Panama Hats
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This might be a bit of a strange post, particularly as its my fist post on the forum…or maybe not?! So here goes!
The wife and I have recently returned from a holiday in Cornwall, UK. While there I fell ever slightly in love with my Panama Fedora hat that I purchased a month ago haha!
It’s light, airy, comfortable and does a great job of keeping the sun off the head and out of the eyes. It also looks great (in my opinion!) with t-shirts, shirts, chino’s, shorts and denim! Now, it might not be to everyone’s taste but I loved wearing it (as seen below with my IHSH – 319 and white tee from Utilities)! I’ve never been a fan of baseball caps or bucket hats and needed something to keep the rays away from my ageing thinning hairline! I’m even thinking of getting a selvedge denim band for it!
As with most things whether that’s food, drink, clothes, music, etc. I’m always fascinated by the provenance and craftmanship behind it and like to support this through my purchases. The Panama hat has a very interesting history. There are many similarities between the creation of Panama hats and quality heritage workwear from the raw materials through to the craftmanship and the fact that many of the skills required are being lost. It’s probably not inconceivable that in certain parts of the world Panama hats were worn with denim workwear. The most expensive Panama hats with really intricate fine weaves can only be made by a handful of people in Ecuador and can cost up to £3,000 and take 4 months to make one hat!!! The weaving of a Panama hat is now classed as UNESCO Culture Heritage.
Anyway, probably a strange post for my first one, but there you go!
PS. A word of advice. Don’t get into bed naked wearing one and try it on with your partner! The wife wasn’t impressed haha!
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Nice thread and post!
Here’s mine in Riviera Maya
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Thanks man @T4920! Effortless cool from you both @mclaincausey! Love it!
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G goosehd moved this topic from General Chat on
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Great post IMO. I’ve been looking at panamas for a while but havent been able to nail down the right one. Nice fit on yours, and I’ll heed your advice!
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Awesome post! I’ve actually been to Cuenca, Ecuador. Birthplace of the original Panama hats Teddy Rosevelt made famous back in the day. Really cool small town with awesome architecture. Incredible hat shops all over the town. My buddy and I went on a bit of a hat buying frenzy while there.
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@Mizmazzle that must have been a fantastic experience!
My advice for anyone looking to buy a Panama hat is to buy from a reputable store and make sure its the genuine article handmade in Ecuador. That way your helping keep this craft alive and supporting the local economies where these are made. Also, I'd recommend spending a little bit more and buy one that is foldable. That way if your traveling you can 'roll' it and slip it inside a cardboard tube. Most reputable sellers will have advice on how to do this.
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Mine’s a Stetson I got from Meyer the Hatter (made custom for them) in New Orleans. I love it and it fits perfectly though. And Meyer is absolutely worth a visit any time you are down there.
