A couple of quick thougts

[bobm]

In the last so many years, I've developed a penchant for "nice' hats. By "nice" I am referring more toward the fedora style of hats and even some Western hats. The rightstyle of of hat can so make you look distinguished - either dapper or rugged.
However, I also find that more than any other piece of clothing, getting it 'right" can be a challenge for most of us. Get a brim too wide or a crown 1/4" too wide or high and you can go from looking good to looking foolish. Though so many hats are beautiful - well made and all, matching the hat to the person requires a good eye. And more than that, a critical eye. Thinking we all look like Bogart or Indiana Jones in that fedora or Cooper, Wayne or Redford in that western hat may require another look in the mirror.
Thoughts?
Bob

 

[HatsEnough]

You really, really do need to learn the list of recommendations that hatters in the day had for face shape before buying a hat to wear. They had this chart of face shapes to hat styles for a reason. For me, I won't buy any stingy brims or any Homburgs or any bowlers because my face shape simply does not work with those styles. (I own one version of all three hats above for the collection, but I just never wear them because I look absurd in them.)

 

[bobm]

You really, really do need to learn the list of recommendations that hatters in the day had for face shape before buying a hat to wear. They had this chart of face shapes to hat styles for a reason. For me, I won't buy any stingy brims or any Homburgs or any bowlers because my face shape simply does not work with those styles. (I own one version of all three hats above for the collection, but I just never wear them because I look absurd in them.)

Thanks! Where is this list? BTW, what is a "stingy" brim?

Bob

 

[djd]

Bob - you're absolutely right. Indiana Jones got me into hats but that style of high crowned, straight sided fedora is really hard to carry off. A lower crown looks so much better on most of us I think.

 

[T Rick]

While there are certainly "best" hat types for face/head type I am sure, I also think there is a lot of personal preference involved, and any given individual may be able to "pull off" more styles/types than one might imagine.

There is a lot to be said for how the hat is worn, along with the way it is bashed and shaped. Far back on the head, or low on the forehead? Tilted? Brim up all the way around, or snapped down in front? Hollywood brim? Crowns can be set at a variety of heights for the same hat, with different pinches and bashes making a huge difference.

Also there is much to be said about the wearer's "attitude" (and/or confidence). This has much to do with the thought behind the phrase "wearing the hat, vs. the hat wearing you". This alone makes a HUGE difference in the boundaries of hat style/variety IMO.

 

[HatsEnough]

Here is one place with the old chart on face styles to hat styles...

http://www.millerhats.com/hatcare_index/hatfaces.html

 

[mercuryfelt76]

Bob: a stingy brim is a very narrow snap brim. Think trilby.

 

[mustangman3000]

This is a great thread! Thanks for the link Hatsenough!

 

[ShrunkinCowboy]

Well, I'm pretty small.
Anything with a big crown or a wide brim, makes me look like a New Mexican pygmy?
As the old Templar knight said to Indiana Jones......."Choose wisely".

Steve

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Perfect hat for your ugly mug

This is a good update to the hat for face shape rules and over view of hats in general.

 

[bobm]

While there are certainly "best" hat types for face/head type I am sure, I also think there is a lot of personal preference involved, and any given individual may be able to "pull off" more styles/types than one might imagine.

There is a lot to be said for how the hat is worn, along with the way it is bashed and shaped. Far back on the head, or low on the forehead? Tilted? Brim up all the way around, or snapped down in front? Hollywood brim? Crowns can be set at a variety of heights for the same hat, with different pinches and bashes making a huge difference.

Also there is much to be said about the wearer's "attitude" (and/or confidence). This has much to do with the thought behind the phrase "wearing the hat, vs. the hat wearing you". This alone makes a HUGE difference in the boundaries of hat style/variety IMO.

T Rick,

Very well said; I agree 100%. And I would even add eyeglasses (if it applies) as some styles of eyeglasses can add or detract from the hat and total look.

Bob

 

[bobm]

Bob - you're absolutely right. Indiana Jones got me into hats but that style of high crowned, straight sided fedora is really hard to carry off. A lower crown looks so much better on most of us I think.

True about the crown, but that Indy hat you were wearing in that other thread suited you well.

Bob

 

[Omne]

Here is one place with the old chart on face styles to hat styles...

http://www.millerhats.com/hatcare_index/hatfaces.html

For me the hard part was figuring out which face type I have. It's kind of in between a couple of them. I finally went with prominent jaw ( and a touch of square face ).

That said, what would constitute a "moderately low crown" and a "medium brim"? I'm guessing the brim would be 2 1/4 - 2 1/2. I don't know about the crown height though.

Is there much variation in actual crown heights or is it more a matter of how much material the bash takes up?

