NOW AVAILABLE IN THREE CUSTOM BRIM SIZES: 2", 2 1/4" or the Classic 3" !

For years now, we have been inundated with requests for an authentic well made Classic Italian Boater. Whether it be from men of style, members of Barbershop Quartets, Entertainers and "Music Men", or just hat connoisseurs who appreciate the sleek look and styling of this International favorite.

In the past we have offered a version of the classic Boater made for us at one of the last remaining Hatters in Italy. Sadly,  this legendary workshop closed its doors at the beginning of the year, leaving a huge vacuum in the production of real classic Italian Boaters. Sure, there are many retailers who sell cheap knockoff's in straw, Styrofoam,  plastic and even cardboard, but for those who desire the "real thing", their only recourse was to hope to find authentic antique Boaters for sale on E-Bay!

Baron Hats knew that this void had to be filled. So, after almost a year of research and prototypes, Baron's Master Hatter, Mark Mejia, finally came up with a magnificent Classic Boater worthy of the Baron label. The bodies come from our special weavers in Ecuador, which create for us a beautiful "Boater Italiano" style to our exacting specifications. The body's are then shipped to us at our main studio's in Burbank, so that Mark can then hand-block the hat and have all the finishing work done under his careful supervision. 

Unlike the Boater that was made in Italy, in the rigid, thick "paglia cotta" technique, Mark very specifically reached back to the first Classic Boaters, which were made of a more breathable and pliable straw-weave. And unlike the inflexible version, Baron's Boater sits much more comfortably on the head, and like a favorite pair of jeans or boots, slowly forms perfectly to your head's personal shaping,

Each body is hand-woven with pure Tropic Palm straw in the authentic special overlapping "awning treilage" pattern, creating a tight but breathable strawing. The hat is then hand-shaped using original 100 year-old blocks obtained in Palermo, Italy by Mark himself. They are then finished with a genuine "il doppio ha colorato" black-with-center-red boater hatband in the traditional 3" width a ribbon, then finished with a "signore" bow.

It was the Italian immigrants who brought the “Boater” to America in the mid 1800’s. They were called “Boaters” since the hat was originally worn by the famous Gondoliers, but usually with a long doppio nastro, in black (and sometimes navy) and red. 
 

The “nastro” was modified to a much easier to wear hat-ribbon, also of black and red. It caught on like wild-fire with the general American public, especially with those in the emerging “middle class” as a festive hat for weekend outings (of course with chaperone!), or in many cases, as a “dress” hat. Being “il cappello della gente”, or “the hat of the people”, the Boater quickly became the costume hat of choice for entertainers, especially on the “people’s stage”, as in light musical’s and vaudeville. And even up into the early 1950's, the Boater became a standard hat for everyday wear, sometimes beating out the ever-popular "Fedora" style with men all over the world.