Tag Archives: hat size

hat sizing for you

Fitting it Just Right: How Tight Should a Hat be

  • icon-comments

    No Comments.

  • icon-date

    March 20, 2020

  • icon-author

    delusionadmin

  • icon-view

    15688 views

How tight should a hat be? We bet you asked yourself this question at least once if you’re a hat buff as we are. And, even though it’s a simple one, this question baffles lots of people. The answer might not be so simple, but we will break it down for you in order to find a perfect hat for any occasion.

There are several steps you should take into consideration and each one of them is crucial in order for you not to make a mistake. Owning a hat that doesn’t fit right is like owning a pair of shoes that are the wrong size. In other words, you can’t do it. Or you can, but you will look silly. Also, keep in mind that there are different types of hats out there. Every single hat has its own philosophy and if one fits you right, that doesn’t mean another one will fit as well. So, in this article, we’ll also see how to determine the fit on various popular hats out there. But, before we start all of this, we will take a step back and start from ourselves and the most important thing. Where does the hat lay? On your head. We won’t cover that detail here, you can check other articles of ours for detailed instructions, but still, we will see how measuring your head the right way is important for the hat fitting process.

Also, one more thing to keep in mind is your face shape. We talked about it thoroughly in one of our previous articles and to be honest, it’s a great read if you want to learn more about picking the right hat for you. Face shape plays a huge role when it comes to picking and fitting the perfect hat. So, without further ado, let’s dive into one of the biggest issues any hat lover may have – how to determine the hat fits right?

Basics of Hat Fitting

There are a few things you should take into consideration no matter which hat you try to fit on your head. Those are:

  • Fabric
  • Hat size chart
  • Proportions

Fabric is extremely important even though you may think it isn’t. Why? It’s simple. Different materials behave differently. For example, Leather and straw hats are very static and aren’t stretchable. Even if you manage to stretch them a little bit, in most cases you will damage them as they aren’t really meant to be stretched. Other materials such as wool or cotton fabric behave better if you try to stretch them. On the other hand, if you wash your hat, you need to know that materials such as wool are prone to “shrinkage” which means that they will shrink to some degree. So, if the hat fits you sort of “okay” the first time you try it out, it doesn’t mean it will have the same fit after you clean it in the washing machine. This, of course, doesn’t apply for every single hat.

Another thing to keep in mind is a hat size chart. You can find various size charts online. Most of them display the same information and it’s very important to check this out before buying a hat. Of course, combine this with the measures you came up with after measuring your own head. For example, if your head measures show you that you are in between two sizes in the hat size chart, then it’s usually advised to pick a hat which is a size up as it will have a bit more room. Anyways, numbers don’t lie and therefore, the only thing you can trust besides your personal feeling of how the hat sits on your head are these measures.

Another important thing to take into consideration is the proportion. Proportion is extremely important whatever you may be doing. If the trousers are too long, and you are a small person, you won’t wear them, right? Again, we talked more about proportion in our article about how face shape dictates which hat you’ll pick. But, you don’t exactly need to be Einstein to know some things. They are pretty self-explanatory. Like, if you have a big head, it wouldn’t make sense to pick a hat that is even bigger. It will make you look like a “Barbie” doll. The same goes if your head is tiny.

These are all things you should keep in mind before buying any type of hat. If you want to spend some serious money, you want to find a perfect fit right? So, as they say, measure once, cut twice. In general, we’ll now cover some of the clear indicators you should follow that will show you if your hat has a good fit.

  • If you can fit in average one finger in the space between your hat and your head, that’s a good indicator you have the right size
  • The hat should sit above your eyebrows and don’t obstruct your sight.
  • A tight fit isn’t good. You should aim for a “snug” fit. That’s the perfect fit. If your hat sits too tight, you’ll feel like you have some sort of weight on your head and you may feel some tension. The hat shouldn’t move around but at the same time, it shouldn’t be rock solid as well.

We bet that you knew about some of these, but if you didn’t these are great indicators to have in mind when trying out a new hat. Next, we’ll cover some of the most popular hats out there and talk more about what is perfect for you should be looking for when it comes to them specifically. 

Baseball Cap

Baseball caps are probably the easiest ones to find the right fit for. They can be adjusted according to the size of your head with the help of adjustable strips they have on the back. Also, you can wear it any many ways. Tilted to the side, backward or normal. You name it. It’s so versatile and it’s no surprise that this hat is used by many people around the world.

