The Long Oval Unfortunate's Club

scotrace · Jun 29, 2007

Things are different for us.

Buying vintage hats is an iffy proposition. If you are lucky enough to find one with a Long Oval tag, it's going to cost 50% more than any other, especially in a large size. You'll watch hat after hat go to deeper pockets.
Soft hats, felt or straw, do this funny distortion thing on our heads. They are beautiful, until worn. Then we look in the mirror and take them off.
We buy oversized hats to compensate, and put up with the space on the sides big enough to stash a Pontiac. The brim still distorts.

Swoopy brims are almost out of the question; our head shape flattens every brim out.

Our hats wear fore and aft, never at the sides.

If you are a long oval, and wear a 7 & 1.8 , putting a 7 & 1/4 regular oval on your head can rip the sweatband free of the felt - and then you look in the mirror and you have a flat-brimmed sombrero with riffled sides and a torn sweatband for which you just paid actual money.

We're a sorry lot.

RBH · Jun 29, 2007

scotrace said:
Things are different for us.

We're a sorry lot.

We shall pray for you..

J.S.Udontknowme · Jun 29, 2007

I thought I wore a 7 1/2, most of my hats are this size. I have two Stetsons that are size 7 3/8 long oval and they fit and feel a lot better than my other hats. I guess I'm unfortunate too.

Damon Falzone · Jun 29, 2007

I've had success using a "long oval" hat stretcher I bought on ebay for about 10 bucks.

NewMexExpat · Jun 29, 2007

You have my sympathy

scotrace said:
... ... They are beautiful, until worn. Then we look in the mirror and take them off. ... ... and then you look in the mirror and you have a flat-brimmed sombrero with riffled sides and a torn sweatband for which you just paid actual money.

We're a sorry lot.

I feel for you, brother. :cry: In fact, you sound so miserable I can't believe you continue to put yourself through the misery. Why don't you just box them all up and send them to me? Don't worry about the postage, C.O.D is fine, whatever will help you out. You can count on me.

With feeling :cry: ,

- Mark

Art Fawcett · Jun 29, 2007

geeze...someone quick...break out the violins...

No worries Scotrace..help is on the way...

Baron Kurtz · Jun 29, 2007

Not to worry, Scott.

Size 7 L.O. is pretty hard to come by too.

bk

Rooster · Jun 29, 2007

7 3/8 LO here. I've had some success soaking hats and wearing them untill dry.

Joel Tunnah · Jun 29, 2007

I hear ya brother.

I wear a B width shoe too. :eusa_doh:

There is simply no substitute for a vintage hat that was specifically blocked as a long oval.

Joel
7 3/8 LO

johnnycanuck · Jun 29, 2007

I hear ya. 7 3/8 LO and I usually get a 7 1/2. It usually takes a month to break it in properly.

Johnny

J.T.Marcus · Jul 2, 2007

Rooster has something there. I wear a long oval, but I seldom have trouble with fit. I do, however soak ALL of my vintage hats before wearing. Not only does it clean the hat, it allows WHATEVER shaping you want to do. However, since it takes about 2 1/2 days for a hat to dry completely, I have yet to wear one until it has finished drying. Just trying it on several times, during the drying has worked quite well for me.

Tango Yankee · Jul 2, 2007

Oval vs Round-It's an issue in motorcycle helmets, too

Different helmet companies seem to be biased towards different shaped heads. The most commonly agreed upon ones are that Shoei works best for those with "round" heads, while Arai tends to fit the oval heads better.

I've worn Shoei exclusively because of this, though I've tried on many Arai helmets.

Of course, in this case it's simply a matter of deciding which is the better fit, unlike Scotrace and Co's problem with finding LOs in vintage hats.

Cheers,
Tom

Tango Yankee · Jul 2, 2007

Geez.... I guess it can get pretty tough to find a LO at a reasonable price! This 7 3/8 LO Stratoliner I was watching went for $305!

Cheers,
Tom

Dinerman · Jul 2, 2007

Joel Tunnah said:
I wear a B width shoe too.

ha- I'm a 12-1/2 AA. Too big a size to really find vintage, too narrow to have most modern shoes work. I make due with thick socks.

jamespowers · Jul 3, 2007

Gee, tell me about it but make that an extra long oval and you will be nearer the truth. :eusa_doh:

Regards,

J

wenestvedt · Jul 3, 2007

Are modern "production" - that is, not bespoke -- hats available in Long Oval? I just bought my first good hat, an Akubra, and I didn't think I could get it in LO (and I ended up with the felt strips they sent along folded double just to keep the wind out from the sides of my melon!).

Come to think of it, I may not want to hear the answer to this!

- Will

Art Fawcett · Jul 3, 2007

uhhh, you don't want the answer Wen,...no production company that I know of makes an "off the shelf" LO or Extra LO. I guess the hat companies decided one size fits all. What next? shoes?

johnnycanuck · Jul 3, 2007

I have found some cowboy hats that sell LO but that's about it. I have also found that if I use one of thoes black plastic hat rests they are in the shape of a long oval so if you put your hat down on it, it helps keep it in the proper shape.
Johnny

Tango Yankee · Jul 3, 2007

Art Fawcett said:
uhhh, you don't want the answer Wen,...no production company that I know of makes an "off the shelf" LO or Extra LO. I guess the hat companies decided one size fits all. What next? shoes?

Umm.... actually, Art, shoes are already there as far as width goes. I find that most of the time when I ask to try on a pair of shoes in EEE-width or wide I'm told they only come in D-width. :rage: There are exceptions, of course, but it's a hassle finding them sometimes.

Regards,
Tom

J.S.Udontknowme · Jul 3, 2007

7 3/8 LO...Just a cross we have to bear, for having perfect heads.

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