 

[bowlerman]

I used to worry about what crown and brim dimensions went best with my facial features, short and slightly stocky build, crooked schnoz, and which colors would look best with my olive skin tone, etc... should the brim be rolled or snapped? how much dip in front? how high the sides should curl? blah blah blah.

Truth be told, there's no such thing-- there's only what you feel comfortable wearing, and what you don't. I don't always dress with the same attitude or purpose, so the hat that works best changes, as it needs to feel right with the rest of me, and resonate somehow-- contrast or complement-- with the entire ensemble, depending on what you're trying to accomplish.

I feared the tight pinch-front until I tried it out with a straw. I feared a wide brim-- I should say an unstingy brim-- for a long time as well. Now I can't stand small brims when my hair is grown out, as they make me look like Peter Pan (I think I got that analogy from someone here-- I forgot who said it), but I'm perfectly comfortable wearing a wide or narrow brim with a buzz cut.

My facial shape can also appear differently with different configurations of beard, so crown height can appear differently as well based on the frame of reference.

These things, to me, have just as much to do with choosing hat specs as the shape and size of your nose, or how furry your eyebrows are. Maybe you want to bring out some of your salient features, rather than minimize or blend them, as Miller's guidelines would suggest.

I'm also perfectly comfortable wearing a bowler or a fedora with a t- shirt and/or hoodie, so I guess I'd like to offer that your style is your own, and wearing a fedora doesn't mean you have to be wearing a certain kind of suit. I'm not criticizing those that do-- in fact many of you have truly impeccable combinations that could be straight out of a time capsule, yet subtle enough to wear to work each day without seeming out of place like a Brady from the Brady Bunch Movie. It's remarkable and impressive and I could never pull it off.

Recently, and to my surprise, I discovered that I really like higher crowns (by fedora standards) as long as the brim isn't huge. When I say "I really like" I suppose I mean "it has more versatility with my everyday wear than some of my other hats."

So just try different combos and after awhile you'll know what you like "best."

 

[hatophile]

I used to worry about what crown and brim dimensions went best with my facial features, short and slightly stocky build, crooked schnoz, and which colors would look best with my olive skin tone, etc... should the brim be rolled or snapped? how much dip in front? how high the sides should curl? blah blah blah.

Truth be told, there's no such thing-- there's only what you feel comfortable wearing, and what you don't. I don't always dress with the same attitude or purpose, so the hat that works best changes, as it needs to feel right with the rest of me, and resonate somehow-- contrast or complement-- with the entire ensemble, depending on what you're trying to accomplish.

I feared the tight pinch-front until I tried it out with a straw. I feared a wide brim-- I should say an unstingy brim-- for a long time as well. Now I can't stand small brims when my hair is grown out, as they make me look like Peter Pan (I think I got that analogy from someone here-- I forgot who said it), but I'm perfectly comfortable wearing a wide or narrow brim with a buzz cut.

My facial shape can also appear differently with different configurations of beard, so crown height can appear differently as well based on the frame of reference.

These things, to me, have just as much to do with choosing hat specs as the shape and size of your nose, or how furry your eyebrows are. Maybe you want to bring out some of your salient features, rather than minimize or blend them, as Miller's guidelines would suggest.

I'm also perfectly comfortable wearing a bowler or a fedora with a t- shirt and/or hoodie, so I guess I'd like to offer that your style is your own, and wearing a fedora doesn't mean you have to be wearing a certain kind of suit. I'm not criticizing those that do-- in fact many of you have truly impeccable combinations that could be straight out of a time capsule, yet subtle enough to wear to work each day without seeming out of place like a Brady from the Brady Bunch Movie. It's remarkable and impressive and I could never pull it off.

Recently, and to my surprise, I discovered that I really like higher crowns (by fedora standards) as long as the brim isn't huge. When I say "I really like" I suppose I mean "it has more versatility with my everyday wear than some of my other hats."

So just try different combos and after awhile you'll know what you like "best."

Excellent advice.

 

[HatsEnough]

Truth be told, there's no such thing-- there's only what you feel comfortable wearing, and what you don't.

I guess I can agree with that in as much as you can wear whatever you like in a free society. But I still think the face-to-hat-style chart is all good advice. Let's face it, the reason some of the old comedy stars looked "funny" in their hats is because they went out of their way to violate the proportional look of a well fitted hat!

If you want a modern equivalent, think the joke of "fat man in a little coat" in the movie Tommy Boy. See, he was "funny" because he was a fat guy in a coat that didn't fit. Now, sure, he could have walked around like that all the time if he felt like wearing a coat 2 sizes too small for him. But, should he have done that? Most would advise against it. At some point, people often have advice that is worth listening to. The hat-to-face-style chart is good advice.

