Levine Hat Co. Blog

What do you get when you take youthful enthusiasm, a ton of energy, bright young minds, and add focus? You get the Million Minor March! I must say wow! What an impressive group, definitely two thumbs up! So what is it? Where is it? When is it? What it is a march organized by the Maplewood Richmond Heights school district. According to their website they are starting an epidemic of good will and have invited one million students to join them. The march will be held this Saturday, May 5th at noon and they will march from Soldiers Memorial to a rally at Kiener Plaza. Please visit the website for more information www.themillionminormarch.com or to donate. Please visit and help support their efforts to spread good will.

Since today is my Birthday I thought a little 411 on the Birthday hat would be apropos.

The adoption of the pointy cone shaped hat for use as birthday adornment is steeped in mystery however the pointy hat has been around for a long long time. The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore pointy hats, in-fact no one but Egyptian Royalty was allowed to wear a pointed hat.

Wizards and Witches are also often depicted wearing hats that are cone shaped and come to a sharp point at the end. Believed to be associated with the horns of the devil these pointed hats were frowned upon by the early church. Yet another theory is that the shape comes from witches and wizards chanting and performing various rituals in a circle inviting power or enlightenment from a central point above the circle created a “cone of power”.

OK, so what about the Birthday hat! Well I found one reference to a dunce cap being the real Birthday hat so....I think I'll run with it!

The Dunce Cap was worn by students that would misbehave in school. The conical shaped hat was a symbol that you got in trouble for something or you were acting like a Dunce. The word Dunce comes from a Franciscan named John Duns Scotus who wrote about theology, grammar, logic, and metaphysics. During the Renaissance people who followed his beliefs where ridiculed and called a “Dunce” which is a play on his name. So since its your birthday you are allowed or in the right setting expected to act like a dunce. To some of us that may apply year around!

Whether or not you are being elevated to a position of royalty, casting a spell or just acting like a dunce the “point” of the cone shaped hat is to mark a celebration that you are the center of.

'Till next time take care!

I get the chance to see some pretty unique hats come though the store from time to time and The Road Kill is...well...unique. It is one of my favorites and although it doesn’t match anything in my closet it does match North American wildlife quite well.

This Outback style hat is a wearable natural history museum complete with the actual animal parts! Where's Jack Hanna when you really need him? Here's the parts list:
1 Deer Leg bone, 1 Deer Toe, some Deer Skin, 1 Mink Jaw Bone, Some Mink Hair, 3 Rattle Snake Ribs, 4 Rattle Snake Vertebra, 1 Rattle Snake Rattle, 1 Coyote Foot Bone, 3 Porcupine Claws, 5 Porcupine Quills, Goat Hair, Guinea Feathers, Pheasant Feathers (say that five times  fast), and a Partridge in a Pair tree!

OK I made up the Partridge part and no there is no portion of a pair tree any where to found; however did I mention that a Raccoon Penis Bone completes the crown!
“Yes it is true. This hat has a penis bone.”

Raccoons have a bone down there? Well then I suppose the makers of Viagra and Cialis will have to look beyond raccoons for their next “vertical” market...no pun intended.

The hat is made in the U.S.A , is 100% leather and the sizing is adjustable via a removable sweat band. Like I said it's a very unique hat and what conversation piece, stop by in person some time and see The Road Kill. Ted Nugent eat your heart out!

Are you planning to travel this spring or summer? If so a crushable hat is a must. The Levine Hat Company has you covered. What is a crushable hat?  A crushable hat is one that is made so that you can, from the sides, collapse the hat together so it can be carried in a suite case with out damaging it. We carry several hats that can be packed in a suitcase with no problems and you do not need an extra case or special box to carry them in.

Raffia straw Hat

Like this Raffia Gambler, you can simply crush the sides together along with the crown and viola!

Blues Brothers Crushable Fedora

Straw hats are not the only hats that are crushable, this Blues Brothers Fedora can be easily packed in your suitcase the same way. Here are few more of the crushable hats we offer here at Levine Hats:

Canvas Drover

LTM5 Airflow

Paper Braid Stingy with Stripe

Gambler Style Raffia Hat

Last year I told a friend of mine that he needed to cover his head the next time we play because the glare was killing me and the extra UV rays, I was certain, are not doing him any good. “Just drive the ball” he responded. “You sound a little aggravated” I replied and then, with a grin, laid it on as thick as I could. Nothing like a good poke every now and then to raise your buddies “pissed level” to near melt down.

“How about one of those large round straw hats like your grandma wore in the garden”, I continued to banter, “If you put a long pink ribbon around it then we could use it to gauge wind speed”. It didn't take long to ware out the bald jokes, so as we moved on to more inappropriate mud to sling at one another my score never improved and began to realize that I actually should be working on my game...nah I'll just keep making fun of him all that practice is way to much like work.

