May 15 was the official beginning of straw hat season in North America, and the imminent return of sunshine to the Bay area means that it is finally time to don my favorite style of hat, that being the Montecristi Panama.
Perhaps the best thing about the Panama is that there is no such thing. What I mean by that is not that the hat is actually made in Ecuador, though it is, but that there is no single hat style that represents the Panama any more than there is a single style of felt hat. And so we have the basic fedora like the one in the photo, a dozen derivatives of that same fedora, the Optimo (my own favorite), the plantation hat, and others including straw versions of the Coke and the Homburg (the style I would get if I could justify another straw).
Now all these styles come in a variety of quality levels, with prices that go into the stratosphere. The thousands (in any currency) asked for the better versions are quite understandable given that Panama quality is based on the fineness of the weave, and the finest hats can take the weaver months of work. Fortunately, above a certain point the weave of a hat is discernable only at very close range and, for most men, middle of the road quality is quite good enough.
Determining middle of the road quality is of course a problem for there is no generally accepted rating system for Panamas but there is a lot of marketing hype. And so, for me, the reliable way to acquire a Panama, should I decide that I cannot live without that Homburg just as an example, is to trust in the taste and experience of a reliable seller. Two of those to my mind are Chicago's Optimo Hats and Hawaii's Brent Black (I am an Optimo customer but have never used Mr. Black).
Whatever the source, the Panama may be the one universally accepted hat, meaning it can be worn by virtually anyone with just about any (men's) clothing, from casual to evening clothes, and usually without so much as a hint of costume. To my mind that makes it sort of a baseball cap for grownups.
Friday, May 28, 2010
A Baseball Cap for Grownups
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11 comments:
I do love panamas. This year I mean to finally get one to wear to Henley Regatta, now that my old straw boater has gone beyond 'endearingly battered' and become actually unwearable...
I just spent a good chunk of my oh- so-valuable on-line time reading Brent Black's highly informative and entertaining site.
Thanks for the "heads up" Will.
Stephen Fry infamously said during his interview with The Chap Magazine, “Anyone who wears a Panama hat ought to be thrashed."
But I disagree. I love panama hats, and have been thinking about looking for a nice Panama coke/bowler. But I've only been able to find straw bowlers that are painted black. Anybody know of a good place to get a natural-colored panama bowler?
Erik
You, Will, do a great job pulling off the hat look. My dad never left home without one. I just can't do it.
I agree. I rarely wear hats, but have been wanting to add them to my wardrobe so I recently ordered a Monticristi from Brent Black in early May. His turnaround is slow this time of year, but I hope to have it sometime before summer is over. I've seen the Optimo monticristi's that's Wilkes Bashford carries and expect BBB to be of better quality since monticristi hats are his only real focus.
Baseball cap = Panama hat for children
The only hat I would wear now is a Panama hat or variation thereof and in fact I'm in the market for one. In more casual situations, such as on a fishing boat off the coast of Baja, Mexico, I would not wear a Panama hat and would opt for a floppy cotton or canvas version.
I am sorry to hear about Stephen Fry's hostility to Panama hats, especially in light of the most excellent advert he did for Panama cigars back in the 1980s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qzTuZZRvyQ
I'm definitely sporting the Fedora this summer,as you stated its the grown-ups ball cap. I prefer the small brimmed style myself and found wide affordable selections at both Hatsinthebelfry and San Diego Hat Co. Thanks for the additional insight on Brent Black and the panamas.
Nivek
www.luomomoderno.com
I have long been a panama wearer, and have tried numerous brands and sources. If you wear them daily (as I do in the summer), it may make more sense to buy a "disposable" panama--one that you won't mind disposing of after a couple of seasons. While at the low end of the scale, American-made Bailey panama hats are good looking, of acceptable quality, and inexpensive enough to be disposed of after getting soiled or otherwise worn out.
As for sources, there's no place like John Helmer Haberdasher, a Portland (Oregon) institution now in its third generation of family ownership. Though best known for their extensive selection of hats, they have much for the well-dressed man. They have a presence on-line, and I noticed a couple of straw pork pie hats in their current line-up--but no straw bowlers.
Full disclosure: Portland native, no financial relationship to either company.
The next time you're in Honolulu, try NEWT at the Royal (http://www.newtattheroyal.com/). The proprietor was able to size me by eye; I ended up buying the first hat he put on my head (after trying on 20 or more) -- very knowledgeable. He also has some very nice Hawaiian-made Aloha shirts made for his shop.
The ball cap is the ball cap for adults. I agree that as many adults can't pull off a ball cap as can't pull of a Panama or Fedora. A ball cap is certainly for ultracasual wear, but it's not easily done and I would argue it takes a good deal of style.
I have to disagree with Todd here: I've never seen a man wearing a ball cap whom I thought was well-dressed.
Ball caps have their place. They are excellent for playing baseball, for one. Truckers and farmers like them, and I sometimes don one in the car, when the sun is in just the wrong spot.
Ball caps are OK on sports fans, attending a game, and decked out in their team's colors.
Ball caps are the quintessential boy's headgear.
Unlike the ball cap, almost every man is flattered by the basic fedora shape, and I think that Will's summary in his last paragraph stands.
Just my 2¢.
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