Lace Wedding Hat, 1950s Straw Sailor by Fisk Chicago

What is a Sailor Hat?

Today the term “sailor hat” usually conjures up an image of a white cotton cap with a straight up flaring brim, such as those worn by men in the Navy in the mid-20th century. That is still the proper name for the cotton hat worn in the Navy. The term means something entirely different when describing a woman’s hat, Sailor, or a men’s hat, Boater.

From the early 1900s women’s hats referred to as “sailors” were the female equivalent of mens’ straw boaters. The lady’s sailor had a round flat brim, a crown with straight vertical sides and often flat tops – like a round or oval pillbox with a flat brim. Sometimes the crown on a sailor is taller than the crown on a boater, sometimes shallower.  Some lady’s sailors had domed crowns.

The April 1950 Flair magazine classified 1950s sailors into these sub-categories: wide brim, down-brim, bowl-crowned, and crush-crowned (indented like a porkpie crown).  An article in a 1963 Hats magazine lists the 1960s sailor styles as boater, gaucho, roller, and kettle edge brim. 

From Hatatorium:  An Essential Guide for Hat Collectors, 2nd Edition.