Panama Hat Thread

[steur]

View attachment 275536 Brent Black homburg. I count 1024 WPI. I had it recontoured by my hatter, but I will ask him to change it back the way it was, because I lost too much crown height View attachment 275537 View attachment 275538 View attachment 275539 View attachment 275540 View attachment 275541 View attachment 275542

That is something else alright, Max. I will say I like it better the way it was originally; seemed better balanced. These fantastic panama hats are a bit of puzzler for me. On the one hand they are hats and meant to be worn, but a hat that is worked on for about six months by Simon Espinal is something else altogether; seems disrepectful somehow to just grab it and put it on your head.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

That is something else alright, Max. I will say I like it better the way it was originally; seemed better balanced. These fantastic panama hats are a bit of puzzler for me. On the one hand they are hats and meant to be worn, but a hat that is worked on for about six months by Simon Espinal is something else altogether; seems disrepectful somehow to just grab it and put it on your head.

Yes! And no

 

[drmaxtejeda]

Incredible Panama hat, Max. Hard to believe they can make a hat with more than double to WPSI than this hat!

Now for a summer garden party complete with your finest ‘30s attire to show it off!

>
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsa...-worlds-finest-panama-hat-but-who-will-buy-it

 

[1961MJS]

Hi
I have a problem with buying expensive (over $200) Panama hats because they're fragile and something that I could screw up in seconds. If I buy it, I want to wear it, drive it, sail it, whatever. I don't have that many things to look at. In addition, most of the Panama hats I see online don't have enough crown to them in my opinion.
Later

 

[JC Montecristi Hat]

Hi
I have a problem with buying expensive (over $200) Panama hats because they're fragile and something that I could screw up in seconds. If I buy it, I want to wear it, drive it, sail it, whatever. I don't have that many things to look at. In addition, most of the Panama hats I see online don't have enough crown to them in my opinion.
Later

Hello I understand your point of view, but that will also depend on the ''Panama hat'' that you buy, I usually see those problems in the tissues in Cuenca. I have seen tourists buying woven hats in Cuenca, the straw generally has a treatment of peroxide and other chemicals, this makes the hats softer but very fragile, if they have contact with water they are ruined.
The hats that are bleached with sulfur do not usually have these problems, whether they are woven in Montecristi, Peru, Colombia or Cuenca.
The crown is the most delicate thing in all the panama hats but mostly in fine hats (20 grades and up), 13-14 seems to me a grade quite resistant but without exaggerating, at least in Montecristi.
It all depends on how you handle your hat, remember that some hats have glue on them and lose the flexibility that characterizes them.
The most natural hats are less delicate and can get wet and dry, they are flexible and can be rolled up, but you can still ruin them if you abuse them too much.

 

[JC Montecristi Hat]

Greetings from Pile, Ecuador.

The situation is very complicated for everyone, I hope everyone is well. The weavers of Pile do not stop weaving, I went to pick up some orders and wanted to share these photos. I wish you all the best, peace.

Excuse my haircut.

 

[JC Montecristi Hat]

Hello, everyone


I want to share with you a new that I consider important. For some time I have received questions about Panama hats in colors, my answer was simple: I work with Montecristi hats, only Cuenca hats are made in different colors. For some it was a disappointing answer, but at a certain point, they were right.

Why can't you dye a Montecristi, if you use the same toquilla? Well, in essence, it is the same species but for reasons of microclimate they are not exactly the same, but they are used to weave both.


There have been several attempts to dye a Montecristi hat, the results have not been satisfactory, and therefore many colleagues chose to buy their colored hats in Cuenca.

But there have been a few successful experiments only they were not continued for reasons I do not know, but today I show you one of them, I think the result is very good, maybe it is not so innovative if you consider the ones made in Cuenca but the Montecrisiti have since 1630 been made in the same way.


I leave some photos and some pictures of a Cuenca hat so you can see the difference. The quality of the Montecristi is the classic quality of 13-14 grades; the Cuenca hat has the similar standard quality of those you find in hat shops. I should clarify that in that quality there are weavers who are more skilled and can weave a better hat but the most commercial is something similar to the picture.

I am still trying other colors and I hope to have good results.

