Just learned about this: Traditional hatters used a pair of tools called a conformer and a formillion to ensure hats perfectly fit their clients.
The conformer captures the client's head measurements in a math-free way, marking a paper template. That template is then used to position a series of dies in the formillion. The hat is then placed over the formillion and steamed into shape:
Here's the longer version, with narration:
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Incredibly clever!
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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Clever Pair of Antique Tools Used to Perfectly Transfer Head Measurements to Hats
Paul's Hat Works in San Francisco used this on me to make my cool bowler hat. They're not cheap, but my confomer profile is stored with them, so if I ever get an urge to get another bowler, or perhaps a top hat, I don't even have to be there to get a a hat that fits perfectly.