Hat sizing

[Matt Deckard]

For future refference

One thing I want to make clear to new hat wearers is that if the hat is a bit tight go for the bigger size as leather sweatbands will draw in after being hit with sweat, expanding and drying out.

Women should take into account different hair styles. Many womens hats of the golden era sat on top of the hair rather than straddling the head.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Some references are off a bit.

What I mean is, one can find a wide variation in measurements out there...for instance some sites will say 22 1/4 to 22 1/2 inches is size 7 1/8. I wear a 7 1/8 but my head measures 22 1/2 inches.

 

[Mr. 'H']

This link is useful:

http://www.hatlife.com/headsize.php

It's really important to use this if you are buying a British hat. I have one that fits me perfectly - it is a "7 1/4, 60" but the inches measurement is the British standard which would equate to a US 7 1/2.

Also, when looking at vintage Borsolinos on Ebay for instance, be aware that the sizes are done the Italian way. So if they all seem small, they are not that small really.

Here's an extract from the site:

"Headsize circumference given in the table chart are not correct for all American-made hats, because there is not yet a complete standardization in all the factories. They are, however, correct measurements according to the standard in effect in factories making at least three-quarters of American hats. But no matter how well the manufacturer adheres to standardization of sizes, considerable effort is lost if the hat does not look well on the consumer. It must be a fundamental consideration that the form and size of skulls are extremely important right from the very beginning of hat-making. It is here that a hat begins life, and designers should bear in mind always that the skulls of various races and people differ widely in form and size.

People all over the world, of various races, have skulls that are markedly different in type and shape. It should be remembered that the head bones of a man are heavier and differ widely in shape from those of a woman. The man's cranium, it is reported, rises higher from mid-ear to the rear, uppermost part of the head is more developed in the lower part of the head than that of a woman. And so it is, that because of the difference in head shapes, a nicely, well-fitted hat which looks well on one man may very well look awkward on another.

For instance, a high crown widebrim piece may be symmetrically perfect and look fine on a customer, but if this same buyer tried on a hat with a lower crown and smaller brim he might very well feel something lacking when he looked in a mirror. A man walked into Hat Life offices one cold day wearing a high-domed Russian-style hat. It looked very awkward on him, so we tried an experiment. He was asked to remove his hat, and tried one we had in the office, but which had a much lower crown than the one he had worn. The difference was remarkable. Even though it was the same style hat, the second headpiece not only fitted well, but looked outstandingly different, giving the man a refreshing flair.

The shape of his head made the difference. It is important, therefore, that the cranium's shape matches closely the shape and style of the hat. Hat shop proprietors and salesmen will be quick to say the difference is noticed at once. That is why they continue to help customers in selecting a good hat which not only fits well, but is also the best possible piece which blends nicely with his head bone structure and brings out his best personality. When a customer says: "This hat looks great, it sort of goes nicely with the shape of my head," it means that everybody in hats is doing his, or her, job, from designer, manufacturer and salesman.

Head Sizes of Presidents and Well-Known Men for the Past 100 Years.

Chester A. Arthur . . . . 7 1/4
U. S. Grant . . . . 7 3/8
William McKinley . . . . 7 1/8

Fred Astaire . . . . 7 1/8
Warren G. Harding . . . . 7 3/8
Richard M. Nixon . . . . 7 1/2

Enrico Caruso . . . . 7 1/4
Benjamin Harrison . . . . 7 1/2
Franklin D. Roosevelt . . . . 7 3/8

Winston Churchill . . . . 7 1/8
Rutherford B. Hayes . . . . 7 1/16
Theodore Roosevelt . . . . 7 3/8

Grover Cleveland . . . . 7 1/2
J. Edgar Hoover . . . . 7 1/2
Babe Ruth . . . . 7 1/2

Calvin Coolidge . . . . 7 1/8
Herbert Hoover . . . . 7 3/8
William H. Taft . . . . 7 3/4

Thomas E. Dewey . . . . 7 3/8
Andrew Johnson . . . . 7 1/4
Harry S. Truman . . . . 7 3/8

D. Eisenhower . . . . 7 1/4
Lyndon B. Johnson . . . . 7 3/8
Jimmy Walker . . . . 7 1/16

Jas. A. Farley . . . . 7 1/4
John F. Kennedy . . . . 7 5/8
Woodrow Wilson . . . . 7 1/4

Henry Ford . . . . 6 7/8
LaGuardia, F. H . . . . 7 1/4
Duke of Windsor . . . . 6 3/4

James A. Garfield . . . . 7 3/4
Abraham Lincoln . . . . 7 1/8 "

 

[gdkenoyer]

o great, I share a headsize with Nixon and Hoover...

 

[Alan Eardley]

Hat sizes

Are the Brits on the list in US or UK sizes?