the.com/boater
A flat straw hat so stiff it survived gondolas, Venetian rowers, and Eton schoolboys alike.
means A stiff, flat-topped straw hat with a level brim, traditionally banded with a ribbon and associated with summer rowing, regattas, and formal schoolwear.
from From 'boat' plus the agent suffix '-er,' the same '-er' that turns 'farm' into 'farmer.' The name nods to the hat's nautical and rowing associations — it was the headgear of choice for those messing about in boats and watching others do so. 'Boat' itself is solid Old English ('bāt'), a word that has drifted across the North Sea languages for a very long time. The hat is a fairly modern thing, an 19th-century summer fixture, but its name is built from one of the oldest planks in the English vocabulary.
- Material
- Woven sennit straw, lacquered rigid as a frisbee
- Origin
- Named for Venetian gondoliers who wore them rowing
- Straw Hat Day
- NYC men once rioted over wearing them too late
- Eton uniform
- Still mandatory headgear at certain English schools
- Barbershop staple
- The signature crown of singing quartets
henley royal regatta — annual rowing event on the thames since 1839, thousands of competitors in straw boater hats
ascot racecourse — royal horse racing venue where boater hats are traditional formal dress code since 1911