 

[MichaelSeed]

Hi everyone. I have some nice fur felt hats but I live in Australia where it's only cold enough to wear them for 4 months of the year without turning them into sweat rags. I have one cheapish panama but it's fragile and its size changes with the temperature. Its label says "montecristi" so I'm going to avoid those in the future.

I would like to get a good quality straw panama hat that can survive daily wear, some light rain, breath well, and still look cool. Preferably I would like to not spend a fortune but obviously quality is more important than price. Are there any good brands you guys would recomend I look into? What advice do you have for a panama begginer?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi everyone. I have some nice fur felt hats but I live in Australia where it's only cold enough to wear them for 4 months of the year without turning them into sweat rags. I have one cheapish panama but it's fragile and its size changes with the temperature. Its label says "montecristi" so I'm going to avoid those in the future.

I would like to get a good quality straw panama hat that can survive daily wear, some light rain, breath well, and still look cool. Preferably I would like to not spend a fortune but obviously quality is more important than price. Are there any good brands you guys would recomend I look into? What advice do you have for a panama begginer?

It sounds to me as if you want something other than a Panama hat. Have you looked at hemp hats? Akubra makes several as does Stetson. You could also look at a polypropylene hat or a Shantung hat. I like palm hats, but find them to be warmer and heavier than I want for a hot weather hat. Check out the Akubra Balmoral, Akubra County Club, SunBody palm hats, and the many Shantung offerings by Stetson (Shantung doesn’t breath so personally I like a weave with lots of ventilation with Shantung).

True Panama hats don’t make good rain hats nor would they be my choice for a hard use hat. Montecristi is a city in Ecuador and it’s a type of weave found in hats that originate there. Many hats labeled Montecristi are not true Montecristis. Spending a lot on a Panama hat is not going to get you a rugged hat that will take abuse and still look like new. By their nature they are just not that kind of hat; not to say that they can’t take lots of use and a bit of infrequent rain. I like a Panama hat with some miles on it that has stories to tell: think of Hemingway rather than a big city dandy.

I personally refuse to spend much on a Panama hat. I use them hard and I don’t want a hat that needs to be babied. Others feel differently.

 

[MichaelSeed]

It sounds to me as if you want something other than a Panama hat. Have you looked at hemp hats? Akubra makes several as does Stetson. You could also look at a polypropylene hat or a Shantung hat. I like palm hats, but find them to be warmer and heavier than I want for a hot weather hat. Check out the Akubra Balmoral, Akubra County Club, SunBody palm hats, and the many Shantung offerings by Stetson (Shantung doesn’t breath so personally I like a weave with lots of ventilation with Shantung).

True Panama hats don’t make good rain hats nor would they be my choice for a hard use hat. Montecristi is a city in Ecuador and it’s a type of weave found in hats that originate there. Many hats labeled Montecristi are not true Montecristis. Spending a lot on a Panama hat is not going to get you a rugged hat that will take abuse and still look like new. By their nature they are just not that kind of hat; not to say that they can’t take lots of use and a bit of infrequent rain. I like a Panama hat with some miles on it that has stories to tell: think of Hemingway rather than a big city dandy.

I personally refuse to spend much on a Panama hat. I use them hard and I don’t want a hat that needs to be babied. Others feel differently.

Thank you for the info. I didn't know natural straw was so poor in the rain. I wouldn't wear a hat in a hard storm but sometimes in life you can't avoid a light drizzle.

I've looked at the Akubra Balmoral. It looked like a good hat but it has a leather band on the inside which heats up quite a bit. I might pick one up and get the inner band replaced with a cloth one. Akubras are easy to find here, stetsons a little more difficult.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thank you for the info. I didn't know natural straw was so poor in the rain. I wouldn't wear a hat in a hard storm but sometimes in life you can't avoid a light drizzle.

I've looked at the Akubra Balmoral. It looked like a good hat but it has a leather band on the inside which heats up quite a bit. I might pick one up and get the inner band replaced with a cloth one. Akubras are easy to find here, stetsons a little more difficult.

I prefer my “straw” hats to have leather sweatbands, but not everyone does. I find cloth sweatbands to be warmer and less hygienic.

There are all sorts of types of straw. Toquilla straw is what all Panama hats are made from and they don’t do well with getting wet, at least not soaked.

I prefer Milan hats (the weave not necessarily the straw type).

