The
June 2006 cover of Cowboys and Indians. Robert Duvall's
sporting his latest Custom Movie Hat from the miniseries;
Broken Trail, filmed in and around Calgary.
From
the earliest days of Cinema the Western has been the greatest
ongoing saga in film history. The first true motion picture
was a western (naturally!) made by Thomas Edison's Company
in 1903, called The Great Train Robbery. With the
debut of the excellent remake of the classic western "3:10
to Yuma", with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale,
in the fall of 2007 - the Western Movie has marked more
than a century of substantiating the iconic status of the
Cowboy and the Western Story.
Custom
Movie Hats from The Last Best West
For
decades many of the best western movies and series have
been filmed in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Powerful
western drama's like Unforgiven, Legends of the
Fall, Open Range, Lonesome Dove (the series),
Broken Trail, Speilberg's mini-series, Into the
West, and the just released Brad Pitt western; The
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,
are just a few of the dozens of western's that have all
been filmed up here.
Click for everything you need to know
Authentic
Designs from The Last Best West
We take our western heritage seriously and work hard at
preserving the qualities that made it great. Our custom
hats are made the old west way - one at a time, and believe
if you want that perfect western movie hat - you should
be able to get the same looking hat that the character wore.
We start with the best fur-felt hat body available - made
in the USA - and with the skill of our master hatter fashion
as fine a custom western hat as you can find. Our
Hat Experts
100X- 100% Beaver Fur-felt Price: $515.00 | Shipping: $35.00 Total: $550.00
USD Order
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The
production company had 7 hats made for Mister Duvall's
character in Broken Trail, all in 20X fur-felt,
and in natural color. In 5x the closest to Natural
is Sahara.
Prefer Duvall's Custom Western Hat from the mini series
Lonesome Dove? click
here.
Exceptional
Service from The Last Best West
You'll get expert personal service designing
your Traditional Old West, or Classic Western Movie Hat. If
you don't see what you want - send us a picture - and
we'll make our version of that hat. Orders
call toll free in North America: 1.866.207.1909 Questions?
E-mail us at:
What
you need to know to order with confidence
On our fact page you'll learn about fur felt,
see available colors, and see step by step instructions
for measuring your head, ordering your custom hat, shipping,
and our refund policy. We also have a section on general
hat care, and Cowboy Hat Etiquette. (not to be missed!)
Click
here for all our Cowboy Hat Facts.If you want the best - order 100X . . .
Custom
Hat Customers
Want to order one of our custom made Last
Best Cowboy Hats with a check or money order? Or maybe you
have a friend or relative that would like to but doesn't
have a computer. Now you can order one of our quality custom
western hats by printing out an order form and mailing it
in. Please
click on this link for a pdf file you can save to your hard
drive, and follow the instructions. If anything is unclear
please call 1.866.207.1909 or email us at:
Brim:
Hand worked Bound
Hatband: 2" Satin with bow.
Color shown: Black with gray band. Moss
A
variation of the timeless Boss of the
Plains design which was the first "Western
Sombrero" made for the general public
in 1865. Immortalized by Eastwood's, Preacher
character in Pale Rider. And say, isn't
that Cate Blanchett sporting a Pale Preacher
in the western movie, The Missing?
When
a western movie is made the costume designers
will quite often have 5 - 10 hats for each star
to work with. It's normal to work them a little
different - depending on what the star or director
wants. The brim is often toyed with: one will
have a sweeping down turn - another curled up.
Promotional pictures are done before filming
is completed so the massive advertising campaign
that accompanies a major hollywood film, can
go into motion. The pictures of Pitt below are
a good example. The inset picture and the main
picture show a different brim working. But it
is the large picture with it's deep curled brim
(shown at left) - at the front and back - that
was worn in the movie.
The
Tristan Crown:
Slight pinch in front, Pecan top.
Brim: Hand Curl Open
Hatband: 1/2" Leather w/side tie
Color as shown: Sahara
His role as Tristan in Legends of the Fall,
made Brad Pitt a star, and sent him on a collision
course for Angelina Jolie. A great looking
hat for any and all occasions. Have it shaped
with the kettle-curl brim to the left or like
the movie hat - to the left and above. Your
choice.
