Hat Types
The Fedora
The fedora, named for the Victorian Sardou melodrama of 1882 (Fedora written for Sarah Bernhardt), is perhaps the most versatile of hats. It is appropriate for casual or eveningwear. When first introduced, a fedora was a soft felt hat with a crown that was low and tapered and creased lengthwise with a permanently rolled brim. Today. however, most fedoras have a medium width snap brim (a flexible brim that can be snapped up or adjusted down), with up to two inches of band around the crown. The Fedora we make is sold in in many qualities of fur felt and it is available in many styles It is also available in approximately 20 colours, varying from Black to Winter White including a vast array of up-to-date fashion colours. The hat is also available in many straw qualities.
The Homburg
The Homburg –named for the German resort spa and resort town of the same name was originally manufactured at Bad Homburg, Germany. A soft, elegant, felt hat with tapered, creased crown and rolled brim that has a bound edge. The British version was made popular by the Prince of Wales. And later Edward VII of England from 1901 to 1910, who went to Germany for the spa. Popularity if the hat revived in the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s. Worn by British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, Dwight D. Eisenhower wore it for his inauguration as President of the United States in 1953.
The Porkpie
The porkpie, or English pastry hat, received its name from the groove surrounding the flattened top of the crown (hence the English pastry allusion). Normally constructed with a snap brim, they were made for the college market in the mid-1930s and were later popularized by Fred Astaire and Cary Grant. They have long been associated with sporting events, especially horse racing, and therefore meant for casual wear.
The Derby
The derby, named for the Earl of Derby who commissioned it, is a dressy, stylish hat that gives it wearer a definite British flavour. Also known as the bowler, for its English inventor, or the coke hat, for Bill Coke, the early sponsor of the hat.
The Tyrolean
The genuine Tyrolean hat (from the Tyrol region of Austria) was originally made popular in the 1930’s, but there was a resurgence of interest in it with the Ivy League look of the 1950’s. It has a cord band and plumage and is, once again, most appropriate for casual or sports wear. This is one hat that lends itself particularly to customizing, with its wearer able to dress it up with feathers, pins, and the like.
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Hats and your Health
Q. Does a baseball cap protect my face from the sun?
A. Baseball caps usually don't shield the back of the neck, the ears or the cheeks, areas where skin cancers often appear. Hats with a 3 inch or greater brim, which provide reasonable protection around the nose, cheeks and back of the neck, are recommended.
Legionnaire-style caps (with a back-flap) shade the neck, ears and side of the face are also recommended.
Check the fabric the hat is made of has a tight weave and will not let light through when held up to the sun.
Q. Why do I need to wear a hat throughout the summer?
A. Two in three of all skin cancers appear on the vulnerable head and neck region and almost all of these tumors are caused by too much sun over many years.
A large proportion of the more than 60,000 skin cancer cases expected this year will be on the face, ears and neck - areas that could have been protected by wearing an effective sun-hat.
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Hat Terminology
Baseball Cap
Cloth cap with wide brim at the front. Originally a 5-panel cap, worn by baseball players with the team monogram on the front panel.
Basher
A straw hat
Ben Hogan
English driving cap
Beret
Cap of felt, felted jersey or fabric with soft, wide, circular crown. With or without a headband.
Bicorne
Men’s hats of the late 18th. And early century> wide brims were folded up to form two points. Signature hat of Napoleon.
Bird Cage
A small hat with stiffened veiling surrounding the wearer’s face.
Biretta
Square cap worn by clergy
Boater
Oval, flat-topped hat with rigid flat brim. Typically, made of straw braid. Also called a sailor or a skimmer.
Bonnet
1. Women’s or girl’s head-dress, with deep brim and ribbons to tie under the chin.
2. Men’s or boy’s brimless head-dress.
Bonnet Rouge
Red cap worn during the French Revolution as a symbol of liberty.
Bowler
Oval hat with round, rigid crown and modeled brim. Also known as a derby, because the style was made popular by the Earl of Derby in 19th. century England.
