Panama Hat Thread

[hatsRme]

Every source I read tells me not to wear these hats in the rain. Is this a silly guide. Can the hat handle a light shower? They are all Montecristi panama. Not cheap and I don’t want to ruin them.
Also is there any easy way to stiffen them up. They are a bit floppy right now. Maybe scotchguard?
Johnny

Do not wear them in the rain. In the unpredictable weather where I spend summers, I have taken to stuffing a plastic grocery bag into a pocket on walks if wearing a Montecristi. Saved a straw hat more than once.

Ingineer that Sunbody is just spectacular! You get my vote for hat of the day!!

 

[johnnycanuck]

Holly Molly Richard! That's looks like one heck of a hat. And lots of fun. Enjoy it and wear it in good health.
I know how I like pictures so here are my hats.

Johnny

 

[johnnycanuck]

HatsRme: I figured, that's why I was thinking of scotch guard. It would protect the hat from light showers. Just a thought. Also contemplating replacing the black hat bands. Don't know what I would replace them with though. Hmmm.
Johnny

 

[hatsRme]

Don't know about the ScotchGuard.

There may be other or better options, but here is a decent assortment:

http://www.panamahatsdirect.com/Leather-Hat-Bands.htm

 

[ingineer]

Gents;
Thanks for the compliments on the Sunbody.
Had to soak it in the shower for 15 minutes , inside and out, and it became pliable.
Just as they told me it went down 1/2 size.
Richard

 

[Rick Blaine]

HatsRme: I figured, that's why I was thinking of scotch guard. It would protect the hat from light showers. Just a thought. Also contemplating replacing the black hat bands. Don't know what I would replace them with though. Hmmm.
Johnny

Akubra once offered "Scotch Guarding" as an option. As for the band the RCMP/Ranger bands from WPG are great. I have bought a few & want a few more.

 

[Landman]

Shushan's in New Orleans has a nice selection of hatbands.

http://www.shushans.com/hatbands.html

 

[barrowjh]

Most of my little collection of pugs came from Shushans.

 

[Landman]

John, I have quite a few from Shushan's too. They make it so easy to change the look of a straw or even a felt hat. What color do they call the one in the bottom right of the photo? The one in the middle that looks reddish orange. Looks like a great color in the photo.

 

[barrowjh]

Landman, that one did not come from Shushan's. The orange one next to it did, but the one I think you are asking about was called crimson, and it is a nice deep red, different from just red. I found it from a vendor on ebay that was selling those silk pugs, and since then I have not been able to find the same vendor (or it is called something other than crimson) or the vendor can no longer get crimson.

 

[Landman]

Thanks for the info.

 

[dwestlind]

Ecuadorian Hat Co. Nice hat but I have questions

Hi all, I'm new here and have already learned a lot from you folks. I hope to stick around and learn more. I recently picked up an Ecuadorian Hat Co. panama from the bay. This is not my first Ecuadorian Hat Co. hat and I have found them to be quite nice in the past and I like this one too but I have some questions about it that I hope you all can help with. First the hat;




The band states this as "Duran Panama" Is there some significance to the Duran? This does not look like a normal cuenca or monticristi weave is it a Leghorn? Overall the weave is really nice, not as fine some of the monticristi hats that I have seen pictured but still nice. It does have, at least what appears to me to be a flaw, or possibly a repair in the center of the brim at the front; Is this normal?

Now that I look at the close up it looks more like a slight flaw in the straw and weave.
It doesn't really bother me much but I would like to know. I really appreciate your thoughts on these questions.

Thanks very much,

Doug Westlind
Alsea, OR

 

[barrowjh]

Landman, it might have been this dealer -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-SIL...prg=20131017132637&rk=1&rkt=4&sd=280675164181

selling dorfman pacific - stacy adams hat bands. Notice that his site now says only 7 colors might be available, even though the palate of pugs has a lot more than just 7. It was this dealer or another selling essentially the same pugs; they used to have a crimson color (in addition to red), but now all I see is just the red color.

 

[mikespens]

Welcome to the Lounge Doug. I can't answer your questions about the Supernatural Duran Panama but it does look nice and the brand makes fine hats. You are right, the weave isn't your typical Ecuadorian Panama. Curious about it's origins too.

 

[Landman]

Welcome to Lounge, Doug. I can't help you with your question but you have a fine looking hat.

John, thanks for the link to the pugs.

 

[dwestlind]

Thanks for the welcome Mike and Mike.

I also appreciate the link to the pugs, ordered three, two that I just happen to like and one in orange and black for the very occasional fair-weather OSU ball game.

Thanks again --Doug

 

[Hutmacher Sohn]

Vintage Casa Arcentales Montecristi

From time to time, I see a vintage CASA ARCENTALES Montecristi in this thread, so I thought that I would post one. A friend of mine asked if I would like a hat that he was given but was too large for him ... he had it in the trunk of his car. I saw what it was and had it cleaned and blocked at Optimo Hats in Chicago. Their only comment: "It's a very nice hat."

It pretty much runs about 1100+ weaves per sq inch, so is rather smooth and supple. Optimo cleaned all of the whitening "powder" out of it so the weave pattern is a bit more pronounced.

The sweatband displays:
CASA ARCENTALES
P. O. BOX T
GUAYAQUIL ECUADOR
South America

Genuine “Montecristi”
Made in Eduador
Aristocrate of all
Straw Hats

Among the pencil markings on the inside is the size (58) and it is a solid 7-1/4

Optimo replaced the ribbon, but I didn't want the sweatband replaced. They thought that it might be from the '50s.

Donald

 

[mikespens]

Splashy first post HS. Welcome to the Lounge and hope to see more like the ARCENTALES, it's a VERY nice hat.

 

[Hutmacher Sohn]

Thanks! To make the post useful, I should have included the sweatband markings. Sometimes you can figure out the dating by them.

 

[fedoracentric]

OK, so this is a Stetson Panama sold in France in the 1920s. It has a spot on the back of the sweatband where the round size sticker is but it is too far gone to read. It has the black ribbon with frayed edges.

Don't know if this means anything, but inside on the hat is written in pencil 166-4-14.



Here is a closeup of the weave. Anyone have a name for that weave?