Subtle Biretta Sizing

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My OF (albeit very traditional) priest has mentioned that he’ll ‘eventually’ get a biretta.
Is it possible to estimate/size from something else the proper hat size for a biretta?
 
No, do not attempt that. I assume that you wish to give him one as a gift, but a biretta does not sit on the head as does a regular hat. Tell him what you wish to do, and be guided by his response. Otherwise, you may end up getting him one that doesn’t fit right.
 
Okay, thank you.
Is there a sizing guide I could find somewhere?
 
There are two ways of going about it. Either one of them would do the trick, but you may find one of them easier than the other.

(1) Carry a tape measure in your pocket at all times and, as soon as you get the opportunity, unobtrusively measure the circumference of your pastor’s head.

(2) Ask his secretary.
 
Not necessarily. His secretary may know his hat size without having to ask him. Whether or not biretta sizes are the same as hat sizes, presumably the biretta supplier would know how to convert from one to the other.
 
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I will ask, but our priest does not have a personal secretary, and I doubt that any parish staff will know his hat size.
 
Does he never wear a hat? Presumably he hangs it up somewhere when he takes it off. All anyone needs to do is to look inside it, provided it’s not so old that the lettering has become illegible.
 
Hmmm. That’s bad news. So it’s back to option #1, then. The tape measure.
 
It’s just circumfrence based?
At what point on the head?
Should I lean large or small?
 
Maximilian75 said:
@FrDavid96

Any thoughts?
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It’s not easy. Not at all.

To complicate things, it depends on where you get the biretta.

I had problems with my first one. I knew (or thought I did) my hat size. A friend brought me a biretta from Europe. He had to convert to metric. It was off just a little. Another time, I thought I knew my metric hat size. That time, there was a difference in how the companies measure (which is typical) and again, wrong size.

It’s like buying a shirt. I wear a size 16 clergy shirt from one company, but from the other company, I need a 1 6 1/2.

One suggestion is to give him a “representative” gift followed by the actual one. Maybe borrow a biretta from someone, or have a picture. Put that in a hat box along with a note saying something like “we need your proper hat size, so this represents your gift”

In the meantime, some notes on buying a biretta:

Birettas made in the U.S. are considerably more expensive; but the quality is far superior (far, far superior).

I found the best prices in Poland. The quality is the same as what I found in Rome.

A collapsible one can be handy sometimes, especially if he travels with it, but the creases sometimes show. A non-collapsing looks better and lasts longer.

Meantime, here’s a few links


(best price I found anywhere)

http://www.barbiconi.it/schedabis.asp?idProdotto=44
(you’re paying for the label)


From what I see, all the stores in Poland use the same manufacturer. Be sure to consider the shipping prices.
 
Maximilian75 said:
Thank you, Father.

I’ve acquired his hat size through a seminarian friend, and both that seminarian and another friend who has good liturgical taste reccomended the House of Hansen.

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Like I said earlier, the quality is far superior to what you’ll find in Europe, but the price is proportionally higher.

It’s a choice.
 
I’m pretty sure it will be split among 8 people (the Masters of Ceremonies of our parish) so it’s very much managable.
 
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