The Ultrawide

You’ve probably never worn a hat with a brim as wide as these. I really enjoyed testing this style by showing it to women friends. The usual reaction was to shriek, grab the hat, and run for the mirror. Now I’ll be the first to admit that I know nothing about women. (Okay, okay, maybe less than that.) But I figured the shriek-and-mirror reaction meant it was a winner.

Apparently, there is something very comforting about a hat with a 7-inch brim. Several said they felt like they just wanted to get under there and wrap themselves in it like a security blanket.

I have no idea what your reaction will be when it emerges from the shipping box. You may let out a cry of joy and run for the mirror. You may head for the beach. You may head off to some elegant affair, knowing you will be noticed.

I have these custom woven for me. As usual, I requested a much higher than average weave quality, natural straw. I finish them with black grosgrain ribbon outside. Taller crowns get wider ribbon, shorter crowns get less wide ribbon. Bow is centered in back

You can turn the brim up all around. Turn it down in front. Turn it down in back. Turn one side down, one side up. You may decide to pin up one side. Or the other. One hat, many styles. One woman, many moods.

The young ladies in the photographs are not at all overwhelmed by that much brim. The woman wearing the necklace is no more than 4’10” and as thin as my patience at the end of a long day.

It’s a wide brim. Really wide. Ultrawide. It will be the widest brim on the beach. Or at the garden party.

Marcie Polo SE

Marcie Polo has been “suggesting” this style for several months – a tough travel hat that looks good enough to wear to a royal garden party.

“Did I ever tell you about my safari with the Maharajah of Eyesore?” Marcie likes to travel.

It’s in her genes. Marcie is the great, great, great, great, great, great — well, she’s really great — granddaughter of Marco Polo.

Sometimes, like her illustrious ancestor, her travel is more off road than luxury resort. Naturally, she wanted a hat that looks great – as great as the Montecristi Marcie Polo style she designed. But maybe a little tougher, and definitely in the dirt-defying Cocoa color. Good idea.

“The Maharajah of Eyesore invited me to come stay at his palace while we safari around in his private jungles for a few days. As you probably know, his palace is the ugliest in all of India.”

Marcie favors brims wider than 3 inches, for the extra shade. She likes both the wobbly and the upturned brim. Which do you favor – under or over 3 inches? Wobbly or upturned? Most of the brims are close to 3 inches or wider.

Best ribbon colors? Dove Gray and Whiskey Brown are good choices. Maybe Chocolate Brown. Can’t go wrong with Classic Black. Parchment? White Sand?

Marcie continued, “Just as I was getting out of the taxi in front of the palace, the Maharajah’s favorite elephant, Daisy, came trotting up. The maharajah was perched atop Daisy in his elegant howdah.”

“Hey, Maharajah, howdah you do?”

The maharajah did not comment.

“Hey, maybe we can do a TV show about a maharajah puppet. The Howdah Doody Show. With a live audience of kids . . . we’ll call them the betelnut gallery.”

“Marcie, has anyone ever told you that you are not funny?”

“Yes.”

A few years ago, Marcie asked me to create the original Montecristi version of the Marcie Polo style, because she wanted a travel hat but didn’t fancy the Optimo. She loved the Montecristi Marcie Polo and has worn it to, from, and in more than 40 countries.

A few days ago, she asked me to make the same style – “the look is perfect” – in the Cocoa color. So, I did.

Marcie loves hers. She hopes you will love yours.

“I hope millions of people will wear these. They don’t even have to travel. They’ll look just as great getting out of an SUV while running errands in the neighborhood as they will getting off a camel while arriving at a wedding deep in the Gobi Desert.”

Millions? Marcie! Did you forget that I make these entirely by hand? One at a time. Millions? Maybe dozens. For a fortunate few.

Mombasa Café

Of course you’ve heard of it. The ancient, the legendary, the dilapidated, the damn near roofless—Mombasa Café. Have you been there? The great ones all stopped by when they were in town. Stanley, Livingston, Burton, Speke, Rhodes, Quatermain, and the others. Current kindred spirits still do.

They are drawn by a fireplace roaring as needed in the rainy season, the most comfortable hand-carved wood chairs in the world, the best cup of coffee in a thousand miles, cold Tusker on tap, and a cellar full of big oak barrels of extraordinarily-well-aged Jamaican rum which may or may not have disappeared from the hold of a British merchant ship in port for a few days in the summer of 1921.

As an extra bonus, the food won’t kill you. Mostly. There have been exceptions.

No one comes in without a hat. You just don’t muck about in the noonday sun of equatorial Africa without a hat. Even mad dogs and Englishmen wear hats. As a general rule, the Englishmen look better in theirs. They are also less likely to chew them up in an absent moment. Though some do.

