The Cowboy hat is also called the North American Cowboy, which got designed by John B. Stetson in 1865. The hat takes influencers from the Mexican culture in 19th century. Also, the cowboy hat designs have morphed from the felt hat offering excellent durability and security from the sun and also one that is highly fashionable.
However, when you look at the cowboy hat variants, such as the straw cowboy hats, they don’t resemble the one designed by Mr. Stetson. But even the new-age cowboy hat stays unchanged in design and construction.
The design of the cowboy hat
The initial cowboy hat came with a wide flat brim and a tall rounded crown. It’s got made of straw, felt and sometimes leather. The hat’s inside gets fitted with a generic swear band for helping the wearer to put on the hat. The hat customization starts at the crown crease and the brim roll. It provides a difference in style to the new-age hat style. There are times when you will have a decorative hat band that helps to accent the features. These hats get manufactured in almost any color. However, the most conventional cowboy hat colors include black, brown, and beige.
Usually, the modern cowboy hats get worn with buckles and bows attached to the hat band’s left side. And at this point, it acted as a practical purpose as the majority of people were right-handed and the extra ornaments can interfere with the weapon use. Also, the modern-day cowboy hat shifted from being an accessory for practical use to a style statement.
How to decide the cowboy hat style?
Usually, the hat crease provides the cowboy hat an individual character and enables them to recognize the wearer to a typical subculture. Also, functionally, the crease removes or dons the hat by holding it by its crown, instead of the brim. And for any average wearer, such changes might not appear to be much, but every style comes with a certain functionality and meaning. Some of the famous cowboy hat creases are:
- The cattleman crease
It’s the most conventional cowboy hat style and one of the oldest ones. This hat style came into existence when the ranch owners wanted a variation from the classic Rodeo Cowboy look. Also, the Cattleman features a tall and narrower crown, usually between five and four inches. It has a single crease at the crown center with the two creases right along the side. The big crown got used at the time of rain or high winds, when the cowboys would pull the hat to cover their head.
Furthermore, this crease was a Gentleman’s choice for the hat. Hence, it was a standard hat worn in the parties and weddings. However, the cattleman crease is not just made in felt, but also straw material.
The cattleman hat comes with small variations in the style based on the wearer. One of the well-known changes in terms of the style is the Gus hat. And maintaining all the conventional creases that sums up as the cattleman style, the Gus Hat has a pinch in the front crown which provides it an outback style.
- The pinch front crease
This cowboy hat style includes two standard-style crowns. It’s the diamond crown and the tear-drop crown. However, both styles are usually seen in the trilby’s, formal fedoras and the outback style hats. Also, this cowboy hat style differs from the conventional Fedora in the brim, which is usually big and sports the conventional cowboy style. A few pinch front cowboy hats assume the form and shape of the conventional outback style, usually as the outback or the western hat blended as a single style. Today, most women prefer the Pinch Front crown over the conventional cattleman crease. Also, the Pinch Front can complement a delicate jaw line and makes the person’s face thinner on wearing.
- The Tom/Montana mix crease
The Montana crease is inspired from the state name, Montana. And this crease is much like the Cattleman, but comes with a few specific differences. The crown indentations on the side are less pronounced and small than compared to the crown back. Also, the center dent is more pronounce and is pinched on its front. However, its much less pronounced on the crown back. It generates a look where the crown slopes downwards to a certain point and the crests atop the back. This hat style is known as the American Cowboy hat in the northern United States, till such time the hat style remained exclusive to Montana as well as other counties near to the state lines.
These are the three essential styles of the cowboy hat that you can browse and choose based on your preference. However, make sure that you choose the correct hat size, else the hat might appear either too small or big and make you look socially awkward.