Professional Hat Shaper in Store Only

Hat Measurement Chart

To Measure For A Hat Size, Using A Tape Measure  - 
measure the widest part of your head just above the ears 
and eyebrows to the nearest 1/8th inch

   Story About Hats

The fine art of hat making was born in Europe over 600 years ago.  Legend has it that a 14th Century monk put rabbit fur in the soles of his shoes to cushion his feet during a grueling cross continent trek.  During the long journey, the heat pressure, friction and sweat from his feet compressed the fur into a fibrous felt.  Needing to protect his head from the onslaught of the elements he fashioned a sort of hat from the durable felt.           
How hats are made today, fur felt hats manufactured in the United States continue to be made from pelts from Europe.  France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Poland supply rabbit fur.  Wild hare comes from China and Australia and beaver is obtained from Canada.

Once the pelts arrive in the U.S. they are cleaned, cured and dried.  Then the fur is put through a hot water process to form the raw fur felt body.  The fur felt body is put through 200 different processes before it becomes the final product.  It is stretched, blocked, pressed, steamed, flamed, jigged, greased, pounced, sanded, powdered, rubbed, dry ragged, cut, flanged, heated cooled and inspected.  The hats are finished with satin or taffeta lining and ringed with a leather band, most usually sheepskin that is soft and absorbent.

Remember these rules of thumb.  If you’re tall and slim, you’ll probably look good with a shorter crown and a narrower brim.  Do you have a wide face?  If so, try a wider brim and a higher crown. Aim to fit the size and shape of the hat to the size and shape of your face.  When you try on a hat, don’t look in a small mirror where you see just your face and hat. 
Final a full length mirror, so you get the “big picture.”

Hat Care and Maintenance Tips

1.       Always clean your fur felt hat with a dry sponge or brush.  Be sure to brush your hat with a counterclockwise motion.

2.       Don’t allow your hat to get dust.  A periodic thirty-second brushing of your hat will keep dust and other matter from accumulating on your hat.’

3.       When putting on a hat, never grab the crown with your fingers.  The oil on your finger cans causes marks on the crown.  In time, this will also weaken your hat

4.       Always thoroughly brush a hat before you steam it for re-shaping

5.       Hang your hat on a hat rack or put it on its crown when you’re temporarily not wearing it.

6.       When storing felt hats for summer, brush the hat and place it in a hatbox.  This will retain the shape of the hat and keep it free of dust.

7.       If you have no box to store your hat in, be sure to set the hat on a shell and see that the scope or dip in front extends over the shelf.  Other wise, in time, the weight of the hat will flatten the scope.

8.       Rain or snows will not damage a good fur felt hat.  Allow your hat to dry naturally away from excessive heat.  Reshape the hat (if necessary) when completely dry.

What do the X’s mean? 

The quality of the hat body used to make a hat is the main factor that determines the X’s. In felt it is determined by the percentage of fur’s used in making the hat body. We use beaver, mink, chinchilla and other animal fur to make bodies. The mixture of which furs we use determines the X’s. In straw, the X’s are also determined by the body used to make the hat. The tighter the weave and narrower the straw reed used to make the hat, the better X quality is marked in the hat.