Do you rest a bowler (or any open crown hat) on its crown?

[tigmic]

I haven't been able to find this through the site's less-than-spectacular search function, so I apologize if this has been asked before. I know that you should avoid resting a hat on its brim, and that it's much better off resting on its crown.

However, does the same rule apply to bowlers and hats that are supposed to have open crowns? I hate always having to reshape the crown of my soft-felt bowler when I set it on its crown, and I'm afraid this will eventually do something bad to the hat--as if the crown will eventually not go back to its previous shape.

Anybody know any rules for resting bowler hats? I generally try to rest it on a coffee can, but I can't be expected to bring a coffee can with me wherever I go

 

[job]

Welcome to the lounge tigmic.

If the hat is upright and resting evenly on the brim it should be fine. Western hats should not rest in the brim because usually the brim has high and low places so the pressure is not evenly distributed and can warp the brim.

If I rest a fedora on it's brim I would have the brim up all the way around.

 

[alanfgag]

It would not seem practical to rest a derby on its crown... especially if you live near an elevated train line.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

You could always use one of these Plastic hat stands.
plastic-hat-stand

 

[dhermann1]

tigmic, welcome to the Lounge. Yes, there is constant "discussion" of the search function here. Some people seem to have the hang of it, the rest of us don't. Actually, Googling seems to work pretty well. Just put in the query info and include "Fedora Lounge" in it.

 

[randooch]

tigmic, rest the bowler on its crown, gently. then arrange a shoestring along the underside of the brim, being careful to join the ends smoothly. place a small ball bearing inside the shoestring and give the hat a tiny downward nudge anywhere along its perimeter. this should set the bearing rolling along the shoestring. if this motion continues indefinitely, well, call your local t.v. station. if not, make minor adjustments and try again.



welcome, by the way.

 

[Blackthorn]

I no longer rest any of my hats on their crowns. I've never seen a movie from the 30s-50s where the guys did that. I know they're only movies, but movies also frequently reflect the culture of those days, so I no longer stress about placing hats on their crowns.