Reader Buffy posed the following panicked question, “Hi HatQueen, Hoping you or somebody in the Royal Hats community might be able to help me. My son is going to be Bert from Mary Poppins for Halloween. The costume came with a straw boater hat but because it was from one of those party stores it came in a plastic hanger bag and the brim is all bent. Can I rehabilitate it somehow? Put heavy books on it? Spritz it with water and try to block it dry? Or should I just bail and buy him a new hat? He’s so thrilled (Mary Poppins is his favorite movie) that he hasn’t noticed it yet but as a hat person I can’t let him go out in a sub-par hat, even on a dark Halloween night! He LOVES hats (wears a different one every day) so I don’t mind spending money on a new one if this one can’t really be fixed. Thanks for any suggestions!”
Buffy- we certainly cannot have your son going out in a sub-par hat! I’m turning your question over to our readers for help. Dearest readers- what can be done to straighten the brim on this piece?
Photos from Buffy.
Royal Hats 
I just discovered this site as I have just started blogging. Love it. Great advice for straightening brims, you can also totally reshape the brims this way if you want the brim at the back to up a bit, while the straw or wool is damp from the steam or iron lean it up against a wall to dry overnight and keep doing it until you get the curl you want. You must be careful with straw though, if it is brittle it could break.
You’re all awesome! I did a little bit of everything, steamed it over the kettle and then put it between 2 towels and ironed it dry. Voila! It looks wonderful now! Thank you Thank you Thank you!! XOXOXOXO (now to take up the too-long cuffs on the coat LOL)
GREAT! So glad it worked and that your son will have a dapper hat this Halloween!
He does look pretty cute 😀 I’m sure this hat will be added to his regular rotation.
Make certain you post a photo Buffy! I’d love to see him in this boater.
Dear Buffy,
If the brim is badly bent, you can also press it with an iron. For this you use two clean pieces of cloth, tea towels for instance. The first you put on a table or flat wooden board, something that can stand the heat.
The second you wet under the tap, but online half the surface. Wring the wet part of the cloth to remove the excess water, than fold it double, wet half on dry half, roll it and wring it again. The towel will now be humid but not wet.
Lay the hat on the dry cloth on the table, put the damp cloth on the brim and press with a warm or hot iron. Move the towel around the brim, using another part of damp cloth eachtime you press the iron and work your way gently around the crown. Be careful not to touch the hat directly with the hot iron, as the stitching is probably done with nylon thread and might melt.
Happy Halloween !
This! And let the hat just naturally air dry from any dampness as it’s straw.
Your son sounds fantastic! Hope he has a wonderful time!!
Easy peasy,
Boil the kettle and when it is boiling move the affected side of the brim to and fro continuously across the steaming air for about 20 seconds on both sides. i.e. 40 seconds, then lie flat on a surface and put a heavy weight on it. I.e. books will do.
You may have to continuously oil the kettle when it cuts out.
It won’t work as well if it is just steam from a saucepan. The steam has to be spouting from the kettles’ spout.
P.s. ..don’t burn yourself
Peggy, do you mean Boil the kettle (typo), or is oil actually involved?!?
I think she means to keep the kettle boiling continuously so that there’s a steady stream of steam (say that quickly 5 times!)