The cowboy hat is probably the most defining symbol of Western wear and cowboy culture.
While the funky shaped chapeau was originally created to protect cowboys from the elements, it has evolved into a form of fashion.
From musicians to movie stars and everyone in between, more people are donning the iconic cowboy symbol, even if they aren’t riding the open plains.
While many stores sell cowboy hats, finding the right size and shape is more involved than just plucking a hat off the wall and popping it onto your head.
Like thumbprints, cowboy hats are unique to the wearer.
There are several factors to consider when buying a cowboy hat such as crown shape and height, brim style, the type of material, what you will be wearing it for — such as work or events — and the price you are willing to pay for your hat.
Cowboy hats come in a variety of materials including straw, a fur-based felt or leather. The hats have a sweatband on the inside and usually a small decorative hatband on the outside of the crown.
There are two basic components to a cowboy hat — the crown or the “top” of the hat and the brim, or the bottom piece that goes all the way around the hat.
Crowns can come in a variety of sizes from high to more shallow while brims can be various widths.
Both felt and straw hats can be shaped to whatever style a customer prefers.
Finding the best style and shape of cowboy hat will depend on the shape of your face — oval, round, long, square, heart or diamond.
Lazy Ranch Wear, a western clothing, footwear and accessory store out of Willow Park, Texas, has some tips about finding the right shape cowboy hat for your face shape.
If you have an oval shaped face, then you have hit the jackpot because just about any crown and brim combination will work, the store’s website reports. They recommend leaving the crown open and slightly raising the brim to create a large dip in the front.
Men and women with round faces will want to go with a high crown and slanted brim. A “Brick” or “Canadian” crease, shallow side vents and sharp square brim with a deeper dip in the front will help counter the roundness of your face.
If you have a long and thin face, stay away from hats with crowns that are too high or too tall as both will exaggerate the length of your face. A medium crown height with a “Cattlemans” crease and tighter square brim is the best option for this face shape.
Square faces look best in rounded cowboy hats with curved brims. Opting for the “Cool Hand Luke” crease with shallow side vents and a slightly curved brim is the best option for square faces, according to Lazy Ranch Wear.
People with heart-shaped faces should lean toward a “winslow” or “teardrop” crease with a shorter brim hat. They should also leave the bring flat and ask for a medium to large dip in the front.
The angular diamond shaped face tends to look best in hats with “cutter” or “cattlemans” crease and a more angled brim and no dip in the front.
“I show reining horses so the reining style is a little bit more relaxed and is definitely my style,” Greeley Hat Works associate Maddie Rainford said. “I have a black one, a chocolate one and a dark green color all in the same shape.”
Other tips for finding the perfect shape and fit are:
- Keeping the width of the brim just outside of your eyes.
- The dip in the front is a personal preference with some folks choosing a deeper dip than others.
If you see a red mark on your forehead after trying on a hat, it may be too tight, advised Greeley Hat Works Retail Sale Manager Tim Costello.
“We do have customers that want their hats to fit super snug,” he explained. “That’s where you have to ask if they like their hat to fit lower on their head or higher on their head. A good rule of thumb is that the hat is making contact all the way around the head.”
Don’t be afraid to go up a size. You can always add in foam strips to help fit it to your head. Plus, hats can shrink over time with sweat and humidity.
Don’t be afraid to try on different shapes and colors. What may not look good on you in one color could look better in another.
Hats can also be reshaped after shaping them into a specific style.
“That’s one of the benefits of buying a high-quality hat is that we can go and reshape it over and over and over,” Costello said. “I have customers who come in once a month to have their hat reshaped. I’ve had a customer where I have spent over an hour and a half going over different shapes.”
Sometimes you may not know what shape you are angling for until you see it on, Costello added.
Sometimes the cheapest option isn’t always the best.
If you plan to wear a cowboy hat everyday, paying for a good quality hat will definitely save you in the long run.
“These hats have lasted me 10 years of showing,” said Greeley Hat Works customer and Weld County Fair Attendant Emerson Lovato, 17. “They are very, very durable and they hold their shapes well. I would rather pay a large amount upfront and not have to buy as frequently than have to buy lots of cheaper hats. They are quality.”
A good quality cowboy hat will withstand all kinds of weather, Costello said. That’s why they are expensive; they are created to last.
And while it’s important to find the perfect fit and shape of cowboy hat, there are also several etiquettes to wearing the western hat, according to Bernard Hats.
Some of the rules to cowboy hat wearing include:
- Taking off your hat anytime you enter a building.
- If you are at an informal occasion, you can pop your hat back on, but for formal occasions, the hat should remain off.
- When sitting down at a table for a meal, your hat should come off.
- When sitting at a counter for a meal, you can leave your hat on.
- Remove your hat during the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance.
- When introduced to a lady, remove your hat with your left hand so that you can shake her hand with your right.
As in the tradition of not wearing white after Labor Day, cowboy hats also have a season. Felt hats are typically worn between Labor Day and Memorial Day with straw hats being worn during the summer months.
“I would say fall to spring is traditionally felt season and straw hats usually peak around Easter time through around August,” Costello said. “But we have customers that will wear their felt hats all year around. I wear mine all year around. It’s really up to the individual.”
No matter if you opt for a straw hat, a felt hat, something to wear just for fashion or something to wear for working, a bright color hat or a neutral color hat, choosing a cowboy hat is a personal experience.
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June 30, 2021 at 06:03PM
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