Journey of the Panama Hat

Amidst the tapestry of traditional craftsmanship and global fashion icons, the Panama hat stands out as a symbol of elegance and cultural heritage.  These hats are most commonly associated with tropical exploration and summer elegance, boasting a rich history that dates back to the early 17th century.  Expertly hand-woven by Ecuadorian artisans from the palm-like grass, the "Panama" hat, despite its misleading name, had become a quintessential expression of British summer fashion.

Hat-weaving as a cottage industry began to evolve on the coast of Ecuador from the early 1600s.  Montecristi and Jipipapa, the two villages where weavers worked gave their names to the hats produced there. Montecristi Panama hats are highly prized today. Rumors abound that master weavers work only by the light of the moon or when the sky is overcast. 

Clark Gable wore a Panama hat referred to as a Monte Carlo most famously in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind which helped to popularize the hat's elegant style in Hollywood cinema.

Charlton Heston wore a Panama hat in The Naked Jungle, Sydney Greenstreet and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Paul Newman in Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Peter O'Toole in The Last Emperor, Gregory Peck in To Kill and Mockingbird, Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo, Robert Duval in The Natural and Robert Redford in The Great Gatsby, Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones, Johnny Depp in The Rum Diaries and Sean Connery in The Man Who Would Be King.

Others who wore Panama hats were Winston Churchill, Fred Astaire, Truman Capote, President Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

Roosevelt was famously photographed wearing a Panama hat during his 1906 trip to the Panama Canal which helped to popularize the hat and solidify its association with Panama even though it actually originated in Eduador.  The photos were widely  circulated making the Panama hat a fashionable accessory and cementing its iconic status.  

Roosevelt's impeccable style and use of media helped establish this fashion item in popular culture.

Truman Capote wore a fine Montecristi Panama hat, often a lightweight and rollable variety in a classic fedora featuring a pinched, center-creased crown. The rollable variety was convenient for a world traveler like Capote. As a discerning and extravagant figure, Capote chose the "creme de la creme" of Panama hats

 The Montecristi is considered the highest quality Panama hat, handcrafted in Ecuador and known for its exceptionally tight weave using toquilla straw.  The finest Montecristi hat can take months to weave and are known for their smoothness and durability.