How to Measure for a Hat
No matter where you buy your hat, you want to ensure that you get a good fit.Measuring for a hat is simple. Our model Gwladys Pendelbury* demonstrates:
Simply place a measuring tape around your head at the spot the hat should rest on your head. Place a finger or two between the tape and your head. Your head does expand and contract during the day depending on heat and other factors. (No, not your ego.)
Another method is to measure the inside of a hat you have that fits you well.
Keep in mind that some hats are designed to rest higher or lower on the head than others. A fez, for instance, will fit higher than a fedora.
If you're purchasing a hat to wear with a particular hairstyle, then measure while your hair is dressed in that style for a better fit. This is especially important for Victorian and Edwardian hats that might be worn with an elaborate hairstyle.
Steam Cat provides hat sizes in inches so you don't need to convert your measurements to a numerical size. But if you're curious. Gwladys Pendelbury would wear a 6-7/8 hat, which seems appropriate.
Questions? Please use the Contact page.
(*Okay, why is the model named Gwladys Pendelbury? When our own mad hatter got her first dress form, it was a vintage piece, stubborn to deal with. It was given the moniker of Honoria Glossop, after one of the ladies to whom Bertie Wooster had been engaged. The second dress form was named Madeline Basset, because it's pretty and not substantial at all. When the head was acquired, the tradition had to be maintained, and so it was christened Gwladys Pendelbury. Our mad hatter dreads the day when she has to name a piece after Aunt Agatha.)