If you look at the cowboy, you will find it to be the clearest symbol of the cowboy culture and the western wear domain. Even though this funky-shaped chapeau was initially created to secure the cowboys from the harsh elements, it gradually became a style statement. Right from movie stars, musicians to all in between, increasingly more have been embracing this stunning cowboy symbol, even when they didn’t belong to the open plains.
While several stores sell the cowboy hats, coming across the correct shape and size is essential to choosing one. It’s because the cowboy hats are very unique to each wearer.
The factors to consider
There are many factors to opt-in for when you are purchasing a cowboy hat, such as the crown height and shape, the material type, brim style, and where you will wear it. It would help if you also considered how much you want to pay for the hat. The cowboy hats are available in a wide blend of materials, like leather, straw or fur-based felt. The straw cowboy hats are gaining popularity. The hats also have a sweatband within and a little decorative hatband outside the crown. Additionally, there are two fundamental aspects to a cowboy hat, it is the brim and the hat top. The hat crowns are available in multiple styles, from high to shallow. The brims are available in multiple widths. The straw and the felt hats get shaped in any style the consumer prefers.
There are few things that capture this country’s dream-chasing, freewheeling spirit apart from the American West. One of the things that represent the Western spirit is the cowboy hat.
However, even when the cowboy hats indicate the lawless and wild frontier world, it doesn’t indicate you have to rules for the western wear. Since, there are so many shapes and styles of the cowboy hat, it can help if you have access to a few guidelines to choose the best hat for yourself.
The cowboy hat shapes and the types
One of the prominent things that determines the hat shape of the cowboy hat, is the crown crease. The multiple styles changed over time to assist in fitting multiple objectives in the West. Some of the common ones include:
- The cattleman crease- It comes with a crown crease at the center and two dents on both sides.
- Gambler – A flat crown top having a circular indent.
- Pinch front – It’s a crown that comes with a nearly diamond-shaped pinch towards the front, like the fedora
- Gus – It is a tall brim that has three creases towards the front and results in a steep slope.
- Open crown – It is a round look with zero crown crease.
Now, you can become more particular with the hat’s shape depending on how tall you wish the hat crown to be. You can also decide how much curved or wide you want the brim to be.
Select a hat depending on the face shape
When you choose an attire, chances are you will select it depending on the body shape. It is applicable for hats as well. Usually, we use the facial profile to enable us to select the correct shape for the cowboy hat. Here are some recommendations that you can opt-in for:
- Round and oval face shape – A hat with tall to medium height crown and a curved brim.
- Long face shape – A medium crown size along with the cattlemen crease and a curved, wide brim.
- Heart face shape – A pinch crease having a flat brim.
- A square face shape – A wide-brim hat with an open crease.
Choose a hat based on the function
The cowboy hat shapes have evolved all through history for multiple reasons. For instance, if you look at the Gus hat, it was mainly chosen for dancing and the form made it easy for the cowboys for tipping the hats to ladies. Also, the hat shape you select can change based on whether you can wear the hat to opt-in for dancing or riding. Some of the tips to keep in mind are:
- You need high crown for trapping the hot air, so that its warmer
- Bigger crown doesn’t hold up hot air
- The wide brims are best for securing against rain and wind
- The bigger crowns enable you to pull the leather hat down to the head for preventing it from getting blown away by the wind
The cowboy hat is completely American in essence. As you read about the hat and conduct your research, you might get confused between the gambler or the cattleman crease. If that is the situation, you can always get in touch with an expert hat maker and ask for suggestions on the best cowboy hat style that will cater to your look and personality. However, make sure that you get the hat size correct and also purchase a good-quality hat without paying an exorbitant amount.