 

[JC Montecristi Hat]

Hi everyone. I have some nice fur felt hats but I live in Australia where it's only cold enough to wear them for 4 months of the year without turning them into sweat rags. I have one cheapish panama but it's fragile and its size changes with the temperature. Its label says "montecristi" so I'm going to avoid those in the future.

I would like to get a good quality straw panama hat that can survive daily wear, some light rain, breath well, and still look cool. Preferably I would like to not spend a fortune but obviously quality is more important than price. Are there any good brands you guys would recomend I look into? What advice do you have for a panama begginer?

I can recommend a genuine Montecristi hat of 13-15 grades, they don't usually have a very high price depending on where you buy them, but it should be in natural color and bleached with sulfur.

The hats that suffer serious damage with water are Cuenca hats with a peroxide treatment for bleaching that makes them fragile. The Montecristi hat does resist the rain but without exaggerating, that it is a sporadic event, there are occasions that it could lose their shape, so it needs care and maintenance to prolong its life, the use of steam is important in certain areas where in addition to heat there is humidity.

The Montecristi hat wash with detergent before finishing or when you want to do a deep cleaning, it is also a hat originally for peasant use, in those areas it often rains at certain times of the year. However, it is not a felt, if a careful and prudent use will not last as long.

For daily use, it is the same as shoes, if you only have one pair; I don't think they will last long. It still depends on your expectations of how longsome daily use can last, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year

The Montecristi can be repaired, the straw can be changed where it breaks or where there is other damage, just like a good pair of shoes, but Ecuadorian artisans can only do this.

If you want to get started in the world of the Montecristi, I could give you some suggestions and good offers if you are interested we can talk about it by DM

 

[Stugots]

Sorry to go a bit off topic in current thread.....just obtained, but have not received this hat yet, only from online bid purhase. I could not find much online about it...any help would be nice. Please peruse photos and respond thanks

 

[belfastboy]

Looks to be a nice hat. A true straw Panama. Having the leather sweat is a nice upgrade. Hard to tell the weave count but decent quality ...perhaps a $200 hat when new.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Sorry to go a bit off topic in current thread.....just obtained, but have not received this hat yet, only from online bid purhase. I could not find much online about it...any help would be nice. Please peruse photos and respond thanks
View attachment 289798 View attachment 289798 View attachment 289799 View attachment 289799

Nice Panama hat in the optimo / colonial style. What kind of information are you looking for? I’m not a Panama hat expert, far from it, but if you have specific questions perhaps someone here could answer them? It will probably also be easier when you’ve received the hat and can provide more photos. Good find!

 

[Stugots]

Nice Panama hat in the optimo / colonial style. What kind of information are you looking for? I’m not a Panama hat expert, far from it, but if you have specific questions perhaps someone here could answer them? It will probably also be easier when you’ve received the hat and can provide more photos. Good find!

Thanks for the response, wondered when Stetson stopped blocking Panama hats, thus trying to establish an age. It is still a hat unseen by me, so will post more info when I receive the hat.

Stu

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thanks for the response, wondered when Stetson stopped blocking Panama hats, thus trying to establish an age. It is still a hat unseen by me, so will post more info when I receive the hat.

Stu

Looking forward to seeing your photos.
Stetson continues to offer genuine Panama hats, including some in the Optimo style.

http://www.hat-co.com/perch//resources/stetsondresss20.pdf

 

[carouselvic]

Thanks for the response, wondered when Stetson stopped blocking Panama hats, thus trying to establish an age. It is still a hat unseen by me, so will post more info when I receive the hat.

Stu

Likely 50’s from what I can see(which isn’t much)

 

[Stugots]

Thanks all, having never had a “real “ Panama hat..i am intrigued by the arcentales mark inside, not C A perhaps as the maker but casa arcentales, is their any connection to the the different marks CA Arcentales or Casa Arcentales? Curious historicallly with the connection to Stetson.

 

[jlee562]

Thanks all, having never had a “real “ Panama hat..i am intrigued by the arcentales mark inside, not C A perhaps as the maker but casa arcentales, is their any connection to the the different marks CA Arcentales or Casa Arcentales? Curious historicallly with the connection to Stetson.

Just a makers mark. Here's the first Google hit: