Back when hat stores were common most hats were sold with open crowns. The crease, or bash, would be put in for the customer by the salesman at the time of purchase. These days, hat stores are hard to find and almost all hats sold have pre-creased crowns. For those of you who still want an individualized bash, we offer a number of open crown hats from Akubra. Shape the crown to suit you best, then, when the hat is damp from the rain, make any final adjustments and let the hat dry.