6 Common Cowboy Hat Shapes & Styles (With History)

Do you know that the shape of your cowboy hat can define who you are? But what kind of cowboy hat shapes do you think will be best for you?

Don’t worry. Here is where you’ll find many of your answers. Here, we’ll cover everything about the cowboy hat shapes.

These hats will vary from where you come from, your lifestyle, and other personal choices. The quality of these will depend on where you buy them. But the look of the hats will always remain to have a similar identity to the others.

The cowboy hat is the iconic clothing of the North American cowboy and is still a fashionable single product. Now many DIY enthusiasts and fashion bloggers also choose to decorate cowboy hats with personalized pins, PVC patches, and other items.

In recent years, cap patches have become the perfect way to express yourself, but also for pithy mottos, political affiliations, or just a way to share ideas with people of any age around the world.

At GS-JJ.com, you can customize PVC patches, pins, custom embroidered patches, and other merchandise online that can meet most people’s customization needs.

cowboy hat pic

Are you ready? Before we look at the types of cowboy hat shapes, let’s look at the history of these hats.

History of the Cowboy Hat Shapes

History of the Cowboy Hat Shapes

These stylish hats go back to 1865. It looks more like the North American Cowboy. John B. Stetson designed the hat. They were called the “Boss of the Plains.”

After the design by John Stetson in the 1860s, many cowboy hat shapes made from the 1900s came from the Mexican culture. All the designs can protect you from the sun and better fashion.

Remember, today; you can get a cowboy hat shape that doesn’t match Mr. John Stetson’s design. It means there are ancient and modern makes of the cowboy hats.

The modern ones keep maintaining the same shape and look. But what are these shapes of a cowboy hat? Keep reading to find out.

Design of the Cowboy Hats

Design of the Cowboy Hats

If you happen to get the original cowboy hat designed by John Stetson, you’ll see that it has a crown and brim. This crown is tall and round. The brim is flat and wide.

As you look inside the hat, there is a sweatband; it helps your head fit nicely as you wear it. Also, it gives you more comfort.

The different shapes of the original cowboy hats come from the crown’s crease and the brim’s roll. Remember, it’s different from the modern cowboy hats, which differentiate the cowboy hat shapes.

But how do the modern cowboy hats look like? So, with these hats, the bows are on the left side of the band. Well, it’s because most people are right-handed.

Also, the modern cowboy hats have ornaments. Though they add some beauty to the cap, they could interfere with the primary use of the hat.

Today, most modern cowboy hats are more like fashion. The Texas rangers use stylish hats as part of their uniforms.

You’ve now learned all about the designs. So, let’s go to the main thing about the shapes.

What are the Shapes and Styles of Cowboy Hats?

Every hat shape and style is there to show your identity as a cowboy. You’ll see this by how the looks of the crease.

Each shape has a meaning. Remember, the brim has a lesser impact on the purpose of the hat’s shape. So, here are the popular crease shapes of cowboy hats you can get.

1. The Cattleman Crease

The cowboy hats with these shapes tend to have the oldest culture among all the hats. If you are more interested in culture, this hat will suit you.

These cowboy hats go back to when many farmers what a different look for the Rodeo cowboy hat look. So, with the Cattleman crease, expect the crown to be 4 to 5 inches high.

The brim of these hats has a medium curve. Also, most range between 4 to 4 and a half inches.

These hats have a unique placement of the crease. There is one single crease that goes down to the center of the crown. Also, two other wrinkles go down to the sides of the hat.

Cattlemen wanted a cowboy hat that was taller and narrower. It would help them when harsh winds blew and during heavy rains.

The same still works today. If there are heavy rains and winds, you can pull down the hat. It’s from here that it can stay on your head better.

Remember, it’s something that fits both a woman and a man. Today, people use the cattleman more like a fashion cap. You’ll find more men wearing them at wedding functions and other parties.

People who make these hats have not made many changes to the original styles. But under the cattleman crease, the most modern style you’ll get is the Gus Hat. It has a pinch in front of the crown. So, your hat will look like an outback.

 

2. Bowler Western

This Bowler or derby hat comes from the England culture. A man called Bowler made this cowboy hat shape in 1849. After that, it grew to be more popular among people who lived in the Victoria Times.

The hat is a simple free round crown. Also, the hat has a curved brim but is short.

Like many other things, it came to the U. S. through the immigrants. Many people loved it, and it became a fashion in the Old West.

 

3. The Montana Mix Crease

The Montana Mix Crease

You can also call it the Tom crease cowboy hat. It has a height of 4 to 6 and a half inches. The brim ranges from 4 to 4 and a half inches.

