Since you shouldn't grab a hat by it's pinch...

[jlagman]

Does it serve any function beyond doffing (ettiquite) and aesthetics?

I've read quite a few threads against the handling of a hat by its brim yet find myself perplexed when I also see threads regarding aggressive bashes and re-bashes. For me, it brings up concerns regarding durability and striking a balance between enjoying your life and babying your hat.

I find it extremely difficult to resist the urge to don/doff my hat without grabbing it by the pinch; it seems so intuitive and the lifetime warranty my hat came with doesn't help when it comes to breaking the habit. I've become accustomed to grabbing the pinch lightly, but for some reason, I just can't get the hang of removing my hat by the brim.

[/rant]

So is does the pinch serve some other purpose, or is it just aesthetics and deception

 

[Preacher Man]

Hello jlagman & welcome!

For me the "pinch" is for asthetics. I'm known to baby my hats - just part of my make-up; to take care of what I spend my money on. I've seen guys use the pinch as a hat handle for both putting it on and taking it off. Without fail these are the hats where the "pinch" has become a "point" due the constant use as a handle. When that happens the asthetics of the hat change. That's just my take on your question, I'm sure others will offer their take as well. This is a great place - full of well meaning constructive advice and friendly camaraderie. Welcome to the lounge - you'll enjoy it.
Preacher Man
Philippians 4:13

 

[just_me]

I'd be interested to hear answers from the board members. I don't know the answer, but when I see men in 30s and 40s movies, they don't seem to be very careful when handling their hats. Maybe because hats were just part of their every day wardrobes and not part of collections like they are now.

 

[nola89]

You won't break the hat, however, you risk getting the hat dirty over time. Same goes for the brim too I guess but you could also misshapen the pinch, which isn't the end of the world as you can steam it back into place.

I try to pick mine up by the brim when I think about it, but I grab the crown a lot and don't really sweat it. Hat handling "rules" are, IMO, guidelines to keep your hat in tip-top shape for a very long time.

I agree with you mostly. If you worry about every speck of dust you won't enjoy it. Of course when you invest in a really nice lid, you might be a little crazy about it being clean and all, but once you break it in you won't worry so much.

Not sure about any social aspects of grabbing the brim though. I see lots of crown grabbing in classic films.

 

[duggap]

The pinch is the weakest part of the felt. Continually handling the hat by the weakest point will cause a hole to appear. Some guys don't care, but I think to much of my VS hats to ever do that to them. Besides Art would probably come out here and whip me for it.

 

[Lefty]

If you're of the doffing persuasion, but don't want to wear out the pinch, you can pinch the front of the brim and just slightly raise the hat, or just pinch the brim and smile.

There's a great set of cigarette cards in the NY Public Library digital archive, that includes this one:

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's up to you. I've posted before how you shouldn't leave a wet hat on it's crown as you end up getting a flat spot on top... that also goes for dry fedoras. They are soft hats and take the shape of whatever surface they are left on over time.

As for grabbing the crown. It's not recommended since felt is a wall of hares held together by barbs on the hares. Constant bending and folding of the material (like with a paper bag) can cause it to break down over time. This has been more prevalent with hats that have coarser fur. I've worn holes in some of my hat crowns by grabbing and pinching the hat as I carry it. It happens more on some than on others. But I'm a crown grabber and it's a habbit I don't think I need to break. Over time i've gravitated toward companies that use felts that are more malleable.

Hatters hate when I do this publicly and compare by posting high end names next to low end \/

As for a few modern hats and how they take crown grabbing.
Akubra, Borsalino and Worth and Worth hats tend to break down pretty fast when it comes to bending the felt. Optimo, Biltmore and Stetson tend to take being grabbed by the crown much better and last longer without breaking down from pinching.

 

[CRH]

.......Besides Art would probably come out here and whip me for it.

Speaking of whipping....... if you ever feel the urge to whip someone with your hat; probably one of your dingy pals like Stan or Norton, hold the hat by the brim and not by the pinch. Holding the hat by the pinch would be hard on the hat and lessen the effects on your dingy friend :eusa_doh: .

 

[Lefty]

Just get one of these self-tipping devices.

 

[Dewhurst]

I always put my fedoras on by grabbing the brim in the front and the back, and then placing it on my head.

I take my fedoras off by grabbing the front brim and pulling them off.

[huh]

The pinch has a really bad habit of breaking down through too much grabbing, besides I can't seem to get the hat straight when I put it on holding the pinch.

I never do the "pop" greeting with a hat (where you grab the pinch and lift it up) because it never occurs to me. I usually just dip the brim or doff the hat entirely when greeting people.

 

[TheLimey]

I must confess that I have the nasty habbit of using the pinch to remove my Fedora. I keep trying to stop but the habbit is rooted somewhat deep.
I must have gentle fingers though becouse I haven't worn through the felt of any yet.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Well, I've already read very good reasons for not grabbing the hat by the pinch, so I'm not going to add more of the same.
The reasons for not GtHbtP are so valid, that knowledge of same is -usually- successful in suppressing my (natural? acquired?) urge to do just that (GtHbtP). So, I remove my hat, carefully.
In most cases, I dislike "pinched" hats; I prefer the pinch to be a nice, round bulge. And to keep it that way, GtHbtP is not a good idea.

Now, in those old movies, I think movies in fact distort reality. Of course they do! Movies are full of ...hot air. That's how they have to be to have a chance of success. NO one, except maybe Franz Kafka, is going to see a boring film, filled with police inspectors ever so carefully removing their spotless fedora, both hands on the brim and, ever so carefully hanging that precious hat on a specially designed hat hook. Of course not! That police inspector, ever eating sandwiches and drinking warm brown water, is a real macho, speaks a strange language, style more important than ...content or reality. No one EVER wants to see reality. Star Wars, yes. Gaza, no (and, please accept it from me, this is NOT a political remark and is NOT indicative of any preference, or criticism). It's a fact of life. Bigger than life, that's what matters ... in the movies.
I think therefore, movies may indeed be a bad indicator of how it really was. Much like the hats in Deadwood. Was there ever such hats there, in ...what... 1875-6-7??? I don't think so.

 

[zetwal]

Do you worry over how you put on or take off your shoes or underwear? I say don't fuss over it too much. If the hat shows some wear over time - or gets a little dirty - so what? That's life!

I'm not saying that you should go out of your way to abuse your hat. But why not live your life as you live it and let your hat enjoy the ride?

 

[scotrace]

By the way, Emily Post defines tipping your hat as "touching the brim."
Removing it is another matter.

 

[jdbenson]

Holes

When I was a boy I found one of my grandfather's old hats, an OR with what looked like a bullet hole in brim. When I quizzed my grandmother about it she told me that Pappa always handled his hat by the brim, never by the crown. After years of on and off handling, he's actually worn a finger size hole in the brim.

I guess the lesson here is to vary what spot on the brim you grab!

 

[avedwards]

If you handle the crown on a fedora too much the pinch becomes tighter. This may be, but personally I think this looks better than the subtle pinches on many modern fedoras. Most hats in '40s films have a very tight pinch. Look at Bogart, the felt on both sides is nearly touching at the centre, and his hat definitely looks good.

 

[skwerl-hat]

I am usually a crown grabber myself, but when i started wearing hats i was a brim grabber.

I habitually adjust my hat once its on my head by the front brim and have actually damaged a few brims by this habit. Does anyone else do this?

 

[Lefty]

I guess it all depends on the time period in question.

By the way, Emily Post defines tipping your hat as "touching the brim."
Removing it is another matter.