Should I Trim the Brim?

[Phantom]

Hey all, proud owner of a Garrison hat here.

So proud that when I first got my hat about a year ago, and thought the front of the brim looked a bit wider than the back, I assumed that feature was SA. Granted, with the front pointed down and the back curved upwards, it sort of looks like the front is longer— and when I figured out the front and back of the brim were both supposed to be 2 7/8", I just thought that was the case. Which it pretty much is—

It's barely a quarter of an inch wider in the front than it should be.
It's such a small difference, so I don't know if I should do anything about it— but my perfectionist side is showing through.
Am I missing something? Is this actually accurate? Should I try and get it down to 2 7/8"? If I wanted to do that, should I try and do that myself/how should I go about doing that?

[Ridgerunner58]

There are not enough pictures to tell whether the hat looks “odd,” but very small changes (much less than 1/4”) can make a huge visual difference in a hat’s appearance. If you like how it looks - don’t obsess over what the tape measure says. If you don’t like how it looks have the guy who made it, or someone else with the tools and know-how evaluate and adjust it.

I would not try to do it yourself. You are unlikely to cut an even curve and very likely to make it lopsided, too straight, wavy, or otherwise uneven. And you can’t add material. Once it’s cut, it’s cut. If you go too far, you could easily end up with a beanie by the time you get done trying to correct your mistakes.

[Indiana Jeff]

I agree wholeheartedly. Too many members have tried to adjust a brim by as little as 1/16" and have been unhappy with the results.

You say you've had the hat for a year, if you are happy with the look leave it.

If you aren't, contact David and talk through your options.

What size hat do you wear? The brim dimensions will be altered based on the size, larger hats should have a wider brim to remain proportional. The 2 7/8" brim measurement is for the hat worn by HF.

The slightly different brim measurements could also be do to the hat being 'turned' which throws off the measurements to a degree.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Michaelson]

Also keep in mind when you change the brim width, it will make your crown appear taller.

Agree 100% with everyone here....contact David Garrison and talk it over with him..

Send him these photos and get his read on how it appears on your head.

Regards! Michaelson

[Charybdis]

Pic looks.fine to me. I say leave it as is....

[Mulceber]

Hmm...I think the proportion of beim to crown is great. It looks quite large on your face, but it also looks like photo was taken from pretty close up, which tends to distort how the hat looks on your head. Do you have any shots taken by someone else, perhaps from 10 or so feet away?

[Phantom]

Thank you all for your advise. I thought about contacting Garrison— but hesitated since I got this hat about a year ago now, and I believe he's stopped working on hats for now? I know he's fairly busy.
Over the last year, I'd every once in a while think it was a bit too wide, but thought it was just my imagination. Now that I know it's a just a bit wider in the front than the back, and wider than the usual hat, it's hard not to think about it.
My head size is 60cm, so it might make sense for the brim to be wider— but the sides of the brim are just under 2 5/8", like it's listed on Garrison's website, and the back is slightly shorter at 2 15/16" (3" in some spots, there's a bit of a notch/drop in the back of mine.) which is closer to the number listed on the site than it is the length of the front of the hat. A small difference, I know, I'm probably being a bit anal about all this.

Hmm...I think the proportion of beim to crown is great. It looks quite large on your face, but it also looks like photo was taken from pretty close up, which tends to distort how the hat looks on your head. Do you have any shots taken by someone else, perhaps from 10 or so feet away?

Here's a couple from different angels.

I'm honestly on the fence about seeing anyone about getting it trimmed. It bugs me, but I think I could live with it?

(PS can someone tell me how to control the size of photos from photobucket?)

