How do you determine what kind of oval you are?

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:15 am

I've wondered this a bit, because short of having a conformer, how can you determine if you have a regular oval, round oval, or long oval head?

One of the things I've noticed with Indy hats is that the shape of your head versus the block of the hat has a lot to do with how "Indy" the hat really looks on you. Especially if you're looking at a SoC or Raiders hat, the way your head fits and pushes against the hat will affect brim curl and various other characteristics of the hat. I have several (non Indy) hats which develop brim swoop, etc. simply because of how tight the hat is and how the opening is shaped.

Case in point, I think Holt and I share the same hat size, but I could never get my FedIV to look the same as his on my head, even after he told me how he shaped his hat. I think this has a lot to do with having a different head shape. On the flip side, my AB CS looks really good on me because of how that hat is shaped to my head.

If I have a long oval head and put on a round oval hat, the shape of my head will push the front and back of the hat, adding to the front profile stovepipe effect while giving the brim a bit more swoop. However, I have no clue what my head shape really is. So before this thread goes down a different path based on the above, can anyone answer me on how to find out your headshape? Discuss.

WeeMadHamish · Post by **WeeMadHamish** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:28 am

Well, I happened to figure out that I had a round oval head more or less by accident. When I ordered my first Federation I had inadvertantly measured my head too low in the back, so I ended up ordering a hat two sizes too large. But one thing I noticed when I put it on was that my head made contact in the front and back but there were big gaps in the sides. So the length of the crown was right, but not the width -- long oval.

Playing with cardboard cutouts in regular and long proportions (prepping to make my own hat block) pretty much confirmed it.

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:30 am

I have no clue.... I'm one of those alien type people that can only be named as: extreme long oval.

If I ever post pics of myself on this site, you'll see what I mean.

This does not mean I will never post pics of myself, just that I won't do it untill my first Indy hat arives

Regards, Geert

Band Director Jones · Post by **Band Director Jones** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:32 am

I've been told I'm a block-head.

But seriously, Joe Peters, Sr. used one of those old-timey comformators on my head a few years ago. When we were done, my wife looked and the little dots on the paper and said, "It looks like a messed up potato!" Joe used a more official term and said I had a German oval.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:16 am

Yeah, Joe told me I had the typical English/Welsh long oval head.

Regards! Michaelson

indyrocks · Post by **indyrocks** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:04 pm

Michaelson wrote:Yeah, Joe told me I had the typical English/Welsh long oval head.

Regards! Michaelson

I'm Welsh and my head is quite round thank you very much!

Does anyone know what Ford's head shape was? Roughly?

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:06 pm

I'm Welsh too, and VERY long oval.

I think I have a bit more of the German/French gene sneaking into the equation than Joe suspected!

Regard! Michaelson

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:13 pm

HA! I found my answer:
http://texascustomhatters.com/gettingstarted.html

Scroll down a bit and it's on the right of the page. Here's the text without the basic graphics, though:

Your head shape. There are three basic head shapes - Regular Oval, Long Oval and Round Oval.

Determining your personal head shape is extremely easy! Stand with your back to a wall mirror holding a small hand mirror with one hand. Hold the hand mirror so that you can see the back of your head in the wall mirror.

Next, lean your head back towards the wall mirror and adjust the hand mirror so that you can now see the top of your head. If required, pull your hair away from your forehead. You can now see the shape of your head! Use the diagrams and descriptions below to evaluate which of the three head shapes yours is.

Regular Oval - the most common head shape. If in doubt, you most likely have a regular oval head shape. When viewing your head from the top, your head will appear proportioned as shown in the diagrahm below.

Long Oval - those with long oval heads have a more elongated head with proportions similar to those in the graphic below.

Round Oval - this head shape is extremely rare. If your head as viewed from above resembles the graphic below, then you are one of those rare individuals who have a wonderfully round head.

Essentially, you just gotta be able to look at the top of your own head.

Post by **Dalexs** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:53 pm

Of course, you could just take the current hat you've been wearing for a while and look at the current shape.

