Questions Concerning Panama Hats

[Barrelhouse]

Welcome aboard Alx17, make yourself at home. I recently bought a Borso panama as a birthday gift for a Borso fanatic and I found it to be an absolutely fine hat.

There is a caveat though. As the folks above have alluded, you are mainly paying all that money for the Borso name and not the quality of weave. The hat I bought was a Cuenca and should have cost around $60.00 based on the weave quality but because it was a Borsolino it ran well over $100.00.

Also, when you get a hat from one of the importer/retailers recommended around here (Panama Bob is certainly towards the top of that list) you get real value for money and are more likely to find the exact dimensions that look best on you.

Best of luck finding the perfect Panama and when you do, please post a picture of it in the Lounge so we can all be envious.

 

[daizawaguy]

Thanks all for the advice.


What do you guys think about a panama fedora with like a 2.2-3 inch brim?

I think 2"`s are wonderful...

I hope you do too...

 

[daizawaguy]

Or a 1 5/8"...but then I`m a stingy fan...

 

[memphislawyer]

I agree with the panama bob recommendation. I got a Diamante hat to start out with, and I can always get more expensive if I want, but to check out the Panama, I thought it was a great price and Bob was very, very helpful

 

[daizawaguy]

 

[daizawaguy]

All Panama-bob`s by Art, by the way

 

[Alx17]

Thanks for the warm welcomes. Very very nice hats--I love the short brims.
I'll look into Panama Bob. I've also been checking out PanamaHatsDirect.

I had a final question regarding hat sizing and fit. Is it normal to go +/- one size on hats? Since this is my first hat, I don't know exactly how it should fit or where it should sit, and it is pretty hard to judge how it should fit from forum pics.

I measured my head and it came out to a size 59, but my Borso was a size 58and felt it fit well. It sat around 1" above my eyebrows and it was pretty snug, and I doubt i'd leave a line on my forehead either if I wore it long enough. Sometimes I feel like wearing it lower, like almost to my eyebrows or wearing the hat slightly tilted, but I can't really do that with size 58

 

[daizawaguy]

Measuring your head - I`ve tried that many times over the months and got a different reading. It`s my favorite topic. There are a few factors involved -

1. Head is not a uniform block, and therefore it depends where you measure.

2. Ideally, measure where you want the hat to sit

3. But, hat styles and depth of crown will invariably sit at differnt places on the head.

4. Hat makers do not use uniform size conversions (check the web for a 7 3/8 in inches! - 22" 22 1/8 22 1/4?

5. Depends if your head is LO

My conclusions are:

1. Better to go for larger than smaller (round UP to the nearest size)

2. if you are happy with a size (59cm) and have tried it, order it whatever the maker

Many people here will talk of shrinking - hats do shrink versus get larger, but frankly in my experience this is not anywhere near a full size. Note: forget stretching - hats seem to have a memory and bounce back!

Everyone has a differnt opinion ("order large and put in padding" is a favorite response) - I dont like a large hat made to fit with padding.

the good news is, the more hats you have, the more your chance of getting it right with a few. Frankly, its not an easy ride to the perfect fit...but then again, some never have this problem....enjoy!

 

[daizawaguy]

Sometimes I feel like wearing it lower, like almost to my eyebrows or wearing the hat slightly tilted, but I can't really do that with size 58

Forget about the lower fit. If you are happy with where it sits, order a 58. Or a custom 58.5....

 

[donwo]

Welcome, Alx17. You're getting good advice. I am a big fan of Borsalino's old ('30s - '50s) felt hats but their present offerings can be absurdly overpriced and of low quality actually.

PanamaBob (a member of this forum), Brent Black, and Optimo are worth shopping. Still a wide range of prices and styles but more honest value in my opinion.

HarpPlayerGene,

I love the optimo in your avatar. Can yo tell me about it. I am looking to buy just that hat.

Thanks,
donwo

 

[Aureliano]

fino fino...

There's this place in California. I've never been but I know Graham from Optimo does an anual trunk show there. http://www.finofino.com/

 

[hogtied]

Daizawaguy, Can you tell me where this straw fedora is from? I'd like one just like it in 7 3/8. Thanks.

 

[danofarlington]

As far as I'm concerned, although Borsalinos may get you less weave quality dollar for dollar than many others, it's the shaping of the hat that is the draw. That's where the magic of a Borsalino is. This is notwithstanding the rebuttal that a lot of hats are shaped that way--to me, Borsalino shaping is a work of high style. I bought an expensive Borsalino Panama hat five or six years ago, a fedora style which has a really fine weave, and it attracted envy and interest wherever I went, which I know from remarks spoken to me and which I overheard, talking about it. Then somehow the hat got stomped on accidentally where I live; I had it re-blocked; and it lost its magic at that point. I want to send it to Art Fawcett to approximate the old shape. That's my two cents' worth.

 

[DJH]

Daizawaguy, Can you tell me where this straw fedora is from? I'd like one just like it in 7 3/8. Thanks.

Well, I'm not Daizawaguy, but if that hat was made by anyone other than Mr. Fawcett I'll eat my hat!

 

[Ordinary Guy]

Well, I'm not Daizawaguy, but if that hat was made by anyone other than Mr. Fawcett I'll eat my hat!

I was about to say the same thing .... well not the eating your hat part...

 

[hogtied]

OK Art, can you weigh in on this question? Is this your work? Thanks.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Yes Hogtied, it is. It is a PanamaBob body and my blocking & ribbon work. Give me a call or email & we can go into more details.

 

[memphislawyer]

choosing a panama or summer hat

I bought a hat and can return it. Decided I might get a summer hat. Saw a Bailey Guthrie model in shantaung straw. I have held some panama feel coated in plastic. Is that good, bad and normal? I also think I look best in a two inch brim. My only panama is a entry level Panama Bob that is about 2 3/4 brim if I guessed rght, and brim never snaps up.

So do you go for a wider brim because you are wanting more sun protection?

If I got the Guthrie how would it feel and compare to my PB hat? Major mike has some very fine hats and the straw feel s not at all like most panama hats I have held and is more brown/natural and light but is 225 which seems fair but three times thee cost of the Guthrie. I suspect it would be airier but not as much 'protection'

Help me compare apples with apples and if you see a 90 dollar or so hat at delmonicohatters I can just about trade even up or it maybe that you say the major mike hat is how I should go. It was an optimo shape with the pith helmet look

 

[Historyteach24]

I have a ton of panamas of low to mid grade. The low level panama Bobs have served me quite well but they are very floppy. I actually like my panamas to be a tad stiff but people vary on that opinion. If you are comfortable with major Mike I would save up a tad and get his because you know what it looks like and what it feels like. It can be scary buying panamas online because when they come in you may not like the feel of them.

 

[danofarlington]

Panama hats are floppy. It's part of the point to have the fine straw, as opposed to a stiff "straw hat," which can be more like wicker than fabric. You can have someone stiffen the brim though if you like.