mooglesrcute
New in Town
- Messages
- 32
- Location
- utah
thanks you alanfgag exactly what i needed
My Stetson is size 7 5/8 that has been stretched to 7 3/4. My hat keeps shrinking back to the smaller size, will it ever stay a 7 3/4?
I've got a question that is likely going to be subjective, but how much should one pay for an entry-level Montecristi Panama from Optimo, at most?
On the website it states that prices start from $500 to several thousand. I certainly don't need a $15000 hat. But say, if a $750 Montecristi is enough to make me happy, would a $500 one do the trick as well? Certainly, if connoisseur had his eye on a $7500 one, a $750 wouldn't cut it, but is the difference between Montecristis of a similar price range negligible?
That is to say, while I appreciate a good hat, I am not a connoisseur of Panama hats. While I would most certainly be able to differentiate a 100 hat from a 500 one, I'm not sure if the same could be said between a 500 and 1000 one. That's not to say that I can't tell the difference, I just don't know if I can, being that I've had little to no experience handling Montecristis -- hence, "entry-level."
+1...I have a couple of vintage 7 1/2 LO gems that need continuous training to be worn by my 7 5/8 LO noggin.Not likely. A short and gentle revisit with the stretcher before (and after) wearing can make a difference and allow you to keep the hat in rotation.
So not only are you fighting against its "memory", you are fighting against effects of time....
A valiant but losing campaign from where I sit.
Subjective, yes. I don't think the issue is about entry level vs. experience. More budget, tolerance for the cost of luxury items and your lifestyle. Hats suffer the slings and arrows of the outdoors. If you enjoy walking and exploring in the summer months your hat will be a great companion but it will also see the effects of perspiration. I was in NYC last spring and enjoying everything about a mile walk uphill to Penn Station carrying my suitcase on my shoulder... except for the stopping every block to mop up the perspiration building on my vintage Stratoliner's sweatband.
I spent some time looking through the fine straws at Optimo. They have some wonderful hats. I think style and weave character are as much a factor in selection as the fineness and cost. Had I been tempted to buy I would have found myself in at $1500 - 2000, which begins to get into a hat where the weave disappears and the feeling of a linen fabric emerges. Personally, I find this the magic point, though the actual weave count might be modified by age and eyesight. That is a great deal of money to spend on a hat. Beyond that is beyond me. But I passed at that time, being happy with the assortment of vintage panama hats I've been able to cobble together from Ebay.
Good luck with your search and keep us posted on what you select.
The "Dirty Little Secret" of Panama hats is that the better the hat, the hotter it is. Sad, but true. (It's also lighter in weight, though.) Optimo's Milan hats have a coarser weave and are slightly cooler.
You could always look for a semi calado with an open weave.