Straw Boater

Leading on from the school hat theme to a straw hat theme we have the boater which was a common part of the British, United States and South Africa and a few others boys school uniforms.

The Straw Boater is also known as the simply the Boater, plus the Skimmer, the Cady, the Canotier, the Basher, the Katie, the Somer and the Sennit.

Also worn in Japan were can be called the Can-can Hat or the Suruken.

The straw boater is equally a fashionable women's hat.

Straw boaters are a great summer hat, they were popular in the 19th and early 20th Century but have since gone out of fashion except for rowing events or barbershop music groups.

The Straw boater is normally made of a stiff sennit straw and has a flat crown and brim, usually with a ribbon around the crown.

A fact from Wikipedia says they were supposedly worn by FBI agents as a sort of unofficial uniform in the early 20th Century. 

Waxed Cotton Wide Brimmed Hat

Described as a Aussie-style hat on most of the web sites you would purchase it from, this is very practical waterproof hat that also give goods sun protection with its wide brim

Made from waxed cotton typical of the outdoor country style of clothing you will see worn by gentry, farmers, river and pond fishers, game keepers and the like.

Waxed cotton is very tough practical weather resistant fabric with a very particular but not unpleasant smell.

Waxed clothing originated in the sailing industry, but the less stiff paraffin waxing process used in garments today did not come about until the 1920's and was produced in Britain by 3 companies who equipped the British army with garments made of it.

Barbour the most famous creators of waxed cotton country garments today, started using it for motor cycle clothing in the 1930's and back then was only available in black or an inconstant olive green colour. 

Modern waxes come in many colours but olive green is still the main colour choice.

Rice Paddy Hat With Danglely Bits

The Vietnamese conical rice farmers hat or Non La can be made of straw, palm leaves, bamboo or matting.

What makes the Vietnamese style stands out from other Asian straw hats is its it perfect cone shape, tapering smoothly from top point to rim.

Like all straw hats they are used as protection from sun and rain, but can be soaked/dipped in water and used as a cooling aid as the water evaporates.

Many of these hat have hand stictched words on them or poems, this one has ribbon dangling from its brim, which are purely for decoration.

Bandana

The Bandana is triangular or square piece of fabric tied around the head mainly for decorative purposes but also serves as a sun screen.

Also known as Kerchief  from handkerchief which it basically is.

Bandana's are usually quite colourful most often red or blue and from paisley pattern fabric and they can be tied around the neck or used to tie the hair back.

 The bandana is often associated with American gang culture, the colour of the bandana identifying particular gang affiliation.

Cowboy Hat

This is a novelty cowboy hat picked up from a bring and buy, well used but fits the part

A basic felt hat with a pinched front, crushed crown, wide brim and leather band around the crown

Cowboy hats where not the most common hats worn in the wild west, derby or bowler hat where much more common and many hat style were worn, but as time past and the wild west became history the stetson or wide brimmed tall crown hat became the cowboy hat we think of today. 

A Sombrero

A Sombrero, mexican hat, basically a very wide brimmed hat with a crown and upturned edge popular in Mexico used as a shield from the sun, these hats are wide enough to cast shadows over neck and shoulders.

This Sombrero however is possibly the worst hat I own, its made of compressed cardboard and is pure tourist tat, I'm sure if I ever got wet it would turn into paper mache. 

Well one day I'm sure I will get a better quality Sombrero but for now this is all I have.

They were also worn by cowboys and in many other Spanish speaking countries

Not a Lamp shade, its a Hat

This is not a lamp shade, its a genuine reproduction medieval straw hat from the 13 or 14th Century, that is in fact very comfortable and cooling in the summer like most straw hats.

This was purchased from a polish trader at the Tewkesbury medieval fair in 2015
See this link 

This style of hat was worn by both men and women probably field workers if you look at contemporary drawings. ( See here )

Steam Punk Explorer

This Pith Helmet was purchased new from a re-enactment market, and is ideal for any explorer character. 

I have photographed this one with me as steam punk type adventurer complete with my steam punked rifle.

Pith Helmets are designed for humid climates, they are light weight and practical.

They include ventilation in crown via simple holes

The top button is also designed to allow ventilation as can been seen from the photo above and photo below taken from inside the helmet showing where the button bolts on to the helmet.

Another feature is the chin strap which most of time forms a decorative feature on the brim, but when windy can be brought down and fasten under the chin.

The hat is covered with cotton and includes a adjustable lining which forms a sweat band. 

As Good as Sun Cream

This straw hat purchased for protection from the sun and was frequently used when I was doing medieval reinactment on hot days. 

The wide brim protects the back of neck and straw is in my opinion the best material for keeping you cool in the sun by letting your sweat easily evaporate.

The photo below is inside Muchelney Abbey where in 2002 I was playing a monk as part of a living history event.

Straw hats are unfortunately easily damaged so care must be taken in storage and transport, this one despite being 20 odd years old is still in good condition.

The only thing I added was tight string to keep it tied to head since even the lightest breeze can blow it off the head.

This hat was purchased at Tewkesbury Medieval Festival.