The prevailing style of choice is the Mombasa of course. Classic center dent crown, generous dimples, safari brim, wide ribbon. Some favor a hand-blocked Montecristi Mombasa. The one shown here is called the Mombasa Café, because this is the kind they sell at— you guessed it, the Mombasa Café.

These are hand woven, genuine Panama hats, dyed a dirt-defying, café-con-leche color. Brims are folded and sewn with a plastic thing inside the outer edge to hold the brim shape. Hats are woven, shaped, and finished in Cuenca, Ecuador. Black grosgrain ribbon 13⁄8 inches wide, cloth sweatband inside, brim 3 inches wide. The hat I chose at random has a count of 15×23.

You know what? This is a good hat. I have worn this hat myself and have received compliments. I like the feel of it. Some of my friends pronounced this more their kind of hat than the higher priced Montecristi hats. Fair enough. It’s a good hat. It’s a good price.

Stanley wears these. He buys 8 or 10 each time he passes through the Mombasa Cafe between expeditions. Like any sensible person with an addiction, he doesn’t want to run out.

He knows at least two will be stolen, a hazard of wearing a great hat into areas where there are no hats. He will have to give three or four as presents to tribal chiefs who won’t take no for an answer, and through whose territory he must pass. He may have to leave one or two behind on a tree branch to fool hostile warriors while he runs like hell.

It’s good to have more than one of a great thing. Especially true if it is reasonably priced. Imperative if one doesn’t want to run out.

ALMOST OUT

These are almost gone. Especially the big sizes. Great hat. Great price. Measure your head to the nearest 1/8 inch and use that to place your order. These are labeled S, M, L but no two are the same size. So it’s best to tell me your head measurement, and I will see if I have one to fit you. While they last.

The Classic Fedora has been my most popular style for more than 30 years. And the Classic Fedora Island Style is the most popular of the “open weave” styles. If you wear one, you also will be popular.

Many years ago, I made a personal hat with this diagonal weave pattern. It got compliments every time I wore the hat. So, I had more hats custom woven with this same pattern. Why should I be the only one getting all those compliments?

Just in case you’ve never seen this type of weave close up, the dark areas are spaces between the straw. The light areas are the straw itself. Serious ventilation. Almost like having an air-conditioned hat.

Montecristi hats are famous for being woven of very thin (fine) straw. So they are lighter weight, thinner, and less “firm” than most Panama hats you may have experienced. The open weave crowns have about half as much straw as a solid weave Montecristi hat. So, they are even lighter weight, even less “firm.” I do put a little stiffener in the straw so they will hold the shape better, but I don’t make them stiff. (If you want it stiff, just ask.)

Crown heights and brims widths vary. Minimum crown height is 4 3/8 inches measured on the side. I generally aim for about 2 1/2 to 3 inches of brim width. If you have a specific brim width in mind, let me know and I’ll see if I have a hat that will block to your size, and will also have the brim width you prefer.

This is a very cool style. Both literally and figuratively. By wearing one, you also will be very cool.

This has been a very popular style for many years. I used to call it the Golf of Panama. (Small joke on Gulf of Panama, and a good style for golfers.) Now, I’m welcoming the style to the family of Island Style styles and renaming it accordingly.

This is an absolutely classic Panama hat style. Think Clark Gable in GWTW. Perhaps Mr. Gable would have preferred the open weave and better ventilation of the Island Style version had it been available, especially while escaping the inferno of Atlanta burning. That would have been much hotter than an August afternoon in Atlanta today, even factoring in global warming.

It is a truly great style for golfers. Good sun protection, good ventilation, and very good looking. Some clients swear the Monte Carlo IS takes at least five strokes off their game. I’m inclined to believe them.

Not a golfer? No worries. Unless you have a personal prohibition against looking great, this is an excellent choice for men or women.

Geometrical patterns vary, but they are all attractive, so no need to fret over what I might choose. I generally choose whichever hat will block to your size, and will also have the brim width you prefer.

As you can see, this is not just a hat – it’s Art. The artists of the small village of Las Lagunas, in Montecristi Canton, weave the straw into geometric designs. Like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. I’ve watched them do it, and I still don’t believe it’s possible. They assure me it is, and keep weaving.

Prove it to yourself by ordering one.

WOW! Look at these! More proof that Montecristi is where straw becomes art.^TM

Brilliant design. The diagonal pattern woven into the hats extends all the way out into the 4-inch brim. Choice of four colors of vintage ribbons or Classic Black.

If you wore this to a party in the Rose Garden, your hat would be what everyone would remember, what all the press coverage would report. When she asks, please tell the First Lady there are only a few of these, so she should hurry.

The dark areas of the weave are spaces between straws, spaces through which air comes and goes. You’ll feel as cool as you look.

Beach hat? Poolside? Perfect.

Fashion hat? You could wear the Breton IS with anything. Or nothing.

