A flat crown, a level brim and a hard edge the whole way round. The boater is the most architectural shape in the atelier and the least forgiving, because there is nothing soft in it to hide behind.
The classic boater is straw and belongs to June. Worked in felt and velvet, as these are, it keeps the same clean geometry through autumn and winter and sits properly with a coat.
Choosing yours
Three things that decide a boater
It is worn level
A boater sits straight, about a finger's width above the ears, with the brim parallel to the ground. Tilt it and the horizontal line that makes it a boater is gone. This is the one shape that should never be perched.
Size and fitFelt takes it out of summer
Straw is the traditional boater and belongs to high summer. Felt keeps the same flat crown and stiff brim through the cold months, and velvet felt gives it the weight a funeral or a memorial asks for.
It wants tailoring
There is no soft edge to blur the outline, so a boater sits well with a sharp coat, a trouser suit and hair worn simply. Strong colour works because the shape itself is so plain.
Made for you
Monika will block a boater to your own measurement, in straw for summer or felt for the rest of the year, and match the ribbon by hand to your fabric. One to four weeks from the first conversation.
A flat crown and a straight brim, the most architectural shape in the atelier. Traditionally straw and always worn level, the boater is worked here in felt and velvet so it carries through autumn and winter too. Hand-blocked in London.
Questions
What is a boater hat?
A hat with a completely flat crown, a straight stiff brim and a ribbon around the base, worn level on the head. It began as a summer straw hat for boating and rowing and went on to become a regatta and school shape. Worked in felt it keeps the same hard geometry and becomes an all year piece.
How should a boater sit on the head?
Straight and level, about a finger's width above the ears, with the brim parallel to the ground. A boater tilted back or pushed to one side loses the horizontal line that defines the shape. Every piece is blocked to your own head measurement, which is what holds that position without a grip.
Can a boater be worn in winter?
Yes, when it is made in felt. Straw is a summer material and looks out of season against a wool coat. The felt and velvet boaters here keep the flat crown and the stiff brim through autumn and winter, and in black a boater is quietly correct for a funeral or a memorial.
What should I wear with a boater?
Tailoring suits it. A boater has no soft edge to blur the outline, so it wants a clean neckline, hair worn simply and a sharp coat or a trouser suit. Strong colour works because the shape itself is so plain. Fussy detail around the face fights the horizontal line of the brim.