Individualism is good, of course. But sometimes we should know when to listen to good advice.

 

[bowlerman]

This is a good point!

 

[Omne]

Definitely good advice, but the chart does give me a starting point. For example I do know that I don't like how I look in a high crown or a very wide brim.

 

[mayserwegener]

I guess I can agree with that in as much as you can wear whatever you like in a free society. But I still think the face-to-hat-style chart is all good advice. Let's face it, the reason some of the old comedy stars looked "funny" in their hats is because they went out of their way to violate the proportional look of a well fitted hat!

If you want a modern equivalent, think the joke of "fat man in a little coat" in the movie Tommy Boy. See, he was "funny" because he was a fat guy in a coat that didn't fit. Now, sure, he could have walked around like that all the time if he felt like wearing a coat 2 sizes too small for him. But, should he have done that? Most would advise against it. At some point, people often have advice that is worth listening to. The hat-to-face-style chart is good advice.

Individualism is good, of course. But sometimes we should know when to listen to good advice.

I am not sure what is considered a good fit today meant the same thing back in the day. All you have to do is look at (in general) how high on the head Derbies were worn in the first part of the 20th Century. The same also applied to soft felt hats. Brim and crown dimensions are a different story although I think such style guides can be a bit bias in trying to prove their point. The 5 to 5 1/2 inch tall straight sided crown with 2 1/2 to 2 7/8 inch brim almost always gets a postive response on this board no matter the face type.

 

[bobm]

I guess I can agree with that in as much as you can wear whatever you like in a free society. But I still think the face-to-hat-style chart is all good advice. Let's face it, the reason some of the old comedy stars looked "funny" in their hats is because they went out of their way to violate the proportional look of a well fitted hat!

If you want a modern equivalent, think the joke of "fat man in a little coat" in the movie Tommy Boy. See, he was "funny" because he was a fat guy in a coat that didn't fit. Now, sure, he could have walked around like that all the time if he felt like wearing a coat 2 sizes too small for him. But, should he have done that? Most would advise against it. At some point, people often have advice that is worth listening to. The hat-to-face-style chart is good advice.

Individualism is good, of course. But sometimes we should know when to listen to good advice.

This has become, for me a very interesting thread. I agree - to a point with Bowlerman, essentially that you should wear what you like and if you feel comfortable with it, or think it looks good on you, go for it. Comfort in your choice of hats will reflect back directly on the total look - up to a point, IMHO.
20 years ago, I walked into JJ Hat Center in NYC and came out with a fawn colored Borsalino Allessandria fedora. Can't remember why I made that particular choice amongst all the other hats there, but I know very soon thereafter, I very, very rarely wore it. I have a longish, rather than square jawed or round face. I'm also 5'6.5" - not too tall!
Every time I decided to take that hat out of the box and try it on, I appreciated the beauty, but never felt it looked right on me - a way too tall and boxy crown for me. I knew it was "wrong" for me and I never felt comfortable wearing and back in the box it went. Friends - who happen to appreciate nice hats, echoed my thoughts and concerns. Bought a Borsalino Ledo and though the crown is just as high, it is nowhere as boxy, making me look "top heavy". It works for me - I feel way more comfortable in "the look". I also have a Borsalino felt packable fedora, that works well for me.
In the first half of the 2oth century, most men wore hats. In the last 50 years, I think wearing the fedoras, we are in a way, making a statement, maybe not a loud statement, but we are walking a different path than those that don't. And I'm liking the trip.
I think the basic guides for face shape, skin and hair color, as well as recommended clothing styles and colors are a great place to start. Iv'e said it many to friends and even here, for most of us, not the Bogarts, Redfords Eastwoods or Harrison Fords, but the majority of men, need to be discerning about their headwear, because nothing can make a guy look so good or bad, or worst of all, foolish with the wrong hat.
A few years ago, I took a peak at the Indiana Jones website. I know most of the guys were having a grand old time, and probably a few laughs, dressing up in full Indy gear - most important of which were the jacket and hat. I must say, IMHO again, that very few looked good, most looked silly. I mean, when you have dark, thick glasses and a wispy, half grown moustache, or look like a 250 lb accountant, you ain't cuttin' it as Indy. But to repeat - if that is what you think looks go and are comfortable; go for it.
Another side example, I was getting my haircut then other day and next to me was a man in his mid sixties, (I'm 57) and was getting his hair, eyebrows and moustache dyed - totally 100% coal black. I mean, it looked horrible and calls attention - in a negative way and invites comments; few of them, I'm guessing good.
Now taking a look at that hats worn by most of the guys at the Lounge, are damn good looking hats and enhance, the appearance and the 'look".
So wear what you'd like, but pay a bit of attention to the basic recommendations.

Bob