Panama ribbon: Black vs Navy?

[GamaH]

I'm currently undecided as to whether I should go with a black or navy blue ribbon for my new panama.

Reasons to go with a black ribbon:
- Black goes with everything except brown.
- My suits are almost exclusively black.
- All my dress coats are black.
- My community places significance on black.
- While I already have a several black hats, I'd likely be wearing this hat in the summer in place of felt. I'd mostly still be wearing a black suit.

Reasons why a blue ribbon would work:
- Darker shades of navy blue could work with a black suit/coat.
- A navy blue ribbon would likely go better with seersucker suits.
- I already have a black hat to wear with my black suits.
- If I'm not given any grief for wearing a panama (which certainly isn't black), I doubt the community would care that my ribbon isn't black.

I suppose it boils down to this: Would a panama with a black ribbon look better with a navy suit, or vice versa (navy ribbon, black suit)?

 

[Rabbit]

It's quite simple, actually. Black is the standard ribbon color for Panamas - the typical ivory-colored Panamas, that is - and for a good reason. Black "absorbs" colors in its surroundings best. It acts as a neutralizer, or a resting point. Ties, squares and socks which more often than not have some color in them are usually best balanced by a black hatband. A navy hatband is more limited. Likewise, the suit color is of no concern if you wear a black hatband. All the usual sedate suit colors - greys, dark blues, browns, tans, and also the more summery colors like for instance moss green cotton gabardine, french navy linen or wool, light blue linen or wool, and mustard linen - are perfecty safe to wear with a black hatband.
Personally, I'd say that a navy suit would indeed look better with a panama with a black ribbon rather than a blue ribbon. Blue on blue is trying too hard in my book.

 

[GamaH]

Thanks! Problem solved.