Panama Hat Thread

[Prydonian]

Looks like some changes are afoot at Panama Hats Direct (PHD). As per usual, it seems as there is a woman at the bottom of it. I do hope the company can find its way forward.

I’m assuming many of you received the same email from PHD that I did.

Yeah, I was just reading it. I think mine may have been his final custom hat before leaving. He told me a little about all that when we were discussing the job. He’s a very open guy, is Casey.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi, I haven't purchased a Panama from them, are they going out of Business?
Later

 

[deadlyhandsome]

@1961MJS and anyone else who is interested, this is the email PHD sent to their customers on March 22, 2023:



Freddy Pachy my hatter for 23 years now (At left) and myself are on a mission to clear out all inventory and work just with custom built hats custom orders.


No more inventory! ---- Times have changed — Read below for the story

This is Casey Dalzell - (owner of Panama Hats Direct) -

went to Ecuador and I fell in love with an Ecuadorian
In Ecuador is where I discovered the beauty of a Montecristi hat
To live and work with them, and it has ben a pleasure.

As the years passed I focused so much on God and on hats
That I put them as a priority and I did not have children of my own.

I was in the world of hats and God.


In the year 2018 I met Ronaldo, an Autistic Child who became my adopted son because, In God's plans (as I see it ) i felt he sent me a son!


We met in church that day and
I felt an inexplicable draw to this young man under 17 years of age.


Threw the years I've met and talked to thousands of people, but none like Ronaldo,

he made me think of my own youth, he seamed to be my double, he lived a life with difficulties similar to my own and well we were inseparable since that day.


I took him to my house and we shared a moment, me and my wife with him.
As you know, life is full of problems, of family, of work and all that comes with life. so we talked long hours and he just became family.
Sooner or later money reveals itself …

I have ben very successful at selling panama hats online for the last 22 years with the help of my son and God.
But with success comes its own dirty problems …. and i was not exempt from them unfortunately, people around me became envious of my success and proceed to sabotage me and even rob me … after a few yers of this

my own wife turned against me, she did her best on me and ran away.
She did not like my close relationship with my son … she did not want children and for a time neither did I, but Ronaldo was a gift from God He opened my eyes to the joy of bing a father and so I adopted him as my own.


My wife concerned about money, opposed me and my son, till she finally did her Damage to me and ran… finally her true intentions of the heart were reviled.


But Now I have a mission form God to accomplish and i must move on….
Out of respect for all my clients I'm going to give one last offer at below cost for 2 reasons, one i need to recover my capital in the business so we can live in peace and recover since my X has made finances difficult so now i need the capital from my inventory and recover some investment in an attempt to keep going.


It has ben Fun … Life In Ecuador … and serving God and Building hats for people around the world.
But times change….. Life Changes … and we cant be afraid of what lies ahead, we must push on!


If you have ever live with autistic person you would learn many details normally hidden to others in life. … life from their from their perspective is very different! They see the world in a different way and if they were in charge of the World it would be a better planet. I could be writing a big book for you from what my son has taught me, I have a lot to say and little to think about still.
I hope you enjoy the good Montecristi hats,

I think if God were on earth his job would be with making panama hats!

It's wonderful to work with something that he himself created, the wonderful “Pja Toquilla” straw!
So don't be surprised if this is my last email to you because i am turning my business over to my hatter Freddy Pachy and i am moving on to another life with my son.

Freddy will take the business to his own level we will see how well he will carry this legacy forward. He remains and will carry this busness forward but as for me this is Farewell, ….. adios amigos!

I am taking my son to a better place under Gods protection for we are his sons and we will be fine!
But i need your help, one last call, before the business moves to another phase of its enduring presence one generation out and another comes in.


I need to recover some capital to be able to move on i am selling out inventory at below my cost, just to move it and recover something and take my son to a better place away form this country where we can live in peace.
So i ask your help one this last time, to move what i have in inventory and allow us to move on.


Let us serve you one last time with this special offer.
I will still own the company but i will no longer manage it directly.


Your purchases will be shipped fast and guaranteed, so buy with confidence we have a 23 years in the business and we will perform one last time for you!


So This Really is it !
The closeout inventory sale the sale you have ben waiting for and just in time for spring!!
This is your time to order, my crew of 6 workers are standing by waiting for your orders, Please give them something to do
500+ hats to move out!


This is Our Biggest Sale EVER!!!
Black Friday, doesn't compare to this sale, this is closeout time! - i really mean it!


