Few props in television history do as much work as a hat. In Breaking Bad, a mild-mannered high-school chemistry teacher named Walter White becomes the ruthless drug kingpin Heisenberg — and the moment of transformation is signaled by one thing: he puts on a black pork pie hat. Shades on, hat down, and Walt disappears.
That hat has become one of the most recognizable pieces of TV wardrobe ever made. Here's exactly what it is, and how to get the Heisenberg look.
The Heisenberg hat: a black pork pie
Heisenberg's hat is a black pork pie — the style defined by a flat, level top, a low crown, and a short, sharply upturned brim. It's compact, hard-edged, and just a little menacing, which is exactly why it works for the character. The original worn on the show was made by Goorin Bros. and has long since been discontinued — but the style is a classic you can still get today. The details to match: black, wool felt, flat top, stingy brim.
Get the look:
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Scala Encore Premium Wool Felt Pork Pie — a structured black wool-felt pork pie with the flat top and short brim that define the Heisenberg silhouette. -
Bailey of Hollywood Darron LiteFelt Pork Pie in Black — a lightweight, packable take on the same black pork pie shape. -
Kangol Wool Mowbray Pork Pie in Black — a heritage wool pork pie with a slightly fuller crown, from a storied British hatmaker.
The pork pie's other famous heads
Heisenberg is in good company. The pork pie has a long screen and stage history — worn by silent-film legend Buster Keaton, by Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, and, more recently, by J. Robert Oppenheimer. If you like the shape but want a lighter, dressier take, our guide to the Oppenheimer hat covers the pale end of the same style.
Completing the Heisenberg look
The hat does the heavy lifting, but the full transformation is really three pieces: the black pork pie, a pair of wraparound sunglasses, and a shaved head with a goatee. Keep the palette dark and the attitude cold. (We'll leave the chemistry to you.)
Get the fit right
A pork pie sits high and level on the head, so a clean fit matters. Use our hat sizing guide to measure and choose your size, then explore the full pork pie hat collection at Fedoras.com.
Fedoras.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by AMC, Sony Pictures Television, the Breaking Bad franchise, or any actor. Style references are provided for inspiration only.
