New To The Hat Scene

[Telsiph]

Afternoon all,

I'm not entirely sure this is where to post this, but thus far it's the only place I've found where a general question like this might be answered! I live in the south, so it took me quite some time to find a hat that I like (recently got all of my hair cut off, and searching around the south for a decent hat that isn't a baseball cap is like finding a piece of hay in a stack of used needles). I finally found one I enjoy, that is an extra large, however it still is having issues fitting around my massive skull.

I am curious if there is a safe way to properly stretch it out so it doesn't leave a red mark around my forehead when I take it off. I'm also curious (and I'm sure there's a link I'm missing) to what currently is "acceptable" with a hat of this type. Jeans, tennis shoes, wearing indoors? Etc, I am sure it is just my southern ignorance that is bringing these questions because *no one* I know wears such a hat, and it's awkward enough wearing the bloody thing. However, I enjoy it, and pondering the opinion of a "hat enthusiasts" such as yourselves!

 

[zetwal]

Welcome! There are many threads on this topic. Here's just one to get you started. You can find more by using the search option at the top of this page. Good to have you with us!

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=25140&highlight=stretch

 

[Tampahound]

Welcome Telsiph! You have certainly come to the right place to have your questions answered. I have gotten much sage advice here at the Fedora Lounge. Some here are very particular about what they wear with certain hats, and others (like me) wear my hats with whatever I feel like. I will admit that I probably look odd with T-shirt, shorts, and a fur-felt fedora, but I care not because I wear my hats for ME!

Enjoy your time here, and enjoy your hats!

 

[MCrider]

Telsiph, you've definitely come to great place to have you questions answered. If the hat is a fur felt then a hat jack will stretch it slightly, but may need to be a permanant fixture when you're not wearing the hat.

As far as to what clothes to wear, I used to wear alot of t-shirts but when I started wearing fedora's I slowly began to upgrade to button shirts. I still wear the jeans though and tennis shoes if the occasion calls for them. I do agree with Tampahound though, I wear my hats for me and as long as I'm comfortable with what I'm wearing then it's good!

Definitely would get your head measured as to what actual size you wear, then start looking around for the style you like!

Enjoy the hats and say goodbye to any extra money you might have had.

 

[Dewhurst]

Welcome, welcome!

You came to the right place. Both of your questions (stretching & proper attire) are very common and popular topics and a little browsing will open a treasure trove of opinion regarding them both.

Have fun looking around.

 

[Spats McGee]

Welcome to the Lounge, Telsiph!

Wear your hat with whatever you please. For a while, it'll feel like the hat is wearing you, but that will change. Measure your head, and figure out your proper hat size. I only own one or two hats that are even sized in S/M/L/XL any more.

 

[Telsiph]

Greetings,

Thanks much for the advice all! I am slowly phasing out the T-Shirts, so I'm glad to see I'm not the only one doing so! Still iffy on "protocol" (take hat off in restaurant, leave hat on in bar...etc etc) so learning to pick that up as I go. This hat is a good beginner's hat, and I'm slowly stretching it using the instructions given in this thread (already fits a little better) however I can definitely see how a better fitting one would be nice.

I have looked through some threads and gotten some good information, however I'm curious what you might recommend as a good beginners online shopping website for hats? Though this XL hat may be stretched to be a little bit of a bigger fit, I can already tell by looking at that picture that it seems a little small compared to the rest of my big old head. So I agree with your suggestions that I might be better taking a measurement and then ordering online (as I have found a grande total of maybe 3 places in my local area that sell, and this little dinky cotton hat is the best I found).

If you guys have a free moment, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Lotta information to go through and I'm slowly reading em, but a little more to the point answers might speed things along a bit! Oh extra spending cash, how I will miss you.

 

[Mr Vim]

In regards to hats, the fit is the important thing, the style you make your own. At least that's my opinion. There are some that say certain face structures need to stick with certain hat styles... others say you have to break the rules a little. Still others say Rules, What are those?