This cowboy also has an excellent history. Its name came from the Montana state.

It has a crease that looks like a cattleman crease cowboy hat. But the two have some slight differences.

Tom crease hats have more minor indents at the sides of the crown. Also, these indentations are minor at the back. The center indent is more on the front and less on the back.

So, the placement of these indents creates more of the Tom mix crease. The hat now slopes down in the front and appears high at the back.

These hats were common during the 1920s and 1930s. They are among the ones that Mr. Stenson designed in the early days.

Today, people call them the reach and grab cowboy hats. It’s because most people hold them from the front of the crown.

 

4. Pinch Front Cease

Pinch Front Cease

These cowboy hats aren’t different from the cattleman crease hats. The feature that makes these hats unique is the common styles of the crowns.

Expect the pinch front crease hat to have a diamond and tear-drop crown. But these two crowns are common in fedora, outback, and trilbys types of hats.

Much more, the pinch front crease’s difference is the brim’s size. It’s larger than that of fedora and outback hats. Still, some pinch front crease hats look like traditional cowboy hats.

Most ladies love to use pinch-front cowboy hats because of the shape and size of the crowns. Also, if you want to make your face look thinner, choose the Pinch-front crease cowboy hats. The hat will make your face look narrower and with quite delicate jaws.

Remember, the Stampede black stained cowboy hat is the one that mimics the shape of a pinch front crease hat. But with this one, it has a pinched front crown.

Also, the brim is made from a light straw. So, it’s easy to wear this cap.

 

5. The Brick Crease Cowboy Hat

These hats look more like the cattleman crease cowboy hats. The difference in the brick cease is the shape of the crown, which forms a squarer look like a brick.

So, it has a drop shape on the right. When you look on the left side of the hat, it’s curled. It makes the cowboy hat look more like a brick.

The functions of these hats are more like the other shapes of cowboy hats. So, with the brick-like body, you won’t have to worry about strong winds and rain. It will also help you during a fashion event.

 

6. The Gambler Crease

It’s also called the Telescope crease shape. The shape of this hat came from Charros. These were cowboys from Nevada but worked in Mexico.

This hat has a crown height of 3 to 4 and a half inches. It has a flat brim of about 4 to 4 and a half inches.

The hat is shorter than other cowboy hats. Well, its shape helps hot air away from being in your head as it protects you from the sun.

Also, it looks like a cowboy hat without a crease. But it has a small shape of a circular indent. It makes the hat look like a microscope.

Back then, many rich landowners in Mexico loved to wear this hat. They saw that it had more class than the traditional cowboy hats.

Pork pie hat is a shape that came from the gambler crease hat shape. But these hats are more classic and rounder. If you are a fan of the Breaking Bad movies, Brian Cranston used to wear the pork pie hat.

 

Conclusion

Ever since there was the first design and shape of a cowboy hat, they have grown to be more popular. There are new shapes of cowboy hats. All get names depending on the body of the crease.

Most of them copy the traditional looks but with a bit of ornament. So, it’s possible to use these hats on your and during many fashion events.

It’s rare to find a person wearing traditional shapes of cowboy hats designed by Mr. Stenson in fashion events. Most people love these modern ones.

But it’s more interesting to know that cowboy hats have their charm no matter the traditional or modern shape. And it gets even more enticing when people pair these cowboy hats with cowboy leather jackets at fashion events, highlighting the traditional shape and giving it a classic vintage vibe. On the other hand, the modern shape gets noticed for adding a touch of contemporary flair to the overall look. It’s a perfect fusion that exudes unique appeal.

So, which is your cowboy hat shape? Do you like the modern or traditional ones? We would like to hear from you.

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4 thoughts on “6 Common Cowboy Hat Shapes & Styles (With History)”

  1. The mix crease hat ( # 3 ) was made by Montana Peaks Hat Company. Pendleton Oregon. Hatter Laura did the edge stitching and hat band with tip. I did the shape.

    Reply
  2. So many different shapes. The rodeo crease is cool cause it’s so popular. But I like the Gus with a pencil roll brim. Makes me think of the old west. It’s hard to travel with a cowboy hat and I’m more of a city cowboy. So, I don’t wear my hat as much as I’d like.
    Pictures of the different creases would be great. See mostly talk about straw and felt. What’s the history or tradition of palm leaf?

    Reply
  3. A range of emotions are stirred by your words. Your own perspectives give the conversation more depth. We appreciate you contributing to this lively discussion by offering your ideas.

    Reply

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