Where'd
those great Cowboy Hats from the Western Movies
come from?
Many were versions of traditional cowboy hats
from the 1800s - but most were from the imaginations
of the early movie stars like Tom Mix. The old
"B" Westerns from the 1930s and 40s
were rife with grandiose Cowboy Hats. Many
of today's most popular mass produced cowboy hat
designs were first seen in the Movies. Want
to read a dynamic western story?
A
still from a silent western from the 1920s.
Notice the "Beehive" shaped Western
Sombrero on the left. This shape was the transition
from a straight sombrero to the Cowboy Hat.
The actor in the middle is wearing a version
of our "Champie"
Nothings
new under the Sun! Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp
in My Darling Clementine {1946} The
shape of his Cowboy Hat is almost the same
as hats in later Western Movies: The Man
Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Open
Range.
A
young Ben Johnson with a great Character
Hat in the classic western, She Wore
A Yellow Ribbon {1949}
Alan Ladd as "Shane" {1953} wearing
a gunfighter style cowboy hat similar to our
version - the Hidalgo.
Hidalgo
Crown:
slight pinch;
Pecan shaped top
Brim: Hand Shaped Open
and worked
Hatband: Custom 1/2" leather braid.
Color as shown: Black in 50% Beaver
This
is the classic "Gunfighter Look".
Various versions have been worn by actors like
Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin and
Dean Martin. Tell us which one you favor - and
we'll make it.
Johnny
Ringo
Crown:
off-kilter telescope
Brim: Open
Hand worked
Hatband: Black 1 inch satin with bow. c/w custom
Wind String wrapped
over the ribbon.
Color as shown: Black
Hats
in the old west shipped with a satin ribbon
and bow for the hat band and cowboys would often
add their own hat band and just slide it over
the existing satin one. The costume designers
of Tombstone, went to great lengths making
sure the hats were period correct and unique.
Our
custom Ringo hat has the same off kilter crown
as the movie hat, and the same rakish upturn
to the right side of the brim. Instead of the
braided horse hair band that's sported in the
movie, we've chosen to wrap our custom windstring,
around the existing band.
5X
Price: $290.00 Shipping: $35.00
Total: $325.00 Order
Now | Checkout
Michael
Biehn as old west badman Johnny Ringo,
"And
you must be Doc Holliday."
in Tombstone {1993}
Doc
Holliday
Crown:
Fedora top and pinch
Brim: Bound
Hand worked, left side curled higher.
Hatband: Black 1 inch satin with bow.
Shown in Black 5X Fur-felt.
Most
people would agree that there are many excellent
performances by the actors in Tombstone,
but undoubtedly the best of the best was Val
Kilmer as Doc Holliday.
Doc's
adversary amongst the Cow Boys, of course, was
Johnny Ringo. So naturally Doc's hat is the
opposite of Johnny's. The fedora working to
the crown suggests culture and education, and
the left turn up on the brim infers a dangerous
bent to his personality. In real life and in
the movie Doc straddled the line between good
and bad, but he always stood by the few men
he called friends.
Did
Doc kill Johnny Ringo as portrayed in the movie?
It's highly unlikely as history puts Doc in
a different town the day Ringo was found dead
in a grove of trees with a bullet in his forehead.
Val
Kilmer gave a brilliant performance as Doc Holliday,
". . .That's the rumour. . . ."
in Tombstone {1993}
5X
Price: $290.00 Shipping: $35.00
Total: $325.00 Order
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Curly
Bill
Crown:
Telescope
Brim: Open
Hatband: Braided Horse hair, with Wind
String wrapped around.
Color as shown: Sand in 20X Fur-felt
Want an attitude? Put this baby on. You'll find
yer strut is a little tighter, your snarl a
little meaner. A great attention getter for
a show hat, regardless of the company you keep.
