Cowboy Chic on the Rise
Popular series ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘1923’ dig into the iconic hat’s history and uses
When legendary Western hatter John B. Stetson invented the first commercially manufactured cowboy hat in 1865, he probably didn’t expect it would become a fashion accessory more than 150 years later. And yet around the world, cowboy hats are more popular than ever, and much of the credit for that goes to the costume designers of “Yellowstone” and “1923,” and to the shows’ creator, Taylor Sheridan.
Emmy-winning costume designer Janie Bryant created the looks for “1923,” and she believes the timeless appeal of cowboy hats is due to their symbolic associations. “It’s about the American spirit,” she says. “There’s a wildness and a sense of freedom that we identify with the cowboy hat. It’s iconically American, and people relate with it globally.”
Bryant’s initial foray into designing Western costumes came in 2004 when she created the looks for HBO’S “Deadwood.” “I try to be as authentic to the period as possible, and to illuminate the character with the design of each hat,” she says.
Harrison Ford stars as Montana rancher Jacob Dutton in “1923,” and in a series filled with cowboy hats, Ford’s high-crowned gray hat captured the most attention. “Harrison and I talked a lot about the different hat blocks of the period, and the one I liked most was the Montana peak,” Bryant says. “It’s higher in the back and shorter in the front, and the slope goes down the center. I just thought that Montana slope was the right look for him. It’s a strong and masculine hat block, and that describes Jacob perfectly.”
As for the hat’s icy color, Bryant chose it as a way to reflect Jacob’s personality. “I used silver and gray, because there’s a coolness and a traditional sensibility to his character,” she says. “He’s hardened in a way by working the land.”
Authenticity was essential when it came to the hats on “Yellowstone,” and Sheridan is the reason for that, according to costume designer Johnetta Boone. “Taylor is our authenticator,” Boone says. “He lives and breathes the cowboy world, and that makes the show so good.”
To give the hats a lived-in feel, Boone uses different methods to distress them. “There’s something called movie dirt, which comes prepackaged, but the best thing you can do is use the natural elements from wherever you are,” she says. “Our ager-dyer gets dirt from outside, and we rub it in with oil, because the oil from your head is what seeps through your hat from sweating.”
As important is color. Boone draws from an array of natural shades to create the show’s signature look. “Taylor set the color tone early on, and the tone is sunset,” she says. “Sunset hues are warm, and they create a relationship between the viewers and the cowboys.”
Unlike most commercially available cowboy hats, the “Yellowstone” hats are made of 100% beaver fur. “You can tell the difference between a true cowboy and what Taylor calls a tourist by the hat they wear,” Boone says. “Tourists wear felt hats, but real cowboys wear beaver hats because they’re waterproof and hold their shape regardless of the weather.”
Reflecting on the current surge in popularity of cowboy hats, Boone believes the origin of the topper holds a key to its appeal. “When you look back at the Boss of the Plains hat created by Stetson, it makes total sense,” she says. “Boss of the Plains means you run things, and I think that’s why everyone is attracted to that shape. You subconsciously feel like a boss when you’re wearing one. You feel like you’re on top of the world!”