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Questions about this piece
How do you keep a straw hat from losing its shape?
Two things wreck a straw hat: pressure on the brim and heat. Resting it brim-down on a shelf puts the whole weight of the crown on that edge and slowly flattens the curl out of it, so turn it over and let it sit crown-down with the brim floating free. Heat does the other kind of damage, and a hat left on a back car shelf goes brittle and cracks at the fold. If the crown gets pushed in, hold it over steam for a few seconds and press it back out with your fingers.
What is a rancher hat?
A rancher is the structured, stiff-crowned hat with a pinched front and a flat, even brim, narrower and tidier than a cowboy hat, whose brim curls up hard at the sides. The shape holds itself, which is what separates it from a floppy sun hat that folds into your bag. It reads as put-together rather than costume, so it sits comfortably with a sundress, denim or a linen shirt without turning the whole outfit into a theme.
How wide is the brim on this hat?
Ten centimeters, which is just under 4 inches. That is a middle brim: wide enough to shade your face and the tops of your ears through an afternoon, narrow enough that it will not knock against a car door frame or against the person sitting next to you at a table. Inside there is an adjustable velcro strap, so you set the fit yourself rather than relying on the crown to grip, which is what keeps a structured straw hat from lifting when you look down.