[Mulceber]

That looks better. The brim may be slightly big, but I'd worry that any alterations would make the brim too short for that brim. The best would probably be to wait for a reblock and send it to Penman (since Garrison isn't making hats right now), and mention your concern about the brim width. Then, let him make the call. He is an expert on these kinds of things. -M

[Indiana Jeff]

I'd still go to David first. He's not making new hats at present, but for a past customer I think he'd be responsive.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Ridgerunner58]

I don’t think it really needs anything. Your face shape and present build might make it look a bit wide, but I can almost guarantee you both are temporary conditions. If you like the hat overall, don’t obsess over a millimeter here or there. If you have it trimmed the second thoughts will drive you nuts, and you’ll probably end up buying another one to try to get back to what you imagine this one looked like originally.

[D00R]

What size is that ? It looks to big on you.
Don’t cut it, maybe you should sell it. I owned a Poet size 57 that was to snug and then a AdVintage SOC size 57 that was to big. I didn’t want to customize them so i had sold them and been looking to start over again.

[The Character]

Personally I'm on for trimming it ... but for the right reasons rather than screen accurate dimensions.

Both my hats a ToD by S&J and a Raiders by Mike at Northwest have (both of which i have to add are fantastic hats) looked odd on me until i trimmed the sides on both and then sanded the raw edge .. now they look significantly better .. its a matter of personal taste but if you feel it doesn't look right then change it ..

i can't see how a hatter would be able to help without you being there in person. Most hatters make a hat to replicate a movie style .. that doesn't necessarily suit everyone .. i include myself in that .. so i'd adjust it to suit .. screen accuracy is one thing but looking correct for you is another IMO ..

if you know anyone with photoshop skills ask them to do a visual trim before you cut .. you'll get an idea of how it might look when trimmed.

[Phantom]

Been a while, thank you for all your responses you've all been very helpful. Now that I'm wearing my hat on a more consistent basis due to the weather (first came up when I wore this at a con and thought the brim too big, now I'm thinking about that again.)
David hasn't gotten back to me after I emailed him in August (I understand why that might be.)

Personally I'm on for trimming it ... but for the right reasons rather than screen accurate dimensions.

Both my hats a ToD by S&J and a Raiders by Mike at Northwest have (both of which i have to add are fantastic hats) looked odd on me until i trimmed the sides on both and then sanded the raw edge .. now they look significantly better .. its a matter of personal taste but if you feel it doesn't look right then change it ..

i can't see how a hatter would be able to help without you being there in person. Most hatters make a hat to replicate a movie style .. that doesn't necessarily suit everyone .. i include myself in that .. so i'd adjust it to suit .. screen accuracy is one thing but looking correct for you is another IMO ..

if you know anyone with photoshop skills ask them to do a visual trim before you cut .. you'll get an idea of how it might look when trimmed.

Oh, I didn't even think of using photoshop for a digital trim first— I'm rather good at photoshop myself. I was thinking of just waiting to bring it up if I ever needed it relocked or trying it myself —I've trimmed brims on different hats for different reason before, I feel kind of confident about my ability to do so neatly, I'm just more worried about how it would look/what might be too much so photoshop is a great idea.

What size is that ? It looks to big on you.
Don’t cut it, maybe you should sell it. I owned a Poet size 57 that was to snug and then a AdVintage SOC size 57 that was to big. I didn’t want to customize them so i had sold them and been looking to start over again.

Size 60 and it fits pretty well. I don't really fancy selling this, I love my Garrison and don't really have the patience or money to buy another hat from someone else (seeing that I don't think Garrison's not taking hat orders right now.)

Whether I do it myself with a homemade brim cutter, or send it to hatter, I'm probably going to get it trimmed— mostly because it just looks a bit too wide on my head. Thank you everyone again for you advise and time!

[Indiana Green]

One thing I've found with Indy fedoras, especially since they have exaggerated features (i.e. tall crown, wide brim, tight pinch), is that the "look" is entirely dependent on the head and face shape. The original specs were meant for Harrison Ford, who had a square jaw and a long head back-to-front which would determine the overall hat shape (pushing the hat into more of a long oval shape, accentuating the brim width, etc). That being said, I've always believed that matching screen-accurate specs isn't as important as matching the screen appearance itself, which isn't as important as matching your own personal tastes.

Long story short, your hat looks good. Don't change a thing