I also find that if you simply push in the sides of your hat to elongate it and it fits better, then you are most liokely a long oval.

If you are a round oval (is that even possible?) get a hair cut!

gwyddion · Post by **gwyddion** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 1:04 pm

Dalexs wrote:If you are a round oval (is that even possible?) get a hair cut!

But seriously, A lot of Asian people aparently have a round oval head shape.

Regards, Geert

MIJones · Post by **MIJones** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 2:17 pm

Isn't that (round oval) an oxymoron? Maybe Jaxon should come up with a fedora made only in round oval sizes with that name.

Bill

<snip>

If you are a round oval (is that even possible?) get a hair cut![/quote]

Marcus Brody · Post by **Marcus Brody** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:41 pm

Yeah, I don't get the terminology either. Why isn't it a short oval instead?

Either way, I can tell I'm a round oval because my head has the tendency to push to the sides on hats that technically fit measurement wise. Thus it's harder for me to have a hat that doesn't appear with some slight taper.

I shrink some of my hats to make them conform to my head shape. Indeed if you were to look at the shape, it's a little less ovalish and more circle like than the default opening shape.

Kentucky Blues · Post by **Kentucky Blues** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:51 pm

I always heard it as "wide oval", which is whats printed on the sweatband of my rather round Stetson Whippet

-KB

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:53 pm

I think it's a "round oval" as if to say, it's oval but very rounded by comparison. Imagine a size tag that said "7 1/4 ObVRbC"!

The easiest way to figure it out is by putting a hat on that measures the same as your head. Especially if it's not really floppy, but not cowboy hat stiff. Spaces on the sides and tightness up front means LO. Snug on the side, or a tapering only when the hat is on, you've got RO. Which is better than BO, but that's a bit OT.

cooncatbob · Post by **cooncatbob** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:16 pm

Round oval is 5/8 inch longer than it is wide
Regular oval is 1 3/8 inches longer than it is wide
Long oval is 2 1/8 inches longer than it is wide
X-Long oval is 2 7/8 inches longer than it is wide
XX-Long oval is 3 5/8 inches longer than it is wide
XXX-Long oval is 4 3/8 inches longer than it is wide

You'll need a pair of outside calipers.

MustangLoverMex · Post by **MustangLoverMex** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:10 pm

Well, i'm a weird "ROUND OVAL", and it's pretty sad, because most of hats doesn't fit me and the brim does a lot of funny shapes

Anyway, the thing is that i bought a Fed IV std and i had to go with a "hat maker" in order to put that shape in the hat and in fact i shape the crown of the Fed lots of times and can't get the bucket shape...

But still the hat looks amazing!

Best regards,

-Alfonso

gabrielle · Post by **gabrielle** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:13 pm

binkmeisterRick wrote:HA! I found my answer:
http://texascustomhatters.com/gettingstarted.html

Scroll down a bit and it's on the right of the page. Here's the text without the basic graphics, though:

Your head shape. There are three basic head shapes - Regular Oval, Long Oval and Round Oval.

Determining your personal head shape is extremely easy! Stand with your back to a wall mirror holding a small hand mirror with one hand. Hold the hand mirror so that you can see the back of your head in the wall mirror.

Next, lean your head back towards the wall mirror and adjust the hand mirror so that you can now see the top of your head. If required, pull your hair away from your forehead. You can now see the shape of your head! Use the diagrams and descriptions below to evaluate which of the three head shapes yours is.

Regular Oval - the most common head shape. If in doubt, you most likely have a regular oval head shape. When viewing your head from the top, your head will appear proportioned as shown in the diagrahm below.

Long Oval - those with long oval heads have a more elongated head with proportions similar to those in the graphic below.

Round Oval - this head shape is extremely rare. If your head as viewed from above resembles the graphic below, then you are one of those rare individuals who have a wonderfully round head.

Essentially, you just gotta be able to look at the top of your own head.

This is very cool!!! Thanks Bink, I always wondered myself how that was determined...