Show us your Stingy Brims

[Mcox47]

Since I don't own any hat with a brim larger than 2 1/4", and only one that wide, I thought I would step into the conversation with this Knox Twenty. 2" brims are my personal sweet spot. Wider brims seem to overpower my face.

 

[Zombie_61]

I'm not sure if straw hats qualify for Stingymas, so I'll just post two of 'em that are fairly similar. These are both based on the cheap straw Porkpie hat that Darren McGavin wore as Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, two TV movies and a one-season series from 1974-75. For nearly 50 years I've been unable to find an exact match, so this is nothing more than my version of Kolchak's hat, converted from Sunbody's "Guatemalan Pinto Fedora":

Not a faithful reproduction, but close enough for my liking. Then I wondered what his hat might look like if they tried to resurrect the show yet again, so I made my version of a "Kolchak 2020" hat using Jaxon Hats Raffia Straw Diamond Crown hat as the base:

Similar, but a bit more modern; an "updated" version. By the way, the brims on both hats are under 1-3/4" wide, just in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Blare]

Since I don't own any hat with a brim larger than 2 1/4", and only one that wide, I thought I would step into the conversation with this Knox Twenty. 2" brims are my personal sweet spot. Wider brims seem to overpower my face.

Merry StingyMas! Great looking hat.

 

[Blare]

I'm not sure if straw hats qualify for Stingymas, so I'll just post two of 'em that are fairly similar. These are both based on the cheap straw Porkpie hat that Darren McGavin wore as Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, two TV movies and a one-season series from 1974-75. For nearly 50 years I've been unable to find an exact match, so this is nothing more than my version of Kolchak's hat, converted from Sunbody's "Guatemalan Pinto Fedora":

Not a faithful reproduction, but close enough for my liking. Then I wondered what his hat might look like if they tried to resurrect the show yet again, so I made my version of a "Kolchak 2020" hat using Jaxon Hats Raffia Straw Diamond Crown hat as the base:

Similar, but a bit more modern; an "updated" version. By the way, the brims on both hats are under 1-3/4" wide, just in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Blare]

On the Ninth Day of StingyMas…

Time to float away with the Knox Flying Cloud. This pair of Knox stingies sport the beautiful Knox Flying Cloud liners. The grey one boasting a Custom Edge while the brown approximates that look with a rolled underwelt.

 

[Zombie_61]

^ You have to love a WAR on the right hat, and there are two great examples! Thank you for sharing Joe!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Since I don't own any hat with a brim larger than 2 1/4", and only one that wide, I thought I would step into the conversation with this Knox Twenty. 2" brims are my personal sweet spot. Wider brims seem to overpower my face.

Nice hat! We wouldn’t expect less from a Knox Twenty. You do indeed wear the 2” brim well.

 

[Blare]

^ You have to love a WAR on the right hat, and there are two great examples! Thank you for sharing Joe!

Thank you Al…. Coming down the home stretch of StingyMas.

 

[Blare]

On the Tenth Day of StingyMas…

A Stingy Hat Trick so to speak

Stetson Twenty The Sovereign with Mode Edge… brown felt with burgundy ribbon.

Can an homburg or a bowler be considered a stingy? Well here is one of each with tiny brims…

Julius Garfinckel and Co homburg. Gifted to me by @Rmccamey some time back. Ya know come to think of the brim binding on this one is so stingy it might almost be a lords hat.

Tress and Co Brown Bowler…. About as short a brim as you will find on a bowler

 

[Blare]

On the Eleventh Day of StingyMas….

Here we are on the Eleventh and final day of StingyMas… which also coincidentally (or not so coincidentally… you decide) coincides with the observance of Festivus.

I decided today to profile two beautiful hats that not only represent StingyMas.. but also in my opinion the Fedora Lounge spirit as a whole. These two hats were gifted to me by lounge friends @Rmccamey and @jlee562

The Eagle Stetson Royal De Luxe

Dark Navy Blue Dobbs Twenty

I started today with a zoom call offering me a position I have been pursuing for the past month. I am very happy and excited! It’s a StingyMas/Festivus Miracle!!!

 

[Zombie_61]

I just realized I forgot to make a Stingymas post yesterday, so it's a good thing I posted two hats the day before to make up for it. So here's today's hat--my first Borsalino:

There's more info on the hat in this post on the Borsalino Brotherhood thread if anyone's interested, but it's essentially a very dark brown stingy brim with a relatively short and slightly tapered crown, and what is probably a cotton ribbon with a coarse weave that appears to have been manufactured to give it a "used" appearance (i.e., the color variations appear to be intentional because there's a "pattern" to them). And my first hat without a liner. Loungers far more knowledgeable than I estimate it was created in the early 1960s, and so was I so we're meant for each other!

