Pugaree

[Harry Gooch]

What is the purpose of a pug on a hat?

Harry.

 

[fmw]

It is a hat band. Like any other hat band, its primary purpose is to hide the sweatband stitching. Secondarily it add fashion to the hat.

 

[Lefty]

cleaning?

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Lefty that could be me one of my dogs does that to me every time I come home

 

[barrowjh]

The history of the pugaree was explained in a thread here, but I'm not sure if that is your question. Here is why I use them - to add a 'school color' for a game-day white hat.
White hat -

Dressed in crimson -

'nuther white -

dressed with same pug -

For some hats the pugaree is the ribbon, and for other hats the pugaree is a means of temporarily changing the ribbon, so it is a style thing.

 

[Big_e]

I like to wear my pugarees on my boater.
Ernest

 

[barrowjh]

Yup, Big_e, that's a good idea. Every boater I have ever tried on has felt really awkward, stiff, unyielding to the shape of my head, so I don't have any of those. However, you illustrate the same basic idea - a very light (white or close thereto) hat that can look significantly different with a change of pug, so one hat and a half-dozen pugs and you have a half-dozen hats, much more versatile. I have used pugs on some of my straws also. In fact, I have thought about buying some spare pre-made ribbons because it is generally easy to slide ribbons on and off of the straws. Or, I need different width pugs as well as different colors.