Hand crafted boater wide-brim hats

Up until 2020 I designed and handcrafted intriguing variations of the boater / ‘gaucho’ hat.

A few / limited supply of these one-off hats remain available upon request.

My Regular Sizes

The standard dimension for my brim diameter is  approx 34-36 cm, for an elegant appearance at racing carnivals / fashion festivals.
I make both flat-top ‘crowns’ and some convex  shaped crown tops (as pictured next), with a height of approx 5cm to 8cm.

Apologies for my typo in this image  about ‘fuchsia’. grr

A traditional boater has a more narrow brim than a bolero, especially the narrow-brim boaters worn by gondoliers in Venice. Most of the head sizes I make are 57cm = “standard” / average. I can be commissioned to make extra wide-rim bespoke boaters, but at present I offer these recommended standard sizes:-

 – Flat-top “crown” – height approx 5cm (higher by request) 
 – Flat “brim”  –  diameter approx 34cm (medium) to 36cm by request (large).
–  Head size –  average female head, being 56-57 cm circumference. 

My hat components are 100% Australian made. Falcon Fabrics boaters are made from durable yet lightweight woven polyfibre,  that looks like firm felt as used in bolero hats.The fabric is heat formed (without glues), non-allergenic, self-extinguishable and odourless.

My customised hats are customarily worn with a slight tilt, hence I include a a concealed elastic head-band to help keep the hat in place. I prefer straight tall sides for the crown, as typically used in a boater hat v.s. the slightly angled crown on a traditional Bolero hat.

Boleros, sometimes named a gaucho hat, originate from Spain, and later they were used in USA by the Spanish gauchos (cowboys). Gauchos were skilled  horseman of the Argentine and Uruguayan pampas (grasslands) – originating in the mid-18th century.

Filmography

The Bolero has been a highlight in some top movies, worn by actors including:-

Catherine Zeta Jones (in Zorro)
Penélope Cruz (in Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Diana Rigg DBE (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,1969)
Bo Derek (movie Bolero, 1984)

Cliff Howard

Cliff Howard

email: 1cliff2@iinet.net.au