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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Leather Cowboy Hats Bring High Fashion To Everyday Wear

By Ned Dagostino

Cowboy hats are back in fashion and everyone just loves them! They bring back memories of a lifestyle that made America the great nation it is today. Hardworking, rugged outdoorsmen who battled the elements on a daily basis. The hat they wore was their only protection from sun, rain, sleet, snow, and dusty winds. No wonder it was tough, as tough as they were. And the toughest of them all is the leather cowboy hat. The lifestyle has all but disappeared but the leather cowboy hat remains, a silent witness to the resilience of those nation-builders. The leather cowboy hat is as tough as ever, and has its own handsome looks. They are hard wearing, yet easy on the head, so you can wear one comfortably all day.

Leather is a natural material, and has a tendency to take the shape of the wearer's head with time, giving a comfortable fit. Unlike felt and fabric, it is wrinkle resistant, and retains its shape and size for its lifetime. It breathes well preventing perspiration from building up in the scalp, yet it stops cold winds from affecting the wearer's head. Hence it is comfortable wear in all seasons and weather conditions. Available in many natural shades from black to tan to light buff it complements the wearer's complexion and hair tone.

Cowboy hats made of materials other than leather are available. Of these the straw and felt cowboy hats are very popular. Although they have their own good qualities, the leather cowboy hat stands head and shoulders above them. Maybe that's why rock stars, pop stars, society's movers and shakers, both ladies and gents, all dress up with this piece of elegant masculine haute couture.

Straw cowboy hats can't be worn in the rain and snow, and strong sunlight (and its heat) can penetrate the straw fibers. As a result, straw cowboy hats are not a good choice for inclement weather conditions. The other popular choice in cowboy hats, felt hats, do give good protection from all but the extremist weather conditions. Felt cowboy hats lack the natural feel of leather. They give the wearer the impression that he's wearing a cardboard hat on his head! They have a propensity to get deformed, and if the deformation is excessive, felt cowboy hats crack and break. Leather cowboy hats weather well, age well and wear well. They provide reliable protection from all climes and require little or no care and maintenance. Thus, they are well worth their price, even considering they're quite a bit more expensive than the other varieties.

The leather cowboy hat really scores over the other cowboy hats in the care-and-maintenance department. Just dust it off from time to time, and if the grime starts showing, a gentle wipe with a chamois and your favorite leather cleaner will get it clean once again. It is not affected by rain or shine, but if it does get really doused in a water trough, then all you have to do is to shake off the excess water and let it dry naturally. Remember to turn the sweatband outwards so that it can dry as well. That's all the care and maintenance the leather cowboy hat requires.

A leather cleaner is recommended for getting grime out of the grain of the leather cowboy hat. Choose a high quality cleaner which is formulated to maintain the natural oils in the leather itself. The natural oils prolong the leather's life and hence, the hat's life. Ask a reliable vendor of high quality leather wear about the best leather cleaner for your hat. Always make it a point to test the cleaner on a hidden patch, before using it on the whole hat.

Most reputable stores which carry quality leather wear offer a cleaning service. You may want to avail of this service as an alternative to doing it yourself. Store your leather cowboy hat in a cool place. A word of caution when you're storing the leather hat: prolonged exposure to direct sunlight is not advisable as this may discolor the leather.

Costly they may be, but leather cowboy hats give good value for money, outlasting the competition, and, lady or gent, you're sure to stun the onlookers with those great good looks set off by a matching beauty on your head!

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