Breton or Bretonne
Women’s hat with ample round crown and brim turned-up all around.
Bucket Hat
Fabric hat with a flat-topped, slightly conical crown sloping brim.
Canadian Mounties
Official head-dress of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police made by Biltmore Hats.
Canotier
Boater
Cap
A hat without a brim, or a small brim at the front.
Cavalier Hat
A wide-brimmed, plumed hat worn by cavaliers in the 17th. century> the right side of the brim was pinned up to the crown so that the wearer’s sword arm could move more freely above the shoulder.
Chapka
Cap of fur with flaps that can be turned down to cover ears and neck or fastened to the side of the flat-topped crown.
Chef’s Hat
White, starched bonnet worn by chefs. The tall crown should have 100 pleats.
Cloche
Women’s hat with round crown and modeled brim. Current usage of women’s hat of the 1920’s close-fitting round crown, with no brim or a small flare at the brim edge.
Coalman Hat
A short visor cap with a protective flap at the back, derived from a hat worn by English coal deliverers to protect their backs from dust.
Cocked Hat
Bicorne or tricorne
Cocktail Hat
A small, often frivolous, hat for women, usually worn forward on the head.
Coke
Bowler
Cowboy Hat
Hat with high crown and wide brim, originally worn by cow hands. Usually of felt, leather or straw.
Crush Hat
Collapsible top hat
Deer Stalker
A hunting cap with visors at the front and back, and ear-flaps that can be tied up over the crown. Also known as Sherlock Holmes hat.
Derby
Bowler
English Driving Cap
Low–profile cap, originally only for men, with small brim at the front. Crown may be tailored with side panels, or gored.
Fedora
Felt hat with a lengthwise crease in the crown, and a medium brim.
Fez
Conical, flat-topped cap of fed felt, once made only in the city of Fez, Marocco. Men’s headcover.
Five-Point Cap
English driving cap
Forage Cap
Military cap with a small brim, also typical for police uniforms.
Gainsborough
A wide-brimmed, plumed hat with the brim turned up on one side. Named for the 19th. century English painter who often portrayed this style in his works.
Garbo Hat
Slouch hat
Gatsby
English Driving Cap
Gaucho Hat
A black felt hat with a wide flat brim and shallow flat-topped crown.
Gibus
Collapsible Top Hat
Glengarry
A Scottish cap with pointed front, usually a pair of trailing ribbons at the back.
Gossamer Hat
Lightweight muslin hats sized with shellac and used as bodies for silk plush hats.
Helmet
Protective head-cover for soldiers, aviators, motor-cyclists, miners, bee-keepers, fencers, etc. Military head-dress.
Homburg
Men’s felt hat with a soft lengthwise crease in the crown. And a narrow slightly rolled brim. Made popular in the 1890’s by Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), who borrowed the idea from the hat of local militiamen in Bad Homburg, Germany.
Ivy Cap
English Driving Cap
Jockey Cap
Cloth cap with close-fitting 6 panel crown and wide brim at the front.
Mitre
Head-cover worn by bishops, characterized by two peaks.
Mortarboard
Flat, square head-cover worn by professors and students for solemn academic occasions.
Newsboy
Large, soft, 8-panel fabric cap with visor.
Night Cap
Men’s cap worn informally indoors from the 16th. to the 19th. century. The cap had a deep crown made of four segments, with the edge turned up to form a closed brim.
Panama Hat
Straw hat made with panama cloche
Peak
Visor
Picture Hat
A hat with a very wide brim, worn tilted to the side of the head.
Pillbox
A small brimless cap with a flat tip and cylindrical side.
Pith Helmet
Helmet of cork or pith (dried spongy tissue from the sola plant), covered with cloth.
Poor-boy Cap
Large, soft, 6 or 8 panel fabric cap with visor and peak snap. Sometimes with ear flaps. Also called a newsboy.
Porkpie
Hat style made popular during the 19th. century, it has a round, flat-topped crown and a small brim turned up all around.
Profile Brim
A brim turned up on one side only, front, back or side. See also releve.
