Rock Stars In Cowboy Hats

If you know me I'm a bit of a Rocker, so I was thinking of all the Rockers that wear Cowboy Hats.  Now I am not saying all of them should wear a Hat, but alot do!  I just wish they had better help with some of their Head wear choices!

Take for instance, this PINK Hat with the black fur trim?  I now there is a much better choice of Hat for him.  I would love to see this Hat on Carmen Electra, she could pull it off well!  However it's not working so well for this guitarist from Guns 'n Roses.

Now as for the lead singer of Poison, I do believe he pulls this look off well.  I hate the look of this Hat by itself, but on him it goes with his flow!  If you didn't have your Hat all rolled, looking all wrinkled and wore out, you weren't one of the cool cats!  I don't know who started this trend in Hats, but it sure is a popular style! If anything, I wish they would use this particular style in a higher quality of Hat.  It looks a lot better!  Believe me, I have distressed lots of Hats in my day and not matter what you do to it, quality always wins in the end!

You can't forget the little band from Texas.  They are the staple of Rock Stars in Cowboy Hats.  This band has their very own style, sound and swagger.  These 3 have always stayed true to their Texas roots!  I think if you want to wear a cowboy Hat and rock, learn from the best!!  Take it from me...stay a "Sharp Dressed Man"

Kettle Iron Curl

Here it is "Throwback Thursday" upon us once again. I want to tell you a little about the Kettle Iron Curl. It is when you have your brim rolled up over the sides. I have heard lots of differnt names for it. Most of the names come from the diameter of the curl such as the quarter iron curl, pencil curl and rain catcher curl. To achive this look it takes a Heat, Steam, Water and a Kettle Iron.

By doing this, it helps strech the Hat fibers to curl in a half circle around the brim. (See above picture) You can just run it on each side, rather than all the way around, for a more traditional look. You can also do it just in the back for more of a flat top Buckaroo look. Or like Tom Mix, Hop Along Cassidy and Val Kilmer as Doc Hoiday in the movie Tombstone, with the Kettle Iron Curl around the whole brim.

This week I have been practicing the Kettle Iron Curl since going to visit JW Hats. It's really growing on me, and I think I want a Hat with that curl to it. Yesterday I had the opportunity to make a Hat that looks just like Tom Mix's hat he wore. I will post a picture of my replica Hat tomorrow.

Taller Crowns

For "Throwback Thursday" I want to talk about the late '70's and early '80's styles and creases in Hats.

One of my favorite things is looking at old pictures of my Grandpa, and Dad wearing Hats from that era. The style of Hats they generally wore were 7" crowns and 3 3/4" brims, also with outragous looking Hat bands. Some with so many feathers it looks like you ran into a bird.

For example:

If any of you know the movie "Urban Cowboy" you know what I am talking about! That was a staple for this kind of hat. After that movie was made, it helped the western attire grow more popular!

                                                                             

There is one Hat that is still floating around out there from this era, and the guys that wear it won't change. It's called the "Quarter Horse" crease. It has a 7" crown with a 4" brim. The crown is tapered with deep pocket vents, and the brim is dipped in the front and in the back with a slight quarter iron curl on the sides.

The gentleman that wear these Hats love it and is the only Hat they are interested in. If you try to show them something new, they turn and walk away. The only downside to these Hats is trying to find a new one. There are very few companys that have it still available.

Throwback Thursday

For our first "Throwback Thursday" I would like to talk about Jute.  Jute is a long, soft and shiny vegetable fibre which evolved from the plants in the genus Corchorus. Natural jute fiber is a golden color that can be spun into strong, coarse threads.

Jute is the second most widely used fiber in the world, only next to cotton. It is used in making industrial yarn nets, fabric, bags, furniture, hats, etc. The fabric made from jute is commonly known in North America as Burlap.

I had a gentleman come to me once and tell me he wanted a "burlap sack hat". Not knowing that Jute and Burlap were the same thing, I showed him a "Jute Hat" and he told me that is what it looked like, but was called Burlap. How coincedental that we were talking about the same hat, but different names!

The apperance of these hats have a rough and irregular surface. It looks like you could strike a match on them. The strands of the weave are thicker than your typical staw hat. There is better ventilation in Juke "Burlap" hats because they have a pourus weave.