Everything in stock is on sale now

• 35% off all Montecristi hats!
  (30% is all my markup ever was, unlike other “competitors” )
• 40% off the rest of the Cuenca Hats or more!
  
  Clearance - All hats must go!

So long friends and take care in this ever changing and challenging world!



Casey Dalzell,
PanamaHatsDirect.com

602-412-3520

 

[1961MJS]

Thanks, that's great he's helping kids, but the rest ain't.
Later

 

[belfastboy]

I have an inquiry into Casey. Don't need another Panama but when has that ever stopped me??

 

[Yamahana]

Can vintage panamas be reblocked, resized larger? Meaning the brim break being changed not just stretched out with a stretcher? Seems like I remember earlier in this thread of jonbuilder and Bill Hughes have some sent out to have this done. I have a Pennys Marathon with 3” brim I was wondering if it can be done.

 

[belfastboy]

Can vintage panamas be reblocked, resized larger? Meaning the brim break being changed not just stretched out with a stretcher? Seems like I remember earlier in this thread of jonbuilder and Bill Hughes have some sent out to have this done. I have a Pennys Marathon with 3” brim I was wondering if it can be done.
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I have not tried it but have sent out a Panama to a great hatter to be bumped up in size slightly and reblocked. There is a risk. Straw gets brittle with age and reworking them can cause damage. With mine the straw split in two areas. I was able to repair it and the hat does not show the damage but there is that risk.

 

[Bill Hughes]

Can vintage panamas be reblocked, resized larger? Meaning the brim break being changed not just stretched out with a stretcher? Seems like I remember earlier in this thread of jonbuilder and Bill Hughes have some sent out to have this done. I have a Pennys Marathon with 3” brim I was wondering if it can be done.
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The montecristi I had enlarged was not vintage. I’ve never tried it with an older panama.

 

[Yamahana]

I have not tried it but have sent out a Panama to a great hatter to be bumped up in size slightly and reblocked. There is a risk. Straw gets brittle with age and reworking them can cause damage. With mine the straw split in two areas. I was able to repair it and the hat does not show the damage but there is that risk.

The montecristi I had enlarged was not vintage. I’ve never tried it with an older panama.

Gotcha, with vintage proceed with caution and at risk.

 

[belfastboy]

I have an inquiry into Casey. Don't need another Panama but when has that ever stopped me??

Just pulled the trigger on a Montecristi with a wide brim (3 1/2"). Casey said his stock is running low.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Just pulled the trigger on a Montecristi with a wide brim (3 1/2"). Casey said his stock is running low.

Nice. What style…plantation?

As soon as I received the sale email I checked and he only had three hats in my size. I’ve decided that all my future Panama hats will be semi-calado, except the occasional inexpensive used hat.

 

[belfastboy]

Nice. What style…plantation?

As soon as I received the sale email I checked and he only had three hats in my size. I’ve decided that all my future Panama hats will be semi-calado, except the occasional inexpensive used hat.

I was planning on ordering a semi colado Optimo style from Mike @NW but then PanDirect had the sale and I have little resistance to a good deal so I bit. The hat I bought has the standard fedora bash but I went with a very wide brim at almost 3 1/2". It will be my sun umbrella. I ordered it with no sweat and no crown ribbon as I will customize it for me.

 

[Prydonian]

I haven’t quite received the flood of information I was hoping for, lol. I suspect I created a TL;DR situation. I gotta learn to write shorter posts!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I haven’t quite received the flood of information I was hoping for, lol. I suspect I created a TL;DR situation. I gotta learn to write shorter posts!

The Optimo/colonial style is often a love it or hate it proposition. It’s certainly not among the more popular styles. I’ve been warming to it slowly.

I can’t say that my experience with vintage Panama hats matches yours. I think the less stiff hats were/are a distinction of quality. I get that we don’t all want the same things from our hats.

As the straw is stiffened and blocked in many locations and even countries, I don’t think there was a coordinated shift to different flanging. I know a lot of people like a flatter brim as it provides more sun protection The depth of the brim curl is a function of the shape of the brim flange. I’m certain that considering their costs the industry didn’t all switch to a flatter flange en masse. Now, a lot of the less expensive, and some of the very expensive, hats are blocked in Ecuador so perhaps a change in one or two hat makers had an amplified effect as they were sold under a variety of brand names.