Puritan
Black felt hat with high conical crown and narrow straight brim, worn by the Puritans during the 17th. century. It was usually trimmed with a buckle at the front.
Releve
Word of French origin, referring to brim, softly turned-up at the front on one side of the hat.
Roller
A brim turned up symmetrically all around the hat.
Sailor
Boater
Sherlock Holmes
Deer Stalker
Skimmer
Boater
Skull-cap
Small, close-fitting cap of fabric, knit or crochet. When made of fabric it usually has six gores.
Slouch Cap
A soft hat with a high crown and drooping flexible brim. Also called a Garbo hat, from the name of the actress who wore the style in many films.
Smoking Cap
Men’s pillbox shape cap, worn during the 19th. century to prevent the hair from smelling of tobacco.
Snap Brim
A brim which can be bent into various positions, such as fedora.
Sombrero
Mexican hat with a high, conical crown and very wide brim. Usually of straw or felt.
Stocking Cap
Knitted cap, usually conical, often finished with a pompom.
Stovepipe Hat
A tall 19th. century top hat, made popular by the U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
Tammy
Tam-o’-shanter
Tam-o’-shanter
Beret with close-fitting headband, usually trimmed with a pompom.
Ten Gallon Hat
Cowboy hat
Top Hat
Tall, cylindrical, flat-topped hat with modeled brim.
Toque
Small hat for women with no brim, or small turned-up brim.
Tricorne
Men’s hat of the 18th. century-wide brims were folded up to form three points.
Turban
Typical head-dress for Muslin and Sikh men, constructed by winding a long scarf around the head. Women’s head-dress resembling men’s turbans.
Veil
Cloth, often transparent, or netting used to cover the head and/or the face, for women’s head-dress.
Visor
A partial brim, usually extending out at the front of a hat or cap. Also known as a peak.
Wimple
Head covering worn by nuns, usually of linen or silk, arranged in folds. Formerly worn by other women as well.
Yarmulke
Skull-cap worn by Jewish men. Also known as kippah.
Zucchetto
Skull-cap worn by Roman Catholic clergy> black for priests, purple for bishops, reed for cardinals and white for the pope.
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Straw Qualities
Baku (China)
Very fine natural straw fiber from rice stalks; expensive handwoven straw for use in millinery and dress hats.
Bangora (org. Japan, also China)
Machine-made hat woven from toyo paper yarn initating bakou.
Bankok (Philippines)
Natural fibre straw usually handwoven into expensive, light weight dress and Western hats.
Brisa ( Ecuador)
Panama hat in 1x1 weave from toquilla straw.
Bu (China)
Method of designating the fineness of yarn fibers used in making straw hats; one bu is approximately equal to one millimeter. The smaller the bu number, the finer the weave and the more expensive the hat.
Cappeline
Hat industry term for a generic straw of felt hat body.
Chinese Paper Yarn (China)
Twisted, coated paper yarn used in inexpensive straw hats, often made from recycled materials. Also Chinese twisted paper.
Cuenca (Ecuador)
Panama hat in 2x2 weave from toquilla straw.
Formosan (Taiwan)
Manmade yarn hats woven in Taiwan, aka Formosa.
Formosan Marcus paper yarn (Japan)
Manmade yarn produced in Japan and woven into hat bodies in Formosa (Taiwan). Designed to imitate Bankok straw, Marcus yarn is noted for its round fiber and uniform colour.
Glaze (Japan, China)
Lustrous finish put on yarn used in straw hats that also adds body and strength to the fiber.
Hemp (Philippines)
Straw fiber from the hemp plant producing a coarse, rugged hat body. Hemp is usually handwoven in Taiwan and expensive.
Hood
Hat industry term for an unblocked, cone-shaped hat body.
Jute (China)
Natural fiber from the hemp plant but finer than hemp fiber.
Lacquer
Transparent varnish applied to a blocked straw hat body to strengthen the body. Each hatmaker has a proprietary lacquer formula.
Montecristi Panama (Ecuador)
Very fine high grade and expensive straw hat handwoven from toquilla on the island of Montecristi.
