Which hats look best for certain head shapes?

ryan_289 · Post by **ryan_289** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 11:43 pm

Which movie style hats go better with cartain head shapes? I want to purchase a fedora when funds allow and I like the look of the raiders hat best. But that is also on Harrison Ford. If I am going to spend the money on a quality hat I want to make sure that it looks right when I wear it out!

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 11:57 pm

Yea, its really hard to say. I say go for what you like the best, besides your the guy who has to wear it.

ryan_289 · Post by **ryan_289** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:13 am

ClintonHammond wrote:Sure... but if yer the guy wearing it, yer not the one who has to look at it!

)

Exactly, I like the Raiders hat best but im afraid it might look too tall on my head. The distance from my ears to the top of my head is short. I know when I played ball in school the ballcaps always looked TALL on my head. I dunno if having the brim on a fedora will kindof even this out??? Im kinda new to the hat world.

By the way ClintonHammond, I like you sig, thats a kicka$$ movie.

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:23 am

That true. I'm lucky enough to have a dad that wears hats all of the time. When I decided to get my Indy hat I was able to try on a few of his to see what looked good and what didn't.

But for any given person height, weight, and the general build of their body will affect what looks good on them and what doesn't.

Shiva · Post by **Shiva** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:27 am

it varies alot. i think in general a tall large person can carry off a bigger hat while a small thin person really can't. its funny that hat sizes don't really correspond that much to body types. I think a fuller face looks good with a wider brim and hard to say about crown height. As i have gotten more into hats this year i am noticng that while the Indy hat works perfectly on Harrison Ford it does not seem to go well with everyones face and body type. Harrison Ford is about 6' 1" and weighed about ( I am guessing here) 185 -195 lbs. He also has a pretty square jaw and classic american features. If that sounds like you then maybe an Indy hat will be perfect for you. In my opinion very few people look right in a screen accurate Indy hat. One might do better to modify "screen accuracy" to fit your facial features and body type so that it looks like a regular piece of your wardrobe rather than a costume. Just my 2 cents

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:07 am

You make a good point, Shiva.

At the QM, we had a chance to check out the hat Fedora donated for the raffle - the one Andiana148 won. Three or four of us tried it on quickly - and something odd was noticed.

It didn't look right on everyone. On some it looked perfect, on one guy it looked too tall. How odd.

We didn't play w/ it long enough to figure out why - we were being REAL careful not to ding it or get it dirty before the raffle - but Renquist did point our our face shapes might have something to do w/ it.

And now that I've seen some other threads, I guess EAR PLACEMENT, too...

JAN · Post by **JAN** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:22 am

I´ve got a guideline I´ve picked up somewhere on the Net.

Check my webside and look under the Fedora-section.

Best regards

JAN

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 8:46 am

Harrison Ford is reported as six feet tall, but since this is Hollywood, that means he is about 5'10".

As for head shapes and which hat is best, you can look at it another way: the LC fedora is the safest, most accessible fedora style that would fit virtually anyone, both in style and form. The Raiders lid is much more stylized, taller, and with a more severe bash. It takes a bit of swagger to pull off with confidence.

ij1936 · Post by **ij1936** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 9:31 am

I had a Biltmore fedora in the early 90's with a small brim (2" I think) and it made my head look huge. I think that a taller crown and wider brim like Raiders will give the illusion that one's head is not oversized. If you compare the look of the hats used in Raiders and Last Crusade, I think you'll agree that Harrison Ford's head look's smaller in Raiders than in Last Crusade. Although success may have something to do with head size!

My Herbert Johnson is the Last Crusade cut with the crown pinched similar to Raiders. On my head I think it looks okay, but I do remember that first HJ that had the wider brim. When I first put it on I thought I had an umbrella hat on

! I was used to the Biltmore hat and it was a shock to see a brim that was an inch larger.

Montresor · Post by **Montresor** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 10:34 am

That’s a really good question there ryan_289. I'd say (for what it's worth) that if you go to a shop that sells hats and takes the sale of them seriously, they should be able to help you with what kind of hat would best suit your head. If I went they’d probably come back with a grocery bag with two holes cut in to see out of.

Look at it like going to a tailor. If you buy a suit from a department store you are not going to get the same expertise if you had gone to Saville Row. Pretty far extremes for comparison but I think it makes the point. Or course the other replys were right in saying its your head, your choice.

This makes me think of a question for anyone who cares to answer it. I’ll post it in Lao Che’s Table though, so it doesn’t take away from this discussion.

Renderking Fisk · Post by **Renderking Fisk** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:26 am

I would send a picture of your head - front and sideways - Like a booking photo, and see what he thinks.

Pyroxene · Post by **Pyroxene** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:37 pm

Renderking Fisk wrote:I would send a picture of your head - front and sideways - Like a booking photo, and see what he thinks.

I just want to build on Fisk said. I have often digitized photos of fedoras onto a pic of myself to see what crown height and brim size looked best. It really helps.

Feraud · Post by **Feraud** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:06 pm

If you have never worn a brimmed hat before(other than b-ball caps) I would think most hats would feel 'odd' on your head.

The shape of a head does come into play when wearing hats.

Maybe you could get a cheap fedora to wear around town to get the 'feel' of hat style. With some 'real world' hat wearing experience you might feel better about deciding on a particular style fedora. You might like a taller crown hat so much that you would not care that is does not 'fit' your particular face outline!

Good luck and keep us informed how it goes.

Mattdeckard · Post by **Mattdeckard** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 1:53 pm

Here are a few threads in the fedora lounge on balancing the looks of your hat with your face shape.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthre ... ucker+high

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthre ... +hat+shape

The shape of your face in the long run is what brings out the greatness of a hat.

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:42 am

Interesting threads...and clever way to get us to look out the window into another board. (There's OTHER boards???

:roll: )

guitone · Post by **guitone** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:03 pm

I've been wearing fedora's for the past 25 years and I have come to know which look best for me....You need to go into a hat shop and try on many, as many as you can..now finding a hat shop is not easy but depending on where you live there may be a good one not too far away, and it is always worth the trip. I prefer a had that does not have a very high crown. I thought I would like a small brim but when in Delmonico's in New Haven CT not too long ago the salesman put one on my head, and just before he did he said, I think it will not look good on you, it did not, it made the crown seem higher...I usually gravitate to a 2 1/2 or larger brim, and I look for a smaller crown, 4 1/2 to almost 5 inches works well for me. Don't try to be indy, wear the hat that looks good on you.