Wierd question: Hat stretching without band

[Fatdutchman]

Wierd question prompted by something on another board I'm on. The proposition was that a hat will quickly stretch out of shape without a band around it (at this point, it has not been established whether he meant a ribbon/band on the outside, or the leather sweatband, but the general discussion was about ribbons/bands on the outside). Basically, I said that a hat should keep its shape all on its own, and a ribbon on the outside does nothing. If anything, hats SHRINK, not stretch. Anyway, now there are two folks on the board who are adamant that there must be a band of some kind outside the hat to hold it together.

Just so there can be no doubt, have any of you experienced a hat stretching out because it didn't have a band to hold it together?

 

[gtdean48]

Hat bands are mostly ornamental. The hat is blocked & flanged into the size & shape, then a band is placed on it to dress it up. The ribbon used is so flexible it would not give it any stability. Vintage ribbons over time can become rigid & reduce the amount you can stretch an old one without popping the stitching or ripping. Sweatbands are a different story in that they are more matched with the size the hat is blocked to.

 

[marvelgoose]

Anyway, now there are two folks on the board who are adamant that there must be a band of some kind outside the hat to hold it together.

Tell them that the hat and band are designed to shrink or expand in tune with the size of the brain of the wearer. The hat band will constrict the hat if the wearer has a large brain. This is why some people have to wear a hat without a band.

Oh, your hat *has* a band? So sorry.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Challenge those guys to do the experiment, and find out for themselves.

 

[jdbenson]

Reed?

Maybe they were referring to the reed in the sweatband. The reeded sweatbands do keep a hat in it's general oval shape a little better than the non-reeded sweatbands...

 

[RobFedoraField]

personal experience

my personal experience on a resistol that had a "self conforming" sweat band that was removed (hat was tight, tried to stretch it and then it crumbled, so I just took it out), that hat fit great initially, but wearing it like that it has slowly stretched to a "dome" shape and is looser than it was. I also noticed the break between the crown and brim is not as sharp as it used to be.

 

[Fatdutchman]

These are 18th century people. The basic style of hat in question is a simple round hat. These are generally bought with no sweatband, and no ribbon or band outside.

I believe that the comments of a hat stretching out, and needing a band to hold it together probably stems from the use of cheap wool felt hats, which ain't much count for anything.