Sizing

Finding Your Fez Size

Our hat sizes are slightly different than what you may have come across in the past. We don't use the traditional hat size: (head circumference divided by Pi) that many traditional milliners use for two reasons.

  • Firstly, our fezzes and chapeaus are cut and sewn from soft materials, not made from felt stretched over a shape block and then hardened. So our sizes come from our patterns not from a 3d form or industrial press.
  • Secondly, could they have come up with a more needlessly complex way to designate sizes than dividing by Pi? ...in fractions!?!

Anyway we simply use your head circumference rounded up to the nearest half inch.

The best way to measure for one of our fezzes is to wrap a tape measure around the head just barely above the ears and right across the forehead. It should be above the eyebrows. If you have a convex forehead measure the fullest part.
To be sure that you don't pull the tape measure too tight I recommend slipping a finger or two underneath the tape against the temple. Both fingers should touch the temple. Do not stack them. Then you can pull the tape snug and still ensure you have room for blood to flow to the brain. 
If you pinch the end of the tape between your thumb and the fingers underneath the tape, you can hold the tape tight with one hand and slide it up off the head. This is how one can measure their own head without assistance.
Once you have the accurate measurement round UP to the nearest half inch. This simplified measurement will be your fez size. For example if your accurate measurement was 23 7/8 your simplified fez measurement would be 24". Use this measurement to find your fez or chapeau size.
Speaking of Chapeau Size, while the fez should fit squarely around the head just slightly above the ears, our glengarry inspired Chapeau is designed to fit high on top of the head, riding an inch or more above the ears. This is a different fit than most of the hats you have likely worn in the past and if this concept gives you pause I would suggest starting with fez and working your way up to a chapeau.

Tall vs Low Fezzes

We offer two main styles of fezzes, the more formal Tall Fez and the more casual Low Fez. In the beginning we made just the original 5.25" tall fez but I quickly discovered that it would clip the door frame as I got into and out of my car and would often drag against the headliner while driving. So to remedy this I created the "low fez" basically shortening the fez until it touched the top of my head. Low Fezzes are a good place to start your fez wearing if you don't have any experience wearing tall hats. The Tall Fez makes more of a statement and is the sort of thing I prefer to dress up to. It has that formal look seen in classic movies from a time when people dressed up for dinner and didn't wear short pants to the theater. There is a mysterious third style "Venti Fez" but it is rarely seen in polite company.

Chapeaux

The Fez-o-Chapeau is a unisex hat loosely inspired by the Scottish glengarry  cap, which is why it tends to be popular with the kilt-sporting crowd. We don't offer as many sizes of chapeaux as we do fezzes, and the size range is different so be sure to double-check your measurement before ordering. Guys tend to want to wear them lower on the head so if you are on the cusp between sizes you may want to go with the bigger size. Ladies might want to go smaller as many choose to wear them "pin-up" style and use a hair clip or bobby pin higher up on top of their head. The actual shape of one's head also plays into the fit of the Chapeau, while narrow heads will find the chapeau fits easily, wide heads may be uncomfortable with the amount of side-scalp exposed. This really comes down to personal preference.



Size Chart

Head Measurement
(less than or equal to)

 Then you are a

Inches

Fez size:

Chapeau size:
22″

22

 Small
22.5″ 22.5
23″ 23 Medium
23.5″ 23.5
24″ 24 Large
24.5″ 24.5
25″ 25 XL
25.5″ 25.5
26″  26 (on request) –
26.5″ 26.5 (on request) –

 

We can also go ‘outside’ the norm when it comes to making either end of the fez scale – from 20.5" to 26.5".  However, these can only be done for designs that are currently in production or private custom orders, and we do need a tad bit of lead time.  Send us an email and we’ll see what we can do.