Q: My lovely wife tells me that proper etiquette requires me to wear my straw hat from Easter until Labor Day and then switch back to my felt hats. But early September seems way too early for felt since it stays hot until much later. Does this rule apply to Texans?
Randy Hroch, New Braunfels
A: The Texanist is quite familiar with the traditional guidelines associated with seasonal cowboy-hat donnery. And yes, it is customary to wear straw hats, which are lighter and breathe better than felt hats, between Easter and Labor Day (the first Monday in September). Felt hats, which keep the noggin warm, are customarily worn the rest of the year.
The observance of these dates is, the Texanist will note, a fairly modern convention. As recently as the 1970s, the hat-wearing public abided by start and stop dates that fell on or near September 15 and May 15, which were known as Felt Hat Day and Straw Hat Day, respectively.
Perusing old newspapers, the Texanist has come to the firm conclusion that both events appear to have been promulgated by chambers of commerce and promoted by various local commercial entities, such as haberdashers and hatmakers. “It’s time to discard the old straw and don a New Felt, so come in tomorrow—Friday—Felt Hat Day, and get yours” read an ad in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1933.
In those simpler times, it was also customary for plucky youths to police the felt-to-straw transition by knocking unseasonal lids off the heads of unsuspecting hat wearers, sometimes even stomping upon the improper toppers to ensure compliance. In New York City circa 1922, things got so out of hand that a melee ensued, leading to multiple injuries and arrests in what history now refers to as the Straw Hat Riot.
So far as the Texanist knows, such headwear-related tumult has never occurred in the more civilized parts of the country, such as Texas. And a good thing it is, too, because the Texanist finds himself in full agreement with you, Mr. Hroch. The weather here is just too volatile for our state’s residents to be expected to abide by such rigid strictures. Why, just last Labor Day the mercury in New Braunfels topped out at a blistering 104 degrees. “You shouldn’t be caught dead in a felt hat after Labor Day,” says the missus? In fact, here in Texas you very well might be caught dead—of heatstroke!
The Texanist believes that cooler heads, both metaphorical and actual, should always prevail—except, of course, when the outside temps are cool, in which case warmer heads should prevail. In short, sartorial constraints, just like brims on hats, are bendable. Unfortunately, the same can’t always be said about opinions held by spouses. Good luck!
The Texanist, offering fine advice and keen observations since 2007, is senior editor David Courtney. Send him your questions at [email protected] and be sure to tell him where you’re from.
This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of Texas Monthly with the headline “The Texanist.” Subscribe today.