Fedora

Fedoras are also extremely popular among the younger and older population as well. It’s very stylish and therefore people love to wear it when they want to feel like ladies or gentlemen. It’s easy to realize if the fedora fits your right or not. Firstly, you need to make sure that it fits strong enough that a common breeze won’t take it off. But, at the same time, the fit shouldn’t be so strong so that you feel like you have some weight on your head. In other words, aim for a snugged fit.

Beanie 

Beanies are winter type hats. Although people wear it during the summer as well, they are specially made to keep your head and ears warm. But, nowadays they serve as a fashion statement and it pretty much doesn’t make a difference if it’s winter or summer – you can wear it. How to know it fits you correctly? It’s easy. Beanies are often made from wool which usually has some synthetic material added to the mix. What this means is that you can stretch beanie a lot. And by a lot we mean it. There isn’t a head type that this hat won’t work for. The same goes for other beanie type hats. If you buy one, you can be sure it will fit you.

Flat Cap

Flat caps are also becoming more and more popular among the younger generation as well. Older people have been wearing this hat for quite some type. But, ever since a show called “Peaky Blinders” aired on TV, younger people fell in love with these hats. And they should. It’s a great hat which looks great on most people. It has a somewhat tight fit so you really need to test it out before buying. As with other hats, you should aim for a snugger fit – the one which isn’t too tight and too loose at the same time. 

To sum up, before picking the hat for you, see how it fits. It doesn’t matter if the hat looks good if you pretty much can’t wear it for more than 30 minutes. Hats are made to be on the head for longer periods of time and therefore, you need to do some testing before buying your hat. Hopefully, this article has helped you out and hopefully, you learned some new things when it comes to hat fitting. You need to take this very seriously as we get mails on a regular basis from people who ask us if it’s possible to widen or to narrow the hats. Guess why? Because they bought the hat with the wrong fit. So, to avoid getting into this situation, just follow the rules from this article. In most cases, we think you’ll pick the right fit, and as a disclaimer, we need to say that even if you follow everything we say, it might happen that still, the fit isn’t right. Yeah, it happens and in that situation, don’t be sad. Just buy a new hat!

distressed hats

Here’s How to Distress a Hat With Ease

  • icon-comments

    No Comments.

  • icon-date
  • icon-author

    delusionadmin

  • icon-view

    8214 views

Everyone likes buying new things. There’s something about the smell and feel of a new purchase that is just satisfying and fills you with happiness. From big things such as cars, a house too small ones like a pair of shoes or a new phone. All those things get replaced once in a while with a better, newer version of themselves and that is the never-ending cycle. 

But, some things shine when they get old. And there is a huge loving audience for those types of things. From an old bottle of wine, old-timer car or an old WW2 figure. Those things are often referred to as – vintage. When they get old, things get better. And it’s not just the situation with wine. Of course, we can’t say this for everything but nowadays, more and more people like that old rugged look of a vintage item than a fresh newly bought one. We can say something similar to clothes. Of course, no one likes to see a ripped, dirty and fuzzy T-shirt. But a 10-something years old denim? Well, it’s a whole other story. Vintage things have that weird feel to them which most people adore. It’s nostalgic, it makes them feel young again but manly and strong at the same time. It makes them stand out of the crowd where everyone is wearing “Supreme T-shirts” and other boring pieces of clothes. 

And, everything we said applies to hats as well. Old hat lovers know that there pretty much isn’t a better hat than a vintage one. The one which you can tell has some years to it but the one which is still in good condition. This hat also has a different feel to it. You can sense that it saw a lot of “things” and that it isn’t a teenager anymore. Those types of hats are the ones that put a smile on every experienced hat collector. And, modern society has slowly but steadily accepted all of this. One issue that is present is that in order for a hat to get to this point where it is considered as vintage you need to wait years. A lot of them. And, time is one thing that humans can’t control. So, how to speed up the process? You can’t. But, you can do the next better thing. Take an item that is new, and add a vintage feel to it.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to give your new hat that vintage. Rugged look we’ve been talking about. Even if your hat is brand new, that doesn’t mean it has to be like it. If you follow the steps we will show you in paragraphs below, you’ll transform your hat into a vintage one, or just speed up the process.