 

[Zombie_61]

Another day, another Stingymas Eve nearly come and gone. And another inexpensive wool Porkpie hat:

I rather like this one. Same company as my dark brown Porkpie with a Diamond Crease, Epoch. Same over-engineered stitching on the top of the crown. This color, listed as "Charcoal", is a nice heathered dark gray. Eagle-eyed members might notice that white circle on the ribbon just over and behind my ear; it's an eight-ball hat pin.

I'm not normally one to adorn my hats with pins, or feathers, or whatever, but I had this pin and it just seemed to fit the hat. Also, there's a saying in English about being "behind the eight ball". The term comes from billiards/pool and means the eight ball is between the cue ball and the target ball, so the player cannot make a straight shot. Out of the pool halls, the phrase has come to mean finding oneself in a difficult position that they're unlikely to get out of easily. I've been there a number of times in my life, so I thought, "Why not?"

Anyway, I hope everyone here has a Merry Stingymas and a Merry Christmas if you celebrate the holiday. And for those who don't, have a nice weekend and...uhh...I'll probably see you all here tomorrow.

 

[Blare]

Another day, another Stingymas Eve nearly come and gone. And another inexpensive wool Porkpie hat:

I rather like this one. Same company as my dark brown Porkpie with a Diamond Crease, Epoch. Same over-engineered stitching on the top of the crown. This color, listed as "Charcoal", is a nice heathered dark gray. Eagle-eyed members might notice that white circle on the ribbon just over and behind my ear; it's an eight-ball hat pin.

I'm not normally one to adorn my hats with pins, or feathers, or whatever, but I had this pin and it just seemed to fit the hat. Also, there's a saying in English about being "behind the eight ball". The term comes from billiards/pool and means the eight ball is between the cue ball and the target ball, so the player cannot make a straight shot. Out of the pool halls, the phrase has come to mean finding oneself in a difficult position that they're unlikely to get out of easily. I've been there a number of times in my life, so I thought, "Why not?"

Anyway, I hope everyone here has a Merry Stingymas and a Merry Christmas if you celebrate the holiday. And for those who don't, have a nice weekend and...uhh...I'll probably see you all here tomorrow.

Nice job Al. Merry Christmas

 

[dh66]

I'm not sure if straw hats qualify for Stingymas, so I'll just post two of 'em that are fairly similar. These are both based on the cheap straw Porkpie hat that Darren McGavin wore as Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, two TV movies and a one-season series from 1974-75. For nearly 50 years I've been unable to find an exact match, so this is nothing more than my version of Kolchak's hat, converted from Sunbody's "Guatemalan Pinto Fedora":

Not a faithful reproduction, but close enough for my liking. Then I wondered what his hat might look like if they tried to resurrect the show yet again, so I made my version of a "Kolchak 2020" hat using Jaxon Hats Raffia Straw Diamond Crown hat as the base:

Similar, but a bit more modern; an "updated" version. By the way, the brims on both hats are under 1-3/4" wide, just in case anyone was wondering.

Nice work, Al!!! A show I was a fan of way back when....and thanks to the meTV network, I've been watching a lot of here lately as well.

 

[dh66]

Since I don't own any hat with a brim larger than 2 1/4", and only one that wide, I thought I would step into the conversation with this Knox Twenty. 2" brims are my personal sweet spot. Wider brims seem to overpower my face.

Great Knox! It suits you well. I'm with you on the shorter brims. They're my preference too.

 

[ScionPI2005]

Here is my vintage Dobbs Fifth Avenue which was an Ebay find in the past year. The label shows it is from Mullin's Men's Wear in Sedalia, Missouri. I love the robust blue of this felt. It doesn't seem to have aged a day!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Cavanagh with a 1 3/4” brim and a recent addition:

Great quality hat, but I’m just not sure that I can get comfortable under such a small brim.

 

[Zombie_61]

Cavanagh with a 1 3/4” brim and a recent addition:


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Great quality hat, but I’m just not sure that I can get comfortable under such a small brim.

It took a while before I felt comfortable embracing "the stingyness". One thing that helped was that I took a cue from Ol' Blue Eyes:

Also, try pushing it back and wearing it more on the back of your head, more casually. If you like the hat, that is; if not... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[deadlyhandsome]

It took a while before I felt comfortable embracing "the stingyness". One thing that helped was that I took a cue from Ol' Blue Eyes:

Also, try pushing it back and wearing it more on the back of your head, more casually. If you like the hat, that is; if not... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks, Al. I think stingy brims look best on men with thin faces. Having a fleshy and more round face it’s hard to get them to look like I want. I’ll give wearing them pushed back and maybe a bit cocked and see if it’s any better. The quality of this Cavanagh is great so it’s worth the effort.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

My last stingy purchase was a 2 for 1 deal. This is the second: iron grey Cavanagh with the same dimensions as the brown listed earlier today:

As suggested, worn further back and with a bit of an angle. Still not sold on it.