Milans from Optimo & Panama Grading

[Lefty]

OK, I don't have my hat yet (I was in the shop on Wednesday afternoon), but I do have a few photos I snapped while I was at Optimo.

This is on your left as soon as you walk in.

Just past that...

The price board. Please note my mistake in posting that customs cost more than the hats off the rack. Thanks to a fellow lounger for pointing that out to me.

Just past the board.

Here's Tiffany and my wife, with my wife giving me that look that I've come to know as "you're lucky I love you." That hat in the shot is a woman's panama that my wife was checking out.

Raw felt bodies cover shelves in the back, on the left of the store.

More of Optimo's friendly staff. Maybe one of these hats belongs to you.

The back wall, behind the sewing area.

I shot all of these after selecting and purchasing my hat, so I don't have any photos of it yet.

However, Tiffany told me that I should check out the garage behind the store.

 

[AlanC]

^Great pics! Thanks for sharing them. I hope to visit one of these days.

 

[Lefty]

When we walked around to the back of the store, we passed the famous wall, bowed our heads, and picked up a stone to take home to mark the occasion.

The garage didn't look like any other garage that I've ever seen.
No garage I've visited had a foreign man (Ukrainian?, Polish?, something Eastern Block) who pointed at a huge machine and stated "hundred years old - from France - my English is not so good."

In fact, I feel pretty cheated that I've never been to a garage sale that had anything like this stuff.

No. The beard has nothing to do with being Amish, Jewish, Muslim, a terrorist, a civil war re-enactor, a Smith brother, Abe Lincoln (more than a few kids have meant to say Lincoln, but could only come up with George Washington), or the others that I can't think of off hand.

It's about glory.
http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

Great pics, thanks!

Wow, you learn something everyday. There are actually 'Beard Clubs'. Who'd a thunk it?...KC

 

[Lefty]

Great pics, thanks!

Wow, you learn something everyday. There are actually 'Beard Clubs'. Who'd a thunk it?...KC

The US has a couple of new, mostly disorgainized beard clubs. All of them just sort of gravitate towards Team USA (the site I posted) for the fun of the international World Beard Championships. I've been to Carson City, NV and Berlin, Germany with these guys. Most are married, educated, successful, and more fun that anyone I'd known in the past. Oktoberfest in Munich is probably fun with just your friends. Oktoberfest in Munich with a huge, international troop of crazy bearded guys in insane.

The Germans, on the other hand, have regional clubs that are organized, uniformed (both casual and competition wear), and will boo each other. They're friendly people, when it comes to everything but beards.

As to who'd of thunk it, remember, you're reading this on a hat site in an era of baseball caps.

 

[indycop]

Oktoberfest in Munich is probably fun with just your friends.

Oh the good old days!

 

[Aerol]

Great photos

Great photos, Lefty. You really captured the spirit of the place.

As far as taxes go... Chicago is part of Cook County. The county raised their portion of the sales tax by 1%, raising the total sales tax in Chicago to 10.25%.

As for you southern boys succeeding... sorry, but it's the northwestern 'burbs that are threatening to go. And after this weekend, with the Cubs (Northside) sweeping the Sox (Southside), well, what can I say. (For the record, I live in the middle, and the last team I really rooted for was the Brooklyn Dodgers.)

 

[HungaryTom]

Great photos

Thanks for the essay, Lefty!

However, what is your SCIENTIFIC formula about the grading of the beauty of Grahams hats if I may post another spurious question?


Tom

 

[Lefty]

Thanks for the essay, Lefty!

However, what is your SCIENTIFIC formula about the grading of the beauty of Grahams hats if I may post another spurious question?


Tom

Unfortunately, Tom, I'm no scientist.
As a laymen at hattery, I'll have to use the method handed down by the US Supreme Court for how obscenity can be identified, but which is no longer in use:

"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that." (emphasis added)

Jacobellis v. Ohio 378 U.S. 184 (1964), Justice Potter Stewart, concurring.

I can just say that, in terms of amazing, evenly woven, quality panamas, I sure saw it at Optimo.

 

[Lefty]

For anyone interested more photos from the trip that ended with Optimo, feel free to check out the thread I've posted in the Steamer Trunk
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=31898

 

[HatDoc]

Unfortunately, Tom, I'm no scientist.
As a laymen at hattery, I'll have to use the method handed down by the US Supreme Court for how obscenity can be identified, but which is no longer in use:

"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that." (emphasis added)

Jacobellis v. Ohio 378 U.S. 184 (1964), Justice Potter Stewart, concurring.

I can just say that, in terms of amazing, evenly woven, quality panamas, I sure saw it at Optimo.

PM on the way.

 

[grey ghost]

Great pics '''''''''

thanks so much for sharing...

I have a panama coming from optimo soon.....


next time I am in Chi town I will be visiting the store....

Thanks again

 

[Lefty]

Thanks GG. Be sure to post your panama on the new Optimo thread when it arrives.

I just spoke to Tiffany this morning, only to find that shipments were delayed (for reasons that I've since forgotten), so my hat just went out yesterday.

I took a class called Political Violence in college. The thing that the prof. beat into our heads p) was that revolution results due to the frustration of expectations. Here's a little revolution-at-my-desk music.

:eusa_booh :cry:

 

[Lefty]

Bruce,
I thought your ribbon looked familiar! Tiffany picked yours, and I selected mine from 3 boxes of spools. I guess it's just a nice ribbon - even though yours is upside-down.
Mine is here:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=31871&page=2
I did decide on the raw edge, but like the look of the bound edge as well.

Now that I've got mine, I'm seeing that your hat appears much darker. Is that just the camera? Are there different shades of milan? Is it dyed?