Powers Boothe set new standards for the "Laughing
Cowboy", in Tombstone, portraying
Curly Bill close to what history knows about
him. Most everybody liked Curly Bill, especially
the Soiled Doves who gave him his nickname for
his curly hair.
Powers
Boothe as Curly Bill Broscious in the excellent
western movie, "Tombstone"
What every cowboy needs - the perfect Cowboy
Hat Stand. The angle of the top of the coffin
wonderfully fits the crown of any hat to display
your pride and joy in a unique way, with no
stress to the brim or crown. Works with the
coffin lid open or closed. Box is also large
enough to hold most Wine/Liquor bottles, and
is excellent storage for your cowboy knickknack's
by adding small screw hooks (2 included). Designed
to scale as a miniature coffin; the wood box
is made of 3/8" pine and is available in
a number of finishes: Black, Mahogany, Weathered,
and Plain. Shown to the right in Mahogany. These
boxes are well-made by hand in Canada, and can
even be used to hold candy at Halloween! Contact
us for all your wooden packaging needs.
APPROXIMATE
SIZE: 14" X 7"
PRICE:
$87.00 :: SHIPPING: $15.00 :: TOTAL: $102.00 :::
BUY
NOW :: CHECK
OUT
Trail
Dust
Another customer driven hat service
from The Last Best West.
Many
customers have been requesting that we dirty
up their new hats to make them look trail worn.
Pictured at right is a Dusty Augustus - our
Augustus
with about 2 years worth of trail dust - as
if a working cowboy had been wearing it.
We've
got three different degrees of trail dust. Light
(add $55.00) - medium (add $75.00), and antiquing
(add $95.00). Light would be what you see at
the right on the Dusty Augustus; medium would
be heavy sweat stains, like Tom Selleck sports
on the Quigley;
and antiquing looks like our Captain
York Cavalry Hat.
This
is a similar process that costume designers
apply to hats in the movies and t. v. Looks
authentic and yer friends will swear yer just
got off a trail drive, or a hitch in the Horse
Cavalry!
You
can add trail dust during the check out process
- or request it when you call your order in.
Orders call toll free: 1-866-207-1909.
Arrogant
Billy
Crown:Open
with slight centre crease
Brim: Bound
Contrasting White Satin
Hatband: White 1 inch satin with bow.
Color as shown: Black c/w custom Wind
String
Another great looking hat from Tombstone - this
one worn by the character, Sherman McMasters,
played by the actor Michael Rooker. The Old
West remembers McMasters as being a Texas Ranger,
Lawman, and outlaw, and is noted as riding with
Wyatt, Doc, and Turkey Creek on the Earp Vendetta
ride.
Captain
York
John
Wayne Cavalry Hat Crown:
front pinch; "diamond" shaped crown
top
Brim: Hand worked Open
upturn at the front
Hatband: 1 1/2" satin with bow.
Color when new: Sand
Immortalized
in the John Ford Cavalry Trilogy - this is the
same look sported by John Wayne in those three
great movies: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon; Fort
Apache, and Rio Grande.
In Rio Bravo (1959} Wayne wears
this look as Sheriff John T. Chance. The crown
has the unique "diamond" design, and
the brim has been curled up - can be curled
higher or lower as you wish. Click
for the badge Wayne wore.
Buy
the hat new or have us dirty it up. The hat
at left has been aged to the point that it looks
like it's from the 19th century. Less dramatic
soiling is available.
Old
West Fact
After the American Civil War there wasn't
much hard currency on the western frontier. As a result
most saloons would trade a small glass of whiskey for
a gun cartridge - as they were valued the same; 12 cents.
Soon cowboys started calling these small glasses of
whiskey a "shot". So the next time you're
in a bar and the waitress asks you if you'd like a shooter
- try trading a cartridge for it!
The
Outlaw
Crown:
Telescope
Brim: Open
Hatband: Patterned 3/4" Cloth
Color as shown: Chocolate and Pecan in 5X Fur-Felt
Howard Hughes', The Outlaw was filmed
in 1941, but took some three years to get to
the theatres because of Hughes' battle with
film censorship. Likely the first sexy western,
Howard Hughes invented the cross your heart
bra to showcase Miss Russell's ample chest.