Keeneland – ISLAND STYLE

Same crown shape/style as the Monte Carlo IS (above). The difference is the brim. Not curled in front. So I favor a little less brim width than the Monte Carlo IS. Good looking style.

Keeneland is the name of a famous thoroughbred horse race track in Lexington, Kentucky. It is a beautiful, perfect racecourse. And this is the perfect style to wear if you want to look like a winner. Distinctive yet understated. Imparts to the wearer a sophisticated, confident, stylish charisma. I am confident you will use this power cautiously and ethically.

You will look like a high roller, an insider who probably knows more than you will reveal. Don’t be surprised if strangers seek your advice on the featured stakes race that day.

Women’s – Bow In Back

Some women have told me they prefer the bow to be centered in back, instead of on the side. Okay. That’s easy enough. Just specify Bow In Back when you choose the ribbon in the selection process.

And if some men prefer the bow in back, that’s fine, too. Just specify Bow In Back when you choose the ribbon in the selection process.

Personally, I think it looks better on the side. But this is a business (sort of). So I’ll do as you ask (a lot of the time).

Aficionado – ISLAND STYLE

The Aficionado IS is yet another great style. I know, I know – so many perfect choices it’s almost impossible to decide.

So buy them all.

The Aficionado IS has the exact same crown shape as the Classic Fedora IS and the Plantation IS. Same crown blocks, three different brim styles.

For the Aficionado IS regular brim, I look for a brim about 3 ¼ inches wide before the curl. The brim curl subtracts about 3/8 inch, leaving a brim width of a little under 3 inches after the curl. Except in the front, where it will be the full width.

You can also choose a wider brim. If you want to go wider, I’ll put a little more stiffener in the brim to discourage it from being too flappy in front.

This style has more of a Western look to it than the Plantation. And the front (uncurled) brim provides a little more shade for your face. I think this is a good style for golfers. Good sun protection, good ventilation, and very good-looking.

Geometrical patterns vary, but they are all attractive, so no need to fret over what I might choose. I generally choose whichever hat will block to your size, and will also have the brim width you prefer.

Plantation – ISLAND STYLE

Same crown shape as the Classic Fedora IS and Aficionado IS. The brim edge is curled all the way around, for a little more structural support, so you can go with a little wider brim, if you like.

This is the hat you wear if a big part of you doesn’t care what other people think, but another big part of you kind of likes to be envied and admired.

The sensible part of you likes a great-looking hat that is very, very cool.

The genius part of you unerringly recognizes a great thing when you see it, and unhesitatingly buys it.

That’s the part of you I’ve always liked best.

The Greenstreet – ISLAND STYLE

Famed actor Sidney Greenstreet wore an Optimo in Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. I created a style that I believe would have suited Sidney even better. So I named it in his honor.

It’s an Optimo crown. Rounded dome shape with a front-to-back ridge or crest. Classic design. Definitely should be displayed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Brim has a pencil roll all around, like the Plantation IS and Monte Carlo IS. The curled brim edge subtracts three-eighths inch from the original brim width. Or more. Sometimes less.

Very distinctive style. Not a good choice if you wish to blend in. Such a great style deserved to be translated into an Island Style hat. So I did.

The stylin’-est style at the party – now with air conditioning.

This attention-getting style can be made in your choice of four brim widths. Yes, I could make one of each for you.

Hmm. What would we call your group of Greenstreets? A gaggle of Greenstreets? A cast of Greenstreets? A red of Greenstreets? A casablanca of Greenstreets? Ah, of course – a sidney of Greenstreets.

Hula Beach – ISLAND STYLE

In the interests of full disclosure – I made up the name. As far as I know, there is no Hula Beach. And I lived in Hawaii for 30 years. But it’s a good name. Short. Familiar. Suggestive of fun, perhaps even adventure.

And it definitely could be worn while doing the hula. Or while on a beach. Or while doing the hula on a beach. (If you go for that last one, photos would be greatly appreciated. By me, of course, and by the rest of humanity, no doubt.)

But none of that is mandatory. You could wear a Hula Beach while sitting near a swimming pool, nowhere near a beach. For that matter, you don’t have to be near water, either. You could wear a Hula Beach while golfing. Seriously. When have you seen a more enviable hat on a golf course?

Are you comfortable with being envied? Well, if you decide to wear a Hula Beach, you better get used it.

The Lover – ISLAND STYLE

This is another Island Style version of a very popular solid weave style. The style originated when a client in Thailand asked me to copy a hat she saw in the movie The Lover.

I’m glad she did. It is a great, classic style. It has been one of the most popular women’s styles for many years.

The Island Style version is even cooler. By extension, you will be even cooler when wearing one.

The “open weave” of the crown invites the air to come on in and go on through.

Now, being an airhead is a very cool thing.

Brim shape: 1. Wobbly 2. Up 3. Down in front 4. Down all around