Fashion & Style: Boaters

A boater is a stiff hat made of straw. Boaters are often thought of in connection with rich young men at university in Britain in the early part of the 20th century.
A boater (also basher, skimmer, katie, or sennit hat) is a kind of hat associated with sailing and boating. It is normally made of sennit straw and has a stiff or soft flat crown and brim, typically with a ribbon around the crown, which is often in colours representing a school, rowing crew or similar institution. Boaters were popular as summer headgear in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and were supposedly worn by FBI agents as a sort of unofficial uniform in the pre-war years. Nowadays they are rarely seen except at sailing or rowing events, period theatrical and musical performances (e.g. barbershop music) or as part of old-fashioned school uniform, such as at Harrow School.
Inexpensive foam or plastic skimmers are sometimes seen at political rallies in the United States.
In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa the boater is still a common part of the school uniform in many boys schools, such as Shore School, Knox Grammar School, Maritzburg College, South African College School and Wynberg Boys' High School.

Boaters in fashion collections

Vintage boaters were used by wardrobe remixers to spice up their creations. Boaters were included in the March 2009 Marc Jacobs collection. The Marc Jacobs hats are cute, sort of crumpled and flat but totally adorable. They come in different colours: from furious yellow to sober blue. They are also expensive: over $300, which, like most designer stuff, is totally crazy.