was 'My Boy Lollipop" as no radio stations were playing Prince Buster or Roland Alphonso. If I had already been leaning toward the rat pack look as a 15 year old, seeing The Specials on this album cover pushed me over.

Regards,

Senator Jack

Yes, I see now. That image is indeed emblazoned deep in my memory banks. I would not be surprised at all if that image, in my subconscious, is what made me inclined toward stingy brims to begin with. It takes me back...in fact, I need to...go put on the (English) Beat right now

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Here is my NOS Stetson "Standard Quality" long hair finish 5 ¾� un-tapered crown from about 1930. I got this off of ebay for a song and it came with the original box! This hat is as "Dead Stock" as it gets ladies and gents.
=WR=

Hey Root, what are the front and side brim measurements on that Stetson, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Wild Root]

Well Vlad, in those days, there was no "Dimensional brim" in the 30's. I just measured the brim and it's a hair over 2" all around! All of my vintage are the same way, they're the same length all around the hat.

Hope that helps,
=WR=

 

[Senator Jack]

This one's been around with me a long time. 1 3/4" Royal Stetson. Certainly the mug on the guy under it doesn't do it justice.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[WEEGEE]

AND VAN THE MAN

AS COOL AS COOL CAN:cheers1:

 

[adamgottschalk]

This one's been around with me a long time. 1 3/4" Royal Stetson. Certainly the mug on the guy under it doesn't do it justice.

(image)

Regards,

Senator Jack

Looks great, Senator Jack. You wear it well. And, IMO, the glasses fit perfectly, for a very 60s look. I was just lamenting that my chrome-framed Raybans don't seem to go so well with any of my lids. I'll have to try some other styles of shades.

 

[Senator Jack]

Thanks, Adam. Again, when you get back to NY, you can find sunglasses at Fabulous Fannies on E 9th St. They have hundreds of vintage sunglasses, though they can get expensive. I paid far too much for that pair but it was a 'had to have'. From time to time you can also find hats there too.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[MattC]

The ribbon on that Cavanagh may not be fraying

The back edge of the bows on the ribbons on Cavanagh hats are usually "feathered," which can look like fraying, but is an intentional touch. I've got several Cavs, and they all (including a narrow brim homburg) have it.

 

[spiridon]

I guess I would belong to the "camp" of narrow brim fans. I think I tend to look better with a 2in. brim ....a little more, a little less.

 

[tonyb]

The back edge of the bows on the ribbons on Cavanagh hats are usually "feathered," which can look like fraying, but is an intentional touch. I've got several Cavs, and they all (including a narrow brim homburg) have it.

Wish that were the case with this one, Matt. It's definitely in need of repair. I'd attach a photo, but I've yet to figure out how to do that.

 

[MattC]

Send it to Graham or Art

If anyone can figure out if the ribbon can be fixed, (or find another with a feathered edge) it would be one of them.

 

[Twitch]

If narrow and widelook OK on you it's simply a matter of what YOU feel like for the day or event:cool2: you're dressing for.

 

[Senator Jack]

Are any of the hat companies still making straw milanos like this? The brim on this one is 1 5/8. It seems no one can get the right combination. Either they have the stingy brim but no pinch, or they have the pinch and brim but a braid instead of a ribbon. It seems very few are making them in black which is what I'm looking for.

Dobbs comes close with this one called The Rogue but it has a 2" brim. Certainly that might as well be a foot in the hat world. Bu it does come in black.

Maybe someone has seen them in their local hat store. Any leads would be helpful.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[adamgottschalk]

Are any of the hat companies still making straw milanos like this? The brim on this one is 1 5/8. It seems no one can get the right combination. Either they have the stingy brim but no pinch, or they have the pinch and brim but a braid instead of a ribbon. It seems very few are making them in black which is what I'm looking for.

(image)

Dobbs comes close with this one called The Rogue but it has a 2" brim. Certainly that might as well be a foot in the hat world. Bu it does come in black.

(image)

Maybe someone has seen them in their local hat store. Any leads would be helpful.

Regards,

Senator Jack

I found two hats on ahat.com which might fit your criteria. Both come in black and both have brims under 2", though neither has a pinch. This first one is 1.5" (though it looks like it might want a different band):

This other one is 1 7/8:

Both are $55. Good luck.

 

[adamgottschalk]

Stetson stingy

Just saw this auction for a Stetson with a 1.5" brim. It's new-old-stock. Unfortunately, the hat size is 7 3/4. If you have a big head and like stingies, this hat will probably stay cheap ($19.99). It came from the closing sale at the Stetson factory in St Joseph Miss. I'd imagine it's been a while since Stetson made hats with brims so narrow.