Finding your size for any article of clothing is a challenge and there is generally no easy way since manufacturer’s sizes vary. Standards in various countries differ also. For example, I find oriental clothing sizes are understated. A “Medium” size to a Chinese person can easily be a “small” in Canada, The USA and other parts of the world. This may also be true of other parts of the world such as in South America. I have also noticed that there is some “flexibility”in sizing when it comes to stated size for “mature” women. Well you get the idea!
Generally speaking once you have matured you can expect that your head size will stay more or less constant. The skull (cranium) is a very hard part of the skeleton for obvious reasons. All this assumes that you have not been caught by head shrinking natives, in an undiscovered part of the jungle. Of course, if this is the case finding the right hat will be least of your problems!
If you are a regular hat wearer like me you already know your hat size since you have already been in many hat shops and tried on several different hats. This is the best and funnest way to find out your hat size. You will discover that your size may be different in different styles and indeed you may wish to wear them in creative ways. The women of Bolivia wear bowler hats but they wear them too small on the top of their heads!
Very few, if any, people have perfectly circular heads. Harder hats are generally designed to allow for that. The exception would be the bowler hats used in Juggling (you see you never know which way round the hat will land on you head). You can observe varying head shapes by looking at people (don’t stare though). Different races will generally have different shape heads. On most men have larger craniums than most women and they are heavier and have a different shape. This is of course a gross oversimplification! What we seek is the “right”hat for the shape of a person’s head. This will be the subject of a future post. Indeed because people try to wear the wrong shape hat for their head they conclude that they are not hat people and cannot wear hats in general. This is erroneous.
If you really do not know your hat size the procedure is to measure the circumference of your head at its widest point. That is where will the hat sit on your head? If you have an accurate measure of the circumference of your head you should be able to find your hat size. The standard hat size in Canada and the USA is the diameter of the head.
Here is the procedure:
- Obtain a cloth or paper tape measure (some hat stores may supply this. I was in a Tilley Store near my home and they had paper tape measures there to measure for hat sizes, in different languages yet!).
- Measure at the largest part of the head. In the end the hat should not sit on the top of your head or over your ears. Unless of course this will be the desired effect. There is no accounting for taste!
- The standard advice is that the measure should be approximately ½ inch (1.3 cm) above the ears. People differ so be careful.
- Start by sitting the tape measure at the middle of the fore head and carefully pass it around your head (you may need your honey to help you with this – or if there is no honey anybody will do!). Take care not to twist the tape measure or wind it too tight. If it is too tight you will have a lifetime of headaches! Just Joking!
- Measure at least 3 times to make sure. (This is what they did before performing laser eye surgery on me – thank heaven!).
- Then take down the measurement. An average size woman’s head is 22 ½ inches. Don’t freak if you have a big head – you can brag about your brains.
- Calculate your hat size and/or look it up in tables on vendor sites.
To find your size you divide the circumference of your head by pi (Π). If you remember from your high school mathematics classes (they were a very long time ago for me) that the circumference of a circle is Πd (it is sometimes expressed as 2 Πr (where r = radius and of course the radius is one half of the diameter of the circle). Too much math already! All the on line hat vendors publish tables for hat sizes. You can find one on Aaron’s hat site. (Go to their hat size chart on the site).
Be careful in using these tables. Manufacturers sizes do differ. It is best to consult with customer service before ordering your hat.
If this is all too much for you the Village Hat Shop has a video on its site demonstrating the measurement of hat size on a young man. He has no regular hats in his closet. He needs a hat to play in his band.
What if my hat size falls between 2 sizes?
Conventional wisdom is that you go one size up. If necessary Baron’s Hats advises that you stick some foam on the back of the sweat band inside your hat to make it fit snugly.
What if I am in Europe are the hat sizes similar?
In the UK they have their own hat sizes. We Brits do everything differently it seems! Their size is 1/8 inch smaller that the Canada/USA size. A size 7 1/8 will be a size 7 in the UK. Just go figure I do not have an explanation for this.
Elsewhere in Europe (by the way many British people still deny that they are part of “Europe”) the size is expressed in metric. A 7 1/8 would be a 57.
What if my hat is too small, what can I do about it?
If your hat is too small it may be possible to increase the size. You will have to be very careful not to stretch it out of shape. The process might be better done by professionals who have the right tools. If this was your grandmother’s favorite hat do not attempt it yourself, unless you are a milliner. I am not a milliner and I would not attempt it.
The theory is as follows. Felt hats can be stretched. Hard hats such as Derby’s and Top Hats have hard goss that can be melted to adjusted to conformateur (clearly a job for a professional!). Please be careful! Nobody, including myself will take responsibility for damage.
Just return the hat for a replacement with the right size if it is a purchase!
What if the hat is marked small, medium, large or extra large?
Hat suppliers publish useful tables that indicate what they mean by these descriptions. It is frustrating since it is really not standard for any type of clothing – if the truth is known. You have to work closely with your vendor and remember it could be different in different styles of hat. It is frustrating to be sure.
What is the “Punti System”?
The Punti size can be found by dividing the head circumference by pi + 1. This sizing system was used in Italy and England until the mid 20th century (the time when hat wearing went into a nosedive like our recent stock market crash). It was believed that the system was useful in determining the crown size for skull type hats. The mathematics are beyond me. If you know the background to this feel free to leave a comment with further information.
This information may be important if you collect vintage hats.
One manufacturer who was known to use the system was Borsalino in Italy.
……………………………………………………………
Barons Hats have been the supplier of hats to many personalities over the years. You can get the hat sizes of your favorite and not so favorite personality on their site.
Once again be careful and discuss your sizing issues with your on line vendors before ordering. Of course this is especially true for ordering custom hats where many measurements are required and you will have to work very closely with the hat maker!
The following sites were useful in doing this article:
http://baronhats.com/headsize.htm
http://www.thehatsite.com/measuring.html
http://www.hatsuk.com/hatsuk/hatsukhtml/bible/hatsize.htm
http://www.villagehatshop.com/head_size.html
http://www.hatlife.com/headsize.php
(All rights reserved)
{ 2 trackbacks }