After 25 years in Austin, my husband, Chris, wanted a cowboy hat. Because it’s Texas, we knew we shouldn’t just walk into a random store and grab the first one we saw. Hats are serious business in our state, even if the only ranch you’re familiar with is the one on your salad. For that reason, we headed to downtown San Antonio and to one of the oldest and most revered hat shops in the state, Paris Hatters. Located at 119 Broadway, it’s just around the corner from the Alamo.
Founded in 1917 by brothers T.M. Cortez and Abe Cortez Sr., and owned by Abe Cortez Jr. since 1983, Paris Hatters has outfitted both locals and famous people for decades, and their walls are filled with photos of luminaries like Johnny Cash, Sammy Davis Jr., Christian Louboutin, and Pope John Paul II to prove it.
After “Abe the Hatter” and his only child, store manager Alexandra Sledge, told us a bit about their colorful history, ace fitter Domingo Gonzalez helped Chris find the hat of his Lone Star dreams.
Here’s how you can, too.
How to Buy the Perfect Cowboy Hat
Step 1: Figure Out Your Hat needs.
“The first thing to do is decide on the occasion or season for the hat and how often you’re going to wear it,” Gonzalez says. Is it for work? For a special event, like a wedding? For Sunday church? Or for those days you’re just feeling “Texan” and you want everyone to know it?
Step 2: Choose the Material.
Straw and palm are most often worn in hot weather because they’re lighter and more breathable materials. Wool and fur felt are for cooler weather or to be dressier. Many people have both types of hat and rotate them throughout the year.
Step 3: Determine your style.
Classic cowboy with raised sides (Cole Hauser in Yellowstone)? More of a flat brim look (Clint Eastwood in…every western)? Do you want a tall brim or a shorter one? Will you want custom embroidery on it? Do you plan to add a feather hat band or Stevie Ray Vaughan silver conchos? Take a good look at the options and see what speaks to you.
Step 4: Choose your quality.
Good, better, or best. This corresponds to the price point, too, considering that a premium beaver fur felt Stetson might set you back four figures. Of course, you can get a solid hat for just over $100, but as Domingo reminded us, “A great hat is an heirloom that can, and should, be passed down for generations.”
Step 5: Top Your Ensemble.
Think about what you’ll wear most often with the hat. A “Hawkeye” Pierce Hawaiian shirt? Go with straw. Pressed Wranglers, a button-down, and a big belt buckle? George Strait fur felt Stetson all the way.
Step 6: Pick the color.
While not as simple as white for good guys and black for bad guys, this decision is still easy. Fur felt is mostly earth tones, like the pretty silver belly beaver fur, and straw is variations of natural and off-white. Purple is for Prince.
Step 7: Perfect the Hat
Now the final and most crucial step: fitting and shaping. “Buying a hat is like buying a suit,” Domingo said, meaning you need it customized to both look and feel good. (There’s no charge for this at Paris Hatters.) An expert like Domingo will make sure it’s the right fit for your head shape. Then they’ll steam the hat to open up its fibers, and make small adjustments until it fits your dome perfectly. I was surprised by how much better Chris’ hat looked on his head after a few tweaks. If you don’t have access to a fitter, a good rule of thumb is to make sure the hat sits on your head one inch above the ears.
Step 8: Safely store your hat.
There’s one more thing to remember once you have your hat: keep it stored with the top of the hat down and the opening up so it doesn’t lose its shape. And more importantly, as Domingo says, “So the luck stays inside your hat and doesn’t run out.”
Chris is beyond thrilled with the Resistol palm leaf hat that he bought and had fitted at Paris Hatters and he’s already talking about going back soon. Because, as “Abe the Hatter” told us when we were leaving, “Real cowboys have more than one hat.”
