What Makes a Good Hat?
Meet The Angler
A hat is many things. A hat can make a statement, bring luck, signal intent or complete a costume. We know who wears hats: Baseball players, Don Draper, cowboys and Winston Churchill. A hat can be tribute. I’m embarrassed that I wore a sort of low profile cowboy hat to opening night of Rattle & Hum in 1988. That would be a concert film that U2 (also in their cowboy hat phase) would rather you forget.
A hat can draw attention to yourself or hide your identity. It can help you stand apart or blend in with fellow fans. I like hats that express something about you, that are worn in and committed to. The danger with a strong hat is that it makes you look like you’re wearing a costume. A good hat, however, reveals your character.
I’ve worn hats for a long time (even before the hair got thinner up top). And like many things I got particular about them. I would buy a Panama hat every year (not a fancy one) and take the band off, so the crown looked higher. Then I’d wear it until it had too many holes to do its job any more. I take Masters hats to the Bahamas and leave them out in the sun so they fade to a lovely green. These are the things you have to do.
My favorite hat, the one I wear most often and am intensely attached to, is the Wellema hat in moss green felt with a brown band. Cody Wellema makes hats in California and I’ve always loved his work. When I first got this hat I adored it and didn’t want to get it wet. “Don’t worry!” Cody assured me. “It can handle the elements, it will give it more personality.” Well it was easy for him to say, I feared the first crease or bend. No longer. Now I’ve worn this hat fishing in Montana, at Pitti, in New York, in most places you’ve ever run into me.
So we’re releasing The Angler, a limited edition of this special Wellema hat. Cody has found more of that most green felt (very hard to track down!) and we did a second color in a lovely chocolate brown. The crown is slightly high (which I think is correct) and the brim is a little more generous (which is also a strong proportion—most hats, like most collars, being too small).
A good felt hat is quite an object, sturdier than you think. This is good because that encourages you to wear it and not be too delicate about the whole thing (a good rule for clothes in general). But of course that ends up being the path of anything you love to wear.
The fact that hats are Cody’s livelihood impresses me. I like specialists and appreciate an expert who’s committed to one thing, whether it’s making hats, fishing reels or Calvados. There’s an attention to detail, a learned skill and an obsessive quality you need to be great. That’s why I’m so excited about this, it’s one of the special projects I’ve worked on. I think this hat is something you’ll keep for years even decades. I know I will.
Learn more about Wellema and The Angler hat here. Cody is very helpful if you have questions about style and fit, you can contact him at orders@wellemahatco.com.
The Angler is a great hat. You have the green. I might get the brown. But we can't wear them on the same day, which is a problem because you wear yours every day.
The more beaver fur the better the felt. My 100X American Hat Co cowboy hat made it through Houston Rodeo season unscathed even after torrential rains. A quality felt hat of 40X and higher can be cleaned, brushed, shaved, steamed and reshaped many times. Some old cowboys I know have worn the same hats for decades. Also, remember that an authentic cowboy or horseman only wears felt from fall to spring and never in the summer. That’s when the straw or palm comes out. This may only apply to Texas and the West so take that as you will. Thank you David!