1X1
Straw or yarn weaving pattern in hats of one stand on one strand producing a smooth , even weave.
2X2
Straw or yarn weaving patterns in hats in which two strands are placed on two strands resulting in a herringbone pattern.
Paribuntal (China)
Bakou straw in a wider, looser weave often used in millinery and dress hats.
Polyhemp (Japan)
Polyester yarn designed to imitate hemp straw.
Panama hat (Ecuador)
Hand-woven hat made from toquilla straw; very expensive, but the standard for finely-woven straw dress and Western hats.
Raffia (Madagascar)
Natural fiber of a Madagascar palm used in coarsely-woven hats. Straw is prized for pliability, ruggedness.
Rice Fiber (China, Southeast Asia)
Natural straw fiber from the stalks of rice plants.
Shantung (China)
Commercial American term for glazed manmade paper yarn made in Japan and handwoven in China. Any hat made from Shantung yarn.
Seagrass (China, Southeast Asia)
Natural straw fiber from ocean plants used in producing a coarse weave in plants.
Sisal (China, Southeast Asia)
Coarse rich fiber used in straw hats.
Toquilla ( Equador, Andes Mountains)
Palm plant source of natural straw fibers used in Panama hats.
Toyo (Japan)
Twisted manmade paper yarn similar to Formosan Marcus paper yarn but with variegated colouring. Used glazed or unglazed in less expensive Western straw hats.
Twisted Paper Jute (China)
Manmade fiber resembling jute fiber.
Weave
Twisting and interlacing of yarns in manufacturing straw hat bodies either by machine or by hand. Typical weaves in Western straw hats are 1X1 and 2X2. Fancy weaves produce distinct patterns and open or vented weaving creates open spaces in the final hat body.
Yarn
Filaments or strands spun from natural or manmade materials used in weaving straw hats. In Western hats, yarn usually refers to manmade materials.
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Fur Felt Qualities
In the Biltmore dress hat line we offer seven different Qualities of Fur Felt that are determined through the following factors. Firstly the quality of the fur felt which could be a combination of beaver, domestic and/or wild hare fur. Secondly is the type of finishing process of the fur felt body to give it a certain appearance such as smooth, velour or silkiness. Biltmore's finishing is all done by hand. Thirdly is the type of trimming that goes on the hat, which would be the lining, sweatband, exterior band, brim treatment etc.
Rosellini
Consists of the finest quality fur felt and has a rich ultra classic finish. The Rosellini hat contains a very high percentage of fine fur in the body. The hand finish is superb. There is onion skin attached to the genuine leather sweatband which makes this "Simply the Best" dress hat made today.
Grand Beaver
Is 100% fur felt with a luxurious long textured hair finish. The body has a high quantity of fur felt. It has a genuine leather sweatband and hand made fur felt outer band. With these high quality accessories, this hat is considered to be one of the best in the business.
Golden Pheasant
Body is a supple genuine fur felt, which has a velour finish. After the finish has been completed the body is very delicate and must be handled with care. The crown and brim are flexible and can be adjusted quite easily by a "hatter". The hat has a hand made outer felt band from the same felt as the hat body, genuine leather sweatband and finished off with a satin lining.
Eleganza
Is a genuine fur felt body with a silk like finish. Extensive hand finishing of the hat body and a ribbed grosgrain ribbon band from 1/2" inch to 2" with a genuine leather sweatband and satin lining make this a very elegant hat.
Canadian Suede
Is a genuine fur felt with a suede finish. the finish has a plush suede texture that feels like soft velvet. A hat with a suede finish has a soft flexible body.
Royal Biltmore
Consists of a heavier quality fur felt, which also has a smooth finish. The body contains different fur making it more rigid. The accessories are mid-quality which allows the mid-price range.
Senator
Consists of a fine quality fur felt, which has a smooth finish. This is a lightweight soft and pliable hat containing a low amount of fur felt. The band and leather are of a lesser quality. Although this is still a good quality hat it is a lower priced product.
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