I suggest you call a custom hat maker who finishes Panama hats. Mike at Northwest is the guy I’d call first (Brent Black is just out of my price range). My retirement fund is better off that Northwest doesn’t offer custom Panama hats in my size, but I’ve been tempted to buy him a block set in my size every time I see one of @Bill Hughes custom hats.

 

[Prydonian]

The Optimo/colonial style is often a love it or hate it proposition. It’s certainly not among the more popular styles. I’ve been warming to it slowly.

I can’t say that my experience with vintage Panama hats matches yours. I think the less stiff hats were/are a distinction of quality. I get that we don’t all want the same things from our hats.

As the straw is stiffened and blocked in many locations and even countries, I don’t think there was a coordinated shift to different flanging. I know a lot of people like a flatter brim as it provides more sun protection The depth of the brim curl is a function of the shape of the brim flange. I’m certain that considering their costs the industry didn’t all switch to a flatter flange en masse. Now, a lot of the less expensive, and some of the very expensive, hats are blocked in Ecuador so perhaps a change in one or two hat makers had an amplified effect as they were sold under a variety of brand names.

I suggest you call a custom hat maker who finishes Panama hats. Mike at Northwest is the guy I’d call first (Brent Black is just out of my price range). My retirement fund is better off that Northwest doesn’t offer custom Panama hats in my size, but I’ve been tempted to buy him a block set in my size every time I see one of @Bill Hughes custom hats.

Interesting. I appreciate the insights!

I cannot tell you how helpful it is to know the technical term “flanging.” Discovering specialized terminology is tough when resources rely on already knowing the right keywords. None of the hatters I’ve spoken to about it - Tom at Lock & Co., Bates, Casey, Mavi at The Panama Hat Company, etc. - have used the term when I’ve fumblingly tried to describe it. Knowing it now, I’m happily reading up on it. Thanks again.

When it comes to stiffness, that’s interesting to know. I’ve actually had some questions raised about variations in stiffness today. My hat from Casey arrived, and I’m comparing it to one I recently purchased from TPHC (panamahats.co.uk). Both are the same density Cuenca weave, both semi-bleached, but they could not be more different.

The one from TPHC is bleached unnervingly evenly, not a variation in fiber shade to be seen. It’s as supple as fabric, incredibly lightweight, and would roll easily. The surface is almost perfectly smooth.

The one from Casey shows slight color variations. It’s heavier and significantly stiffer. The underside of the brim shows small but noticeable imperfections, as though the fiber is thicker in places, and the sides of the crown have contouring irregularities. I suspect if I tried to roll it, it would not appreciate it. It feels exactly like the one I bought in the 80s that I’ve been trying to replace all these years.

The one from TPHC seems flimsy. I’d almost think it was made by machine. Casey’s is clearly made by hand, and gives the overall impression of a higher quality hat. I would love to know how to account for the vast differences. And is Casey’s actually a higher quality hat, or are the features that mark it as handmade actually hallmarks of lesser skill in weaving?

I’ll attach a picture. On the left is TPHC, and on the right is Casey’s.

 

[steur]

This came in this week as part of a lottery lot. Just two vague pictures. The price was right, so why not? This is what showed up (thank the heavens they were packed up well enough).

Panama hat of nice quality. No brand or size or anything really. What I look for is a decent weave and if the brim edge is woven as well. In that case I can use these as a panama hat body, to be made into a decent hat later. It's way cheaper than buying a ready made panama of the same quality.
I consider panama hat weaving a dying art and it is so for a while now. Soon nobody will be making these finely woven straw hats anymore, so best get them while you still can.

 

[steur]

The second hat of the same lot. Somewhat less refined, but it'll do.

 

[Steve1857]

The second hat of the same lot. Somewhat less refined, but it'll do.

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Two good finds, Stefan, and some excellent advice re picking up these type of straws while there out there.

 

[steur]

Two good finds, Stefan, and some excellent advice re picking up these type of straws while there out there.

Thanks, Steve. That's certainly the case for Europe as they are not as common over here as they seem to be in the US. Soon it will be just Chinese paper hats I'm afraid.

 

[Nolucker]

I have an inquiry into Casey. Don't need another Panama but when has that ever stopped me??

I bought a hat from Casey after his sale announcement. The total price came to less than $250 for a simply beautiful super Fino Havana. We had a long conversation, mostly about things other than hats. He's a really interesting dude, one I would like to know better. Anyway, if I saw the hat he sent me in a hat store, I would assume its cost to be at least 6 or 7 hundred dollars. Easily the nicest Panama I own. BTW, the price included expedited shipping. I got the hat in a week.