Short crown.

[sedaterman]

I have been trying to find a hat that will look good for me.
I have a somewhat thin face and oval shaped head.
I thought a hat with a shorter than typical crown would be appropriate.
Any suggestions. While most proprioters will list the brim dimensions, the height of the crown is not always posted. I thought you guys could be of help.

 

[flylot74]

I know that: http://www.millerhats.com/

shows both brim and crown dimensions, FWIW........

Funny, I have some hats I no longer care for because I desire a taller crown.... pm me, I have a Dobbs and a Stetson Temple that have crowns too short for me (if your are a 7 1/8 that is). I has them reblocked to take taper out and as a consequence, the process lowered the crown too much for my tastes......

 

[sedaterman]

Thanks for the offer. Unfortunatley I am a 7 3/8

 

[surely]

thin face, oval head, check out my avatar. btw, i also like the way i look with a shorter crown hat.

 

[Kaosharper1]

Think Bogie

Bogie had a long oval face and he looked great with those high crowned 1930's styles. He also didn't use a wide brim because a narrow brim looked wide on him. Check out some of the pictures of him here on other threads to get an idea. Of course, if you're uncomfortable with the high crown, go with what you like!

 

[carldelo]

One suggestion

I also prefer a medium to low crown, which can be hard to find. In my case it's because I'm average height with a large noggin and a tall crown makes me look like I'm "heightening", if you get my drift. Anyway, after much looking, I settled on a Stetson Chatham because it has a low crown and the teardrop shape I was looking for. The other hat I was considering at the time was the Miller Baldwin, which has a similar shape but a much higher 4-3/8 crown. Many play down the quality of modern Stetsons, and I guess the felt is somewhat beefy, but the brim is pliable. I will say that the crown is pretty stiff - I'm slowly working it to soften it up. Here's some pics - it was brand new, so you can see a mark on the brim where the hat sat on the cardboard ring:

http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/carldelo/Misc hats/?action=view&current=ChathamSage001.jpg

At any rate, the crown is 3-3/4 in the front, 3-5/8 in the back with 2-3/8 raw-edge brim. The color is Sage which is dark olive. Right now, Noggintops has it on sale in Caribou (gray) and Tawny (dark tan) - the code 20OFF makes the final price 95 bucks plus shipping. I think it's a nice hat, which I've been wearing several times a week since I bought it. Now I'm pondering what my first custom hat will look like, which is an option for you also.

Cheers, Carl

 

[pils]

If you aren't sure which crown height works best you could get an open crowned hat. Then as you shape it you can lower the crown gradually until you find a height that suits you.

/Niels

 

[NonEntity]

To springboard with more specificity off Pils' recommendation on open crowns, know that the type of bash you use has a dramatic effect on crown height. A telescope style will use up as much as 1 1/2 inches more crown than a basic center bash in the same hat. So unless you are dead-set on a center bash, focus on attributes of the hat beyond the crown height.

And don't freak out about getting an open crown hat for fear that you won't be able to do the bash yourself. It's really quite easy and completely re-doable if your screw it up. There are numerous threads here about all manner of bashing a fedora.

 

[AdmiralTofu]

And don't freak out about getting an open crown hat for fear that you won't be able to do the bash yourself. It's really quite easy and completely re-doable if your screw it up. There are numerous threads here about all manner of bashing a fedora.

Absolutely. In fact... while I can't go back and find it since on dialup it would be a nightmare, I believe Dinerman posted a video in the Hat Creases thread a while back, of himself putting a diamond bash in a hat, one-handed -- total time, about seven seconds. It was quite amazing -- and encouraging.

-Tofu

 

[sedaterman]

Thanks a lot. I just bought an Akubra casual and it is taking some getting used to. I have gotten a few compliments. I also just purchased a Bailey monroe straw fedora for summer. I feel more comfortable with it.

I'll look into your suggestions.

Thanks again.

 

[sedaterman]

Any suggestions on a good quality open crown. I would prefer something with a brim of 2 1/8 inches.

 

[sedaterman]

Rather than continue to throw more money on uncertainty, I decided to bite the bullet and called Art. I am looking forward to the process.

 

[Stoney]

Bogie had a long oval face and he looked great with those high crowned 1930's styles. He also didn't use a wide brim because a narrow brim looked wide on him. Check out some of the pictures of him here on other threads to get an idea. Of course, if you're uncomfortable with the high crown, go with what you like!

