The Long Oval Unfortunate's Club

[feltfan]

How about sharing a picture?

Fourth and fifth picture here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=167588&postcount=15

 

[XPLSV]

Fourth and fifth picture here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=167588&postcount=15

Wow... :eusa_clap

I deal with the 7 3/8 LO and a 13B shoe...always challenging!

 

[FATS88]

Hey Big Heads! I wear a 7 7/8 and have the exact same troubles you all have.
I sent an e-mail to Peters Bros hats about a Dobbs Dayton hat I really admire.
Unfortunately, the largest it is available is 7 3/4. I received a VERY prompt and courteous reply that they could remove the sweatband, stretch the hat to fit me and sew in another LARGER sweatband for an additional $30.
I haven't ordered this hat yet but I thought that was exceptional customer service and a good option for us huge headed hat wearers!

Yes, Joe Peters sr. is a CLASSY GUY!:eusa_clap

 

[AdmiralTofu]

7 3/8 LO here. Count me in... is there a membership card, or just a special feather to put in the band of our hideously malformed hats?

I've found that I don't usually need to go up in size to get a good fit; I can buy in my stated size and just use my Hat Jack to stretch it front-to-back. Some hats are persistent and need to be steamed 'n stretched more than once before it takes, but it works pretty well.

'Course, I'm just a "regular" Long Oval... dunno how it would work for you freakish extra-long-and-bigger guys.

-Tofu

 

[Joel Tunnah]

...I can buy in my stated size and just use my Hat Jack to stretch it front-to-back.

This has never worked for me, long-term. It lasts for a day or so, but eventually is tight again in the front and back, and worse is that the brim then often gets a permanent wobble to it.

The only two stable solutions are, 1) the hat is blocked as a true long oval, or 2) An adjustable or conforming sweatband in the next regular size up. You see these sometimes in old hats.

There seems to be a world of difference between stretching a hat into a long oval, and blocking a hat as a long oval.

It's an odd thing that long ovals are not at all uncommon, and yet retailers and hat companies could care less about this segment of the market.

 

[feltfan]

Wow... :eusa_clap

I deal with the 7 3/8 LO and a 13B shoe...always challenging!

I have the long/extra long oval combined with
the 4E shoe width.

Clothing manufacturers will some day realize that people
don't fit into simple molds. We are actually biological creatures
with all sorts of variations. We conform more or less to
bilateral symmetry (although I'm sure Art or anyone who has
seen the misshapen head shapes recorded by a hat conformer
would disagree even with that), but beyond that all bets are off.

 

[jamespowers]

I have the long/extra long oval combined with
the 4E shoe width.

Clothing manufacturers will some day realize that people
don't fit into simple molds. We are actually biological creatures
with all sorts of variations. We conform more or less to
bilateral symmetry (although I'm sure Art or anyone who has
seen the misshapen head shapes recorded by a hat conformer
would disagree even with that), but beyond that all bets are off.

Actually we really don't conform to such symetry. All you have to do is have one of those pictures taken where they clone and flip the right side of your face to the left and you can see how different you would look if your face were perfectly symetrical. That applies to heads I am sure since the face is on the front of it.
The only real way to get anything to fit perfectly for you is to have it custom made to your specifications. I have a shoulder that is lower than the other. My father had a hip slightly lower than the other. My friend has one arm 1/16th of an inch longer than the other. How did we all find these things out? When having alterations done on a suit or having one custom made.
For this thread specific topic, I am actually a 7 1/2 Extra Long Oval. That means I have to either reblock a hat correctly, get the next size up or call Art (who has my head shape already mapped).

 

[AdmiralTofu]

This has never worked for me, long-term. It lasts for a day or so, but eventually is tight again in the front and back, and worse is that the brim then often gets a permanent wobble to it.

'Tis true; I do notice a bit of warping with the brim... but as long as I stay on top of it during the steaming stage, and only do the stretching in small increments, I can usually keep it from becoming a problem. But you are right; it's more of a Band-Aid than a solution. It'd be nice to see folks who don't fit into perfect mannequin molds taken into consideration with clothes.

-Tofu

 

[jamespowers]

It'd be nice to see folks who don't fit into perfect mannequin molds taken into consideration with clothes.

-Tofu

Good luck with that. It never ceases to amaze me how clothing manufacturers think someone my size should have arms longer than a gorillas. :eusa_doh:

 

[AdmiralTofu]

Good luck with that. It never ceases to amaze me how clothing manufacturers think someone my size should have arms longer than a gorillas. :eusa_doh:

And whose fault is that, J? It's not their fault you're not perfect*, now is it? CONFORM, already, jeez...