Be Cautious

A little disclaimer before we dig into the process itself. As with all other hat related DIY projects, you need to be careful. The aim here is to make your hat look vintage – worn out. If your hat isn’t looking as you would like it you can always be more aggressive with it or in other words – beat it up, but this isn’t always a good path to take for obvious reasons. You need to conduct this process slowly and with patience. Always have in mind that the final product you wish to come to and let that be your main goal. Now, let’s dive into the process itself.

Vintage Baseball Cap

Now, keep in mind that you can make pretty much any hat vintage. But, for the purpose of this article, we need to pick a few which will serve as an experiment and show you step by step how it’s done. Pick a cap that you like. Watch out for the materials that it’s made of. Hats that are made from leather or felt are a bit harder to make vintage and you should avoid them in this method. The first method we will consider is washing your hat with the help of a washing machine. 

The idea behind washing your hat several times is that the color it has starts to fade away. This is a clear sign that the hat is aging and in normal conditions, it would usually take years to come to a point which 2-3 washing sessions would do. So, just put your hat in a washing machine and begin the process. It’s recommended to use cold or cool water as the hot water can damage the material of your baseball cap a bit more than we would like. After a few washes what you should get is the same hat, but with a bit lighter color. 

After you finished this first, easy step, it’s time to pull out the big dogs and make your hat really look worn out. What are the tools you’ll need? Well, it might sound a bit weird but the best tools to make your hat look rigged are sandpaper, scissors and believe it or not, cheese grater. Let us elaborate.

If you ever looked at a rugged hat, you would notice that because it’s worn out, the material which it’s made of isn’t in such a good condition like it was before. We’re talking about all the cracks, damages, holes and fuzziness it may have. Therefore, since we don’t have years to let the time take its toll, we need to mimic it. Now, we say it again, be gentle with these things. Sandpaper isn’t made to be used on hats but if you’re careful enough, it will work wonders.

What you’ll simply do is sand the top layer of your hat. Use a gentle touch and circular or straight motion. What this should create is that worn look we seek for. There are different types of sandpaper – gentle ones and a bit harder ones. Pick the one you like. Gentle ones are, well, gentle, and if you pick harder ones, just be careful not to damage the hat too much. Scissors can help you out as well. With the help of them, rip some of the fabric on the brim of your hat or on some other place you would like. When you finish the process, what you should have is a new hat, that looks worn out and – vintage.

Wool Fedora

We will just quickly cover a special method which is used for fedora type hats. If you ever saw a fedora that has some years to it, you would notice that it kinda looks oily. It’s because the owner usually touches the brim with their hands to take on and off the hat. Therefore, after years of doing it, the fabric becomes oily and the hat gets that classy, vintage look. This is pretty usual for woolen fedoras but it can also apply to felt fedoras and any other type of wool or felt hat. It’s just that the fabric they’re made of response like this to constant touching and there’s nothing you can do about it.  

How to mimic this, since we don’t have the time for touching it hundred of times? Pretty simple really. What you’ll need is a solution of saltwater with some kind of oil (usually olive). Put it in a spray bottle, shake it up and apply it to the surface of the hat. Be strategic with this as you wouldn’t like that your hat looks oily everywhere. Just apply the solution to the brim and specific parts of the hat.

If you want to add creases and folds to your fedora – which are a clear indicator that it has some years to it, there’s a trick to this as well. Simply twist your fedora in any way you like and secure it with rubber bands. Let it stay like this overnight. After you remove the bands, there should be little folds and creases all over the fabric – mission accomplished. 

No Better Hat Than The Old Hat

Chances are that at some point in your hat-wearing career, you will wish that the hat you’re currently wearing looks a bit older and more mature. Maybe you would be sad, and you would surely look around the Internet to find a solution which will make your hat look older than it really is. And then here you are. After an endless time of lurking the Internet, you stumbled across this article. And we’re happy you did. Hopefully, what we wrote helped you to make your new hat look vintage and at the same time not damage it. 

But, we feel like that it needs to be said that nothing can mimic the real thing. If you want your hat to really become vintage, there’s no way around it, you’ll need to let time take its course. Don’t think about the hat. Wear it with style and pride. After a couple of years, we will guarantee that it will look more vintage than it would ever with any of the methods mentioned above. And that’s what it’s all about. Having a real vintage hat which became vintage the right way.