Another important thing to remember when starting out is that asking for an opinion on here usually means you'll get one, positive and sometimes negative, something I initially had issues with, until I realized that I was the one that asked in the first place, so use the bad as well as the good and learn learn learn. Don't let this bunk bring you down. We've all stumbled in our starting, I'm still laying in the ditch somewheres.

Having said all that, welcome, we're glad to have you here.

 

[RobFedoraField]

tshirts...

Telsiph, you've definitely come to great place to have you questions answered. If the hat is a fur felt then a hat jack will stretch it slightly, but may need to be a permanant fixture when you're not wearing the hat.

As far as to what clothes to wear, I used to wear alot of t-shirts but when I started wearing fedora's I slowly began to upgrade to button shirts. I still wear the jeans though and tennis shoes if the occasion calls for them. I do agree with Tampahound though, I wear my hats for me and as long as I'm comfortable with what I'm wearing then it's good!

Definitely would get your head measured as to what actual size you wear, then start looking around for the style you like!

Enjoy the hats and say goodbye to any extra money you might have had.

I gotta say I keep my tshirts, but have emphasized the solid color / no logo style. one of my favorite looks is jeans, a heavy duty white cotton tshirt and my navy blue fur felt stratton, but when ever I wear it, I feel like I'm going to end up getting in trouble

I also like a tshirt w/ my straw akubra. just keep in mind that should wear what you like and what looks good on you.

 

[Dewhurst]

I have looked through some threads and gotten some good information, however I'm curious what you might recommend as a good beginners online shopping website for hats?

The ready-to-order hat stores (online) that I frequent the most:

http://www.hats-plus.com/
http://www.hats.com/
http://www.menshats.com/
http://www.thefedorastore.com/
http://www.villagehatshop.com/

Decent selections, decent service, mostly decent prices, and lot's of stuff to look at, including instructions on how to measure your head properly (hats.com will send you a free sizing tape, as well). Also, if you just e-mail them or call them most of these places will help you with any concerns or questions you have. Finally, they offer good return policies in case you need to return or exchange a hat.

 

[Mulceber]

My advice: stay away from hats that mark their sizes in terms of S,M,L,XL. Most of those hats are poor quality and likely won't last you very long. That's not to say yours is low quality, just that you're better off with hats measured by the scale on this page: http://www.hatsdirect.com/help/size.html

Besides, you're likely to get a better fit when you get away from the S,M,L,XL system. -M

 

[Big_e]

Also, if you don't mind a used hat, you can check our own classifieds section. I got 2 of my best hats from here. It's like buying a hat from a friend 'cause you'll get a good and honest discription about the hat you wanna buy.
As soon as you can, get your measurements (head, shoulders, chest, sleeve length and pant measurements). You're on your way to upgrading your wardrobe along with hats. My family ask me why I'm dressing better and I tell them it's these guys I hang out with on the Fedora Lounge. They're influencing me. Welcome to the lounge.
Ernest

 

[John in Covina]

Many of us started out at some point with an inexpensive hat. If you are bitten by the hat bug then at some point you will probably buy more hats to satisfy your style needs. Many here make the upgrade. We move on from a wool felt hat to a furfelt hat which is an important step up in quality. Furfelt tend to use the sizing chart as listed above and we also find that larger hats can be more difficult to find, so more searching is needed.

Another thing is every's head is not the same shape some are more round others are more oblong. The oblong heads may require a sizing / shaping of LONG OVAL. Those are a little harder to find, but can be found. The thing is to try on many hats and find out what you size and shape needs are to get a hat that fits properly. An ill fitting hat is as annoying as ill fitting shoes as well as uncomfortable.

If you progress to that level you can look at Ebay for hats or even save up for a custom hat at some point. The right hat is out there and you can find it. The trick is not to go broke in the looking.

You can use a hat jack to stretch the hat but if you need to stretch it too much it screws up the hat. Better to have a hat that is a little too big than too small. A little too big-you can put stuff like felt from a fabric store behind the sweat band to size it to your head.

 

[randooch]

A Warm Welcome, Telsiph!

You'll have a blast indulging your new interest. Cheers!