(* or their idea of thereof...)

-Tofu

 

[jamespowers]

And whose fault is that, J? It's not their fault you're not perfect*, now is it? CONFORM, already, jeez...

(* or their idea of thereof...)

-Tofu

Sure. I'll will my arms to grow another two or three inches.

 

[Hammelby]

hm..

I'm thinking of joining the club... I wear 7 1/8, but when I bought
my first straw boater.. something was wrong.

Maby we should call this the "red stripe" (on the forehead) club

 

[Hammelby]

... that is -so- cruel.

There is no such thing as the "perfect human", its a fantasy.
Last time someone seriously attempted to "create one", they lit our world on fire. :rage: Just my opinion...

 

[feltfan]

For this thread specific topic, I am actually a 7 1/2 Extra Long Oval. That means I have to either reblock a hat correctly, get the next size up or call Art (who has my head shape already mapped).

I have a brown Cavanagh (wide brim, tall crown, Cav Edge)
in "Extra Long Oval" 7 1/2. Of course most of my
hats are around that size.

If you put me in your will, I'll put you in mine.

Meanwhile, I'll have to let Art know that since you
live so close I'll be glad to receive your hats for you.
No need to thank me.

 

[MississippiLong]

7 5/8 LO here.....melon heads unite! Us water-noggins gotta keep together, and keep our spirits up. Sure finding a vintage hat in our head shapes is hard...and finding a modern hat in a LO is impossible, but we're managing...we're a fightin' bunch, we are. we shall overcome my brethren.

 

[KY Gentleman]

7 5/8 LO here.....melon heads unite! Us water-noggins gotta keep together, and keep our spirits up. Sure finding a vintage hat in our head shapes is hard...and finding a modern hat in a LO is impossible, but we're managing...we're a fightin' bunch, we are. we shall overcome my brethren.

With all the 7 5/8-7 7/8 folks out there its kind of a wonder there aren't more modern hats being made in those sizes. I will stand with you MississippiLong,
I wear a 7 3/4 in some makes and a 7 7/8 in others. Its tough!

 

[indycop]

7 5/8 XLO!

 

[Woodfluter]

Dolichocephalic, anybody?

So, having recently ordered a lid from Clearwater Hats, who require an accurate cardboard cutout of your head dimensions at the point where you wear your hat, I had the opportunity of measuring my maximum and minimum cranial diameters without needing jumbo calipers. That allowed me to find my cephalic index = % min. diam./max. diam. Turns out that my C.I. is 74.5, which is apparently at the far, far end of the dolichocephalic range - for populations:

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5183/ripleymapofcephalicindeic4.png

Since my ancestors are from N. England and Scandanavia and Scotland, this isn't surprising. But it points out my dilemma. I'm right in between sizes, 59/60 metric, and hatmakers have given up on long ovals, not to mention extra long. So do I:

1. Get 7-3/8 (59) and stretch it?
2. Get 7-1/2 (60) and live with loose sides? I hate using foam in there.
3. Get 7-1/2 (60) and selectively shrink the base of the crown?

So far, (1) hasn't been entirely successful. Hats tend to shrink back and recover their shape. Maybe if I took it to a hat specialist for reblocking...but there probably aren't any near me. And (2) just kind of bothers me.

I've had the best luck with (3) recently. However, localized steam shrinkage can be iffy. The two Akubras I have responded just right and are good fits. Although I had to use spraying plus a hair dryer with the Banjo Paterson due to the fishskin hatband, keeping that wet to avoid damage. Wouldn't try steaming that without removing the band first. On the other hand, I did the hot steam treatment several times with an old Stetson "25" Open Road, and just barely got it to respond at all - it was amazingly resistant to shrinkage.

So I'm asking the forum - has anyone found the "best" approach? The Killer App? Apart from a custom hatmaker of course...

I agree with J.T. Marcus about wetting them (or steaming them) and wearing until dry, but that is only a partial solution - they seem to want to return dimensionally. Also I'm afraid to use a hat jack or stretcher since I'm getting them larger and shrinking them locally, ya know - could make them too big again. Or am I wrong?

- Bill

 

[scotrace]

New questions are arising so *bump*

 

[Neophyte]

I'm not as alone in my struggle as I thought I was lol!

7 3/8 LO, present!