Long Oval Question

[Not-Bogart13]

I don't wear a long oval, don't need one. Never even seen one. My question is, would a long oval in my normal size be a problem? Would it be tight on the sides or awkward in some way that I'd need to worry about it? If it makes a difference, the long oval I'm looking at is supposed to be a vintage stetson.

 

[Bebop]

I can only tell you that I do wear a long oval and when I wear anything else, I do feel a difference. Not enough of a difference to make me not wear the hat but enough to let me know I am not wearing one of my long ovals. That is why none of my favorites are anything but long oval. I think you could fill in any gaps with some felt strips if you wanted to.

 

[nicolasb]

Impossible to say for sure. Depends how far away from "long oval" your head shape is. I have a very round head (round-oval and then some) and I find long oval hats unwearable - they're either painfully tight at the sides, or hopelessly loose at the front and back - often both. Your head is probably is probably not as malformed as mine, of course.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

I don't wear a long oval, don't need one. Never even seen one. My question is, would a long oval in my normal size be a problem? Would it be tight on the sides or awkward in some way that I'd need to worry about it? If it makes a difference, the long oval I'm looking at is supposed to be a vintage stetson.

If the hat is a soft material and has a decent sweat band I found most fedora's are self conforming to ones head.

 

[Rigby Reardon]

But if your head is a significantly different shape than the block, don't be surprised if it shows some warping once you pop it on your head.

One of the theories floating around on IndyGear (and that I believe) is that some of the warp in Indy's lid was caused by extra dynamic tension front and back - essentially, a round blocked hat on a long oval head (or perhaps just a round oval blocked hat on a long oval head). This is possibly a contributor to the 'mushroom bloom' effect - the hat pushing OUT over the ribbon on the sides.

I only mention this to explain that stretching the hat beyond the block shape *might* affect the crown a/o brim shape. I have no clue HOW putting a long hat on a round head might affect a hat, though - maybe pop the crown out in front and back, when the stretch occurs side to side?

You can experiment w/ the idea with any hat you have - just put your hands inside the sweat at the sides, now push outward. Doing it here to my fedora - with a round oval block - it just warps the heck out of the brim - and of course increases the taper of the crown on the sides. But it's going to be subjective - obviously if the hat doesn't have to stretch much, you may see NO effect. If it has to stretch a lot, though, it will look like you put on somebody else's hat.

Just punting, somebody who knows more about this is welcome to trump this w/ real facts.

J

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Thanks guys. I'll keep it all under advisement.

 

[Michael Mallory]

I'm an extra long oval. When viewed from above, I look like the Hindenburg. I often have to order a hat one size up, and then use adhesive pads on the sides. But based on the times I've plopped my hats on friends, I don't think the long oval makes a difference side-to-side on normal shaped heads.

 

[MattC]

How round are you

I think you are getting the right advice here. I'm a long oval, and I wear regulars all the time. But with the rare "round oval" hat, on my head the hat distorts a bit, and it doesn't feel right. If you are a classic "medium oval"--if most hats in the right size feel fine, a long oval should be ok. As Sharpetoys says, if it is soft and the leather is good, it won't matter at all.