The Fit of a Glengarry

[beerbecue]

OK, well.... finally got around to buying a glengarry for band use...

Anyway, after measuring my heid, which is between 22 5/8 and 6/8... ordered the 7 1/4 as I was advised to go the size larger up....

Well, how is this thing supposed to feel? I can tell you that it is loose, it does not fall down on its own, but it will easily go down all the way to my ears... there is a gap at the front point at my forehead, and I can fit a thumb/two fingers very easily in the back...

My question is, do I get the smaller one, expecting the felt to stretch/soften, or live with the looseness...

BTW, it looks like a big box on the top of my head.... perhaps this hat is not the fashion look for me....

[Jack Daw]

Your new glengarry sounds too small. Even a glengarry that fits will easily fall off when you bend over, so I say get a smaller one to avoid the ever increasing annoyance of wearing what looks like a woolen envelop on your head.

I also have to wear one for piping competitions and some performances.

[cajuncelt]

OK, well.... finally got around to buying a glengarry for band use...

Anyway, after measuring my heid, which is between 22 5/8 and 6/8... ordered the 7 1/4 as I was advised to go the size larger up....

Well, how is this thing supposed to feel? I can tell you that it is loose, it does not fall down on its own, but it will easily go down all the way to my ears... there is a gap at the front point at my forehead, and I can fit a thumb/two fingers very easily in the back...

My question is, do I get the smaller one, expecting the felt to stretch/soften, or live with the looseness...

BTW, it looks like a big box on the top of my head.... perhaps this hat is not the fashion look for me....

LOL. Yep, welcome to the world of the ugly-*** glengarry.
First, it sounds too loose. You shouldn't be able to get your fingers as you described. Also, it shouldn't drop all the way to the top of your ears without some convincing. So, get a size smaller.
As far as the look, they're ugly and look odd...period. Nothing will help this. You just get used to it, plus everyone around you looks the same way.

[beerbecue]

LOL. Yep, welcome to the world of the ugly-*** glengarry.
First, it sounds too loose. You shouldn't be able to get your fingers as you described. Also, it shouldn't drop all the way to the top of your ears without some convincing. So, get a size smaller.
As far as the look, they're ugly and look odd...period. Nothing will help this. You just get used to it, plus everyone around you looks the same way.

I know the vendor I purchased from accepts returns, now I am just hoping that I only pay the postage back to them and not back to me the second time - a $35 dollar glen will become a $55 one pretty quick.......

[beerbecue]

Well, I now have to pay an additional $13 for an exchange - postage both ways....

Looks like a glengarry is going up in the trading post...

Will not do business with this vendor again....

[OC Richard]

For some perspective, when Glengarries first came out in the 1840's through the 1860's they were pretty much worn like they are today.

Here's one worn in 1865, followed by a veteran of The Thin Red Line (93rd Highlanders in Crimea).





Then the style went smaller and smaller- here's Glengarries worn by various Pipe Majors, and some Scots Guards pipers, c1900:





Here's the smallest I can find! How does it stay on??



By the 1950's the Glengarries had got a bit bigger again:



and currently in the Army you'll see Glens worn bigger and more straight on the head:



and even this extreme:



I'm using military photos mostly, because they are persnicketty about how they wear everything... it's not "anything goes" in the regiments...

[HarborSpringsPiper]

Not a big fan of 'em personally, but I do think they look better when worn at a "rakish angle", as they used to describe it in the past.

[Jack Daw]

Great pics, OC.