The Pith Helmet

From the catalogue: “From Her Majesty’s former burden, the colony of India, comes our genuine Bombay Bowler. Water repellent khaki cotton covers the pith. Positively sunroof. For extra protection on particularly scorching days, we suggest dunking the hat occasionally in cool water.”

The Pith Helmet was a staple of Banana Republic from the very beginning. While it was likely a popular novelty purchase, the BR helmets were authentic, high-quality Indian imports. They were also something that people seem to have hung onto, as they are “somewhat common” on eBay. Most of them simply say “Made In India” and don’t have a BR label, so without a price tag they are hard to authenticate.

Some were produced with the circular Parrot BR logo inside the crown. 

Thanks to JT for pictures of his with the price tag still attached. The Parrot version is in my own collection.