Hatman Jack: Keeping the Art of Millinery Alive

The eastern edge of the Kansas Plains seems like an unlikely place to find one of the last remaining hatters in the United States. Jack Kellogg, better known as “Hatman Jack,” admits he probably would have been bucking rivets in Wichita’s thriving aviation industry if it weren’t for several factors. His love of vintage fashion, history, and movies, along with a hard-working Midwestern work ethic and a hefty dose of good timing, have kept him in business for more than 40 years.

Since starting in the hat trade at the age of 17, he’s fitted the likes of Jane Seymour, Merle Haggard, and Luciano Pavarotti, yet still treats every customer off the street like a VIP. Consequently, instead of bucking rivets, Kellogg is bucking the trends and keeping the art of millinery alive in an era where off-the-rack and online sales have eclipsed the personalized attention that comes with visiting a custom hat maker’s store.

On any given day, Jack Kellogg wears many hats, but his passion is helping other men and women find their own ideal topper. It could be a fedora, trilby, pork pie, bowler, or Western hat. However, don’t be fooled; Hatman Jack’s is not your grandfather’s hat shop. This fascinating store is the third largest hat store in the United States and is located in Wichita’s revitalized Delano District, a former cow town on the Chisholm Trail that was eventually incorporated into Wichita.

While inside, you will notice many sharply dressed individuals browsing through rack after rack of classic headgear. One standout is a tall person wearing a Stetson Silverbelly Open Road – a dress Western hat. “That hat is as hip as hip can be,” Kellogg remarks about the style once worn by U.S. presidents like Eisenhower, Truman, and Johnson, in addition to actors such as Jackie Gleason in Smokey and the Bandit and Owen Wilson in The Royal Tenenbaums. “Hats, in general, are cool again.”

Not since John Travolta was the Urban Cowboy and Harrison Ford donned his fedora for the Indiana Jones franchise at the start of Kellogg’s career has there been such an uptick in hats for men — and we’re not talking ball caps, “which aren’t hats, by the way.” Kellogg observes that millennial buyers are driving the latest hat craze with personal tastes that run the gamut. “Hipsters are buying retro stuff like conservative Westerns and fedoras. Those styles work well with guys sporting big beards.”

Women are also contributing to the hat revival. Flat-brimmed hats, reminiscent of those once worn by Boy George or Annie Hall, are currently in vogue. Moreover, while Hatman Jack’s also sells an assortment of top hats, Kellogg notes that the Steampunk look is waning. “It was brief, but it was so much fun to customize those hats,” he recalls. “We did some steam generation that was really cool early on.”

The Right Way to Wear a Hat

Customization is the area in which Kellogg truly shines. The magic of millinery begins in Hatman Jack’s workroom in the back of the store. That’s where Kellogg and his talented staff conduct fine-tuning using equipment that dates back more than a century: hat blocks to determine the height of the crown, a flanger to achieve the brim’s desired curve, and a rounding jack to trim the brim’s width evenly. Moreover, a steamer is utilized to form the hat’s felt at each stage of the process.

Knowing what to do on each hat is not purely wizardry, Kellogg admits. “It does require an artistic eye for design, form, color, and how all these elements interact with faces and body shapes.” Unfortunately, the fashion industry often gets it wrong. “There’s a tendency to put women in hats that are way too big for their frame,” Kellogg adds. “It’s the hatter’s job to proportion hats to a person’s face.” The correctly fitted chapeau can enhance one’s appearance, making someone look taller, younger, thinner, or more attractive; conversely, the wrong selection can lead to an opposite effect. The position of the hat also plays a vital role, as Kellogg shows when he adjusts his fedora higher on his forehead.

“If I wore it like this, you would never take me seriously,” he states before adjusting the hat low and straight across his brow. “Now, I look tough and totally unapproachable. You don’t want to talk to me.” Conversely, when he tilts the hat slightly to the side and raises the brim higher, he comments, “See? The asymmetry of the angle complements my face.”

Everything from the height and shape of the crown to the width and curve of the brim should be tailored to fit each individual. Individuals with fuller faces should avoid a full crown, while older customers may benefit from a brim that rolls up. “It’s like getting a face lift,” Kellogg notes. “But I never verbalize that to the customer. I just do it. Much of what I do is unspoken.”

Regardless of the situation, Kellogg insists that he doesn’t want a hat to leave his store unless it looks right on the customer. “All I have to sell is my integrity,” he states. “If I were to recommend something that looks silly, it would be obvious.”

How Hatman Jack’s Became Hatter to the Stars

Due to his vast knowledge, meticulous attention to detail, and effective marketing strategies, Kellogg has cultivated a substantial following beyond Wichita. “I used to promote myself in costume-design journals in Los Angeles,” he reveals. “Being featured in the national press likely helped, too.”

It wasn’t long before the movie industry took notice of his exemplary work in films and television shows, including The Quick and the Dead, The Secret Life of Bees, The Road to Valhalla, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

“It’s terribly exciting to have that level of visibility,” reflects Kellogg, who became enamored with hats while watching Humphrey Bogart and Roy Rogers grace the silver screen. “However, it requires hard work. I would often stay up all night to complete the work by their deadlines.”

Hatman Jack’s also sees a consistent flow of recording artists stopping by the Wichita shop while on tour. Notable visitors have included Luciano Pavarotti, B.B. King, Alan Jackson, and Merle Haggard. “Merle Haggard intrinsically knew what a hat should look like on stage. He was probably one of my favorites because I learned so much from him.”

You don’t need to be a celebrity to receive star treatment at Hatman Jack’s. The knowledgeable staff will assist you in finding the right hat, whether it’s priced at $25 or $400. The store is conveniently located at 607 W. Douglas Avenue, in Wichita’s Historic Delano District, where you can also explore a retro candy shop, a gastropub with the largest bourbon selection in Kansas, and an axe-throwing venue all within walking distance.