The
movie became one of the most anticipated of
all time, and Hughes' played it to the hilt,
giving the unknown Russell the marquee billing
over such seasoned actors as Walter Huston (Doc
Holliday), and Thomas Mitchell (Pat Garrett).
Young Jack Beutel played the laconic Billy the
Kid, and the movie revolves around clever dialogue
between Billy and Doc, mostly about a little
red horse they both prize and the fiery Rio,
played by Jane Russell.
The
stories complete bunk, but the movies entertaining,
and well acted, and the hat that Beutel sports
as Billy the Kid is a sharp looker. Own it today.
Jack
Beutel did a nice job of portraying Billy the
Kid, in Howard Hughes 1943 western, The Outlaw,
but everyone wanted to see a busty, 19 year
old beauty by the name of Jane Russell.
The
Farnum Crown:
Bowler Open
Brim: Bound
Hatband: 1 1/2 inch satin with bow.
Color as shown: Black
A taller bowler than the Butch
Cassidy this was a well known look of the
last half of the 19th century. Once the wide
brimmed western hat became readily available,
these small brimmed hats were seen less and
less on the frontier. This is a great looking
evening or town hat design - with or without
the bound edge.
5X
Price: $250.00 Shipping: $35.00
Total: $285.00 Order
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The
Bullock Crown:
Center Crease; Front slight pinch
Brim: Kettle Curl Bound
Hatband: 2 inch satin with bow.
Color as shown: Black
This design was known as the Dakota in the late
1800's and was popular with the more affluent
in the Old West. Made famous again in HBO'S
raw western, Deadwood, it was the hat
worn by Sheriff Bullock.
5X
Price: $250.00 Shipping: $35.00
Total: $285.00 Order
Now | Checkout
A
Note about Color These
are the most common colors readily available.
There are some original hats on these pages that
have been made with different colors. We have
several more colors (in small quantities) available.
Please contact us via e-mail at
if you don't see the color you want - it may be
available. Wearability:
Light
colors will reflect heat the best - while dark
colors will retain the heat the most - with black
being the worst for staying hot (black absorbs
sunlight). However black is the most formal color
so bowlers and top hats were generally black or
dark gray. For the first 15-20 years cowboy hats
were marketed - your choice of color was about
3 shades of brown.
Custom
Cowboy Hat Box
Custom all wood design keeps
your hat nicely elevated off the brim for storage
or travel. Adds that final touch for a presentation
piece. Yes we know it's expensive. Yes we know
you can buy plastic hat cases for 50 bucks -
but is that the look you want for your Traditional
Cowboy Hat?
Buy
for 235.00 | Shipping: 25.00 | Total 260.00
USD | Buy
Now | Checkout
NOTE: CUSTOM HAT BOX SHIPS SEPERATELY FROM YOUR
HAT ORDER
Fabulous
Corporate Gift.
Ceo retiring or an important customer need that
special gift? We can have your company logo
burned (branded) into the lid and a custom poster
designed for the inside of the lid to go along
with your Custom Hat order. We wouldn't even
need their hat size. . .you could give them
a gift certificate and let them pick their own
design. We'd place the gift certificate for
the hat inside the custom Hat Box. How's that
for a creative, thoughtful gift - that'll be
remembered for ever thanks to the branded box.
Want to talk about what we can do? Call Toll
Free: 1.866.207.1909 or e-mail us:
Now
that you've seen our great hats we're sure you'll
want your own Custom Hat - so what are you going
to do with your old one? It'd be a pity to relegate
it to discard.
Jim Beaver as Ellsworth in
HBO's Deadwood.
Our
solution is to rotate it out and make a great
Character Hat.
Years
ago I read a story about how Tom Mix used to
crease and work all his custom hats himself
in the shower. So I decided to take his advice
and am more than pleased with the results. The
amount of time it takes is up to you. I had
the Ellsworth fashioned in less than 5 minutes
- then a further half hour fine tuning the look.
The steps I went through are pretty simple.
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