The cowboy hat is steeped in the lore of the Wild West! The hat was an essential feature of outdoor life. It protected the cowboy from the weather, and doubled as a temporary vessel for water. More than 150 years ago John Stetson gave the cowboy hat an aura, a branding which has now turned it into a fashion statement. Straw cowboy hats are as popular today as they were two hundred years ago.
In fact all types of cowboy hats are making it big on the fashion scene. Handsome hunks sport them, and so do svelte supermodels. They are an enduring symbol of the rough, tough, handsome 'knights' of the Wild West epitomized by such screen legends as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Can you forget that scene between Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef? Central to the scene was a cowboy hat that gets shot up and goes flying up in the air? Fairly makes me tingle, dagnab it!
Straw cowboy hats are more popular than any other variety of cowboy hat. They're worn by people on the beach. They're worn by summer tourists. They're worn by weekend gardeners. Everybody's wearing a straw cowboy hat!
Do you know why straw is used in cowboy hats? It keeps the weight down. Wearing straw cowboy hats for a long time is not fatiguing at all. Then the woven design helps air to circulate inside the hat, thus keeping the head cool. The wide brim helps to keep the sun's glare from your eyes. Your head is protected from the sun's heat. The only drawback is that it doesn't keep the rain from your head.
The straw that's generally used for making straw cowboy hats is called toquilla straw. Of course other varieties of straw are used too, but toquilla is considered the norm. So when you're out shopping for a straw cowboy hat, just check that the straw is toquilla or better.
The straw cowboy hat made of toquilla is also called a panama hat. That's because panama is very close to Ecuador, the home of the toquilla straw that goes into the making of the panama hat. OK, I agree, someone got a little geographically confused! Thinking of buying a straw cowboy hat? Here's a tip for you: try the gardening section at a department store! The awfully nice thing about these hats, apart from their romantic good looks, is that they don't cost you the earth. They're downright cheap to buy.
Straw cowboy hats are favored over felt or leather cowboy hats for many reasons. The straw cowboy hats are cooler to wear in the blazing summer heat. The straw cowboy hats are much cheaper than the other two. And they do a good job of protecting your head and eyes from the sun.
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