OK with practice all taken care of I began to think of famous golfers and their hats. Once I was comfortably located back at home I went straight to Google and dug up tons of pictures and articles about famous golfers.

I was looking for maybe a particular style of hat to jump right out however it seems that hat choice is as individual as the personalities that play the game. Greg Norman the famous Aussie wore a straw outback style hat while Slammin' Sam's straw cover was more of a pork pie shaped fedora and who can forget Payne Stewart and his matching Ivy cap. Baseball hats and visors seem to the most popular however they just don't have that coolness or individuality that some of the others do.

I guess all in all it's about comfort, style and practicality all at the same time. I rarely wear hats when I play however after looking into it I believe I'm going to have a little fun with it this year. So what is your favorite flavor of hat “four” the course? I would love to hear from everyone with their stories about golf hats. Take care for now.

Ever try wearing a hat that just does not fit right? To tight...head ache. To loose the brim falls over your eyes or the wind blows it off your head! Determining your hat size is paramount to being happy with your hat.

In the U.S., Prior to the late 19^th century, hats like a lot of clothing and accessories were made to fit each individual by professional hat makers often refereed to as a milliner or hatter. As mass production of clothing began to increase the need to have standard sizes began to emerge.

In order too correctly fit your hat you will first need to measure your head in inches, so grab a measuring tape and a friend. Measure around your head just above the ears where the brim of the hat will rest, let a friend help you so the tape does not sag and throw off the measurement. Once you have the measurement, in inches, it can then be converted into both U.S. and U.K. sizes. Standard hat sizes are expressed in one eight increments with U.S. sizes running slightly larger than their European counterparts except for the French they have their own thing...oui monsieur!

OK...got the size of your head? Great then use this hat size chart to look up your hat size.

Proper fit is important to both keeping your hat on your head and making it comfortable to wear all day and just a little FYI, hats can even be adjusted after you purchase them to make them fit “oh so snug”. If you do need your hat size adjusted a little then make sure you take it to some one with experience like the Levine Hat Company in downtown St. Louis, with 100 plus years of know how.

Visit them online at levinehat.com or stop by in person. They are conveniently located at 14^th and Washington in St. Louis, MO.

According to tradition St. Patrick, after being sold into slavery as a boy, is credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish.

Legend has it that the patron saint of Ireland used the shamrock, a green three leaf plant A.K.A white clover, to to explain the holly trinity to non-christian Irish people. This is where the wearing of green comes into play.

The color originally associated with the tradition is blue as can be seen in ancient flags and the uniforms still worn by Irish special forces. The color green was also part of a rebellion in 1798 in which soldiers wore full green uniforms to make a political statement.

I think that I will stick with the green I grew up with and not get overly obsessive compulsive about accuracy; however given that blue is my favorite color I may try and slide just a little in this year, now that I have the facts.

If a green derby or now even a blue one is what your craving we have them!

St. Patrick's Day Derby

Well that's it for now enjoy your St. Patrick's day celebration in any color you want just be safe! If your in the downtown area stop in and see us. The Levine Hat Company.

Ladies straw Black/White Hat

We need your help spreading the news since 98% of our readers are men.  Tell your mother, grandmother, daughter, wife, girlfriend, niece and aunt that Levine's has their newest spring arrivals in Ladies Hats available online.

We are sometimes a little slower on the uptake with uploading the ladies hats to LevineHat.com because we only get one or two of each individual style and ladies hats are often highly unique styles.

Browse Ladies Hats styles

Daylight savings time begins this Sunday March 11^th and stays around until Sunday November 4^th. I for one am happy about having the extra time in the evenings after work while it is still light out, although I feel a honey-do list coming my way real soon.
Historically Benjamin Franklin is credited not only with the quote in today's blog title, but also being the first to mention day light saving time. He mentions the idea in a 1784 satirical essay along with taxing shutters, rationing candles and waking the towns people with church bells and cannons! Easy Ben. The idea was introduced to the British House of Commons in 1909 by Robert Pearce and passed in March of 1915.

Over on this side of the pond, Standard Time was officially adopted in March of 1918; however the whole Daylight Savings Time idea was repealed and became a local option in 1919. The idea behind day light savings time is to simply give you more time in the daylight and it has been rationalize many different ways; however there is no real social or economic reason for it, of course that's just my opinion. One could just get up a little earlier and enjoy the sunshine...nah making everyone conform is way more fun!

Daylight is not the only savings going on this week. Come by in person to check out our in-store specials or browse all of our inventory online. Also don't forget with all that extra daylight and unfortunately yard work, you need to keep you head cool and the sun off your face.

Canvas Drover

Raffia Outback