I agree. Check out Kaosharper's Avatar. Notice how Kirk's hat has a wider brim while Spock's hat has a narrow brim. Tall crown and narrow brim looks great on a thinner face. As mentioned before you can also bash the crown in to lower it if you don't like the look.

 

[Edward]

Absolutely. In fact... while I can't go back and find it since on dialup it would be a nightmare, I believe Dinerman posted a video in the Hat Creases thread a while back, of himself putting a diamond bash in a hat, one-handed -- total time, about seven seconds. It was quite amazing -- and encouraging.

-Tofu

It gave me all the encouragement I needed to do my own diamond on my grey Federation.

 

[sedaterman]

I suppose it's just a matter of getting used to the style.
While I like the look of a quality fedora, I don't like to draw a lot of attention to myself. I am 6'3" tall and go about 200#. I guess something proportional is the name of the game.

I am sure Art and I will come up with a style that is good for me.

 

[NonEntity]

Rather than continue to throw more money on uncertainty, I decided to bite the bullet and called Art. I am looking forward to the process.

Whoa, Sedaterman! While Art will make you an exquisite hat, he, like any custom maker, will do so only per your specifications. Don't shell out $300 + until you're sure you'll be happy with your choice for a long, long time.

While the guidelines above are very helpful, the very best way to discover what looks good on you is to try on as many hats in as many styles as possible. That takes time and means going to retail shops whose employees have the patience of Job. If you have to keep going back, which is typical, buy something like a hat brush or other relatively inexpensive item you're going to need anyway, to keep in good graces.

There are some experienced employees at retailers who may actually be helpful, but remember that they are salespeople whose job is to sell, so the hat they recommend may not necessarily be the one for you. If you have a trusted friend with generally good taste, take him or her along for objective input.

You say your new Akubra Casual is taking some getting used to. What looks out of whack? FYI--It has a very tapered pre-creased crown, measuring 4 1/4 inches at the front, and the raw brim is 2 3/8 inches wide. Everyone I know, myself included, finds that crushable pure fur Pliofelt and the fabric band on that hat extremely comfortable.

The Casual is charcoal, which brings up the effect of color on a hat's apearance: Everything else being equal, lighter colors exaggerate dimensions. Having a very dark complexion magnifies the effect. For example, a sand Casual on the head of a Native American would look considerably larger than the same hat in charcoal.

Finally, back to the "getting used to" thing. Most people are creatures of habit; anything different or unfamiliar we tend to perceive as wrong. I can think of nothing this applies to more than hats. Now I'm not suggesting you pick up a Wizard's Hat for Sunday school, but, as a rule, the wider variety of hats you try, the more they look right. No offense to you wizards out there!

Also, consider associations, perhaps subconcious, you may be making with certain hat styles that could be steering you to or away from them. For example, when the new U.S. military helmet came on the scene--the one that curves down from the temple and around over the ears and neck--there was strong resistance to it among senior officers, despite that it does a much better job of protection than the old pot it replaced. Upon "psychoanalyzing" them, it turns out that they associated that shape with the NAZI helmet, the bad guys the older, senior officers remembered so well.

Cut to the chase: Definitely get a custom hat, but make sure it's right for you.

 

[sedaterman]

Thanks NE:

I guess the moral of the story is "Get thee to a Haterie"
I admit the more I see myself in the Akubra the more I am liking it.
I also own a straw Bailey (munroe). The brim is only 2" and the center dent crown is 4" in the front. I think I'll be happy if I split the difference.
A 21/4" brim and a 4"-41/2" crown. Both hats have a center dent. Which leads me to the question. How much of a difference in the appearance of the crown height does the style of crease have on the hat, relative to the brim size ?
I am leaning toward a teardrop crease for my custom hat. Is there much difference in this regard between the center dent and the teardrop ?


When the hat is constructed how much of an open crown should I ask for in order to crease it so the final dimensions give me a crown height of 4" without hitting the top of my head ?

Your observation on the affect of color is appreciated. The Bailey straw I own is an off white with a dark blue brim and matching dark blue band. I am not a fair skinned person and like the way the Bailey looks. For this reason I am leaning towards a lighter color for my custom hat.

That brings up another subject concerning the band. Color and width.

I never figured that so much thought would go into the purchase of a quality fedora. But I sure am learning ! A slippery slope indeed. Buy one hat and another, and another......

I certainly appreciate your suggestions. I'll get to the hatterie this weekend. I am not sure they are going to be too happy with me trying on all those options without making a purchase though.