Monticristi Panama Hats Continued - How To Roll And Stow Your Panama

Have you ever bought a Panama hat on a vacation? I have. It was an orange dyed Panama hat I found in the Bassin D'Arcachon in 2012 whilst on a very short vacation in Pyla Sur Mer. It was a sublime little find in a swimwear store called Kiwi. I carted that hat everywhere I went and onwards into my trip through Italy and all my meetings in Como. By the time I arrived back in Australia I did not recognise the hat I bought. It was still a Panama hat and it was still charming but it certainly had lost that first day appeal where all you want to do is send the best possible selfie back to your family in Sydney with a tag line "wish you were here, yes, it's an orange Panama....".

Anyway, today I found out how you can store that Panama so when you get home is looks almost like the one you picked up at the store. Camilo Haffar showed me how to fold your Panama. I had not realised you could do this. But, before you get too excited, Camilo did insist that you are not to pack the hat like this, it's more just for the day. So if you find that perfect Panama on your next vacation, rather than posting it home and praying the Italians actually have a working postal system, you can stow this one in your hand luggage but definitely not in your suitcase.

Here is Camilo showing us how it is done:

Camilo went on to explain a few more things that I did not know about Panama hats. For one, there is quite a big difference between the qualities within the range 'Monticristi'. Monticristi Panama hats are those superfine weaves I reported previously that are monitored by a foundation that used a count system called the Monticristi Cuenta to determine the quality of superfine. In simple terms, if you consider a Monticristi to be a luxury sports car, then amongst them are Porsches, Ferraris, Aston Martins and Bugattis, each with varying degrees of complexity which then add value to the hat.

Below, Camilo shows us that the hat on the left, if you expand and open the image, is not as finely woven at the hat on the right. Both are from maker Delgado Gary in Ecuador but the hat on the right would fetch a higher price from enthusiasts who can tell these subtle differences in quality. The hat that is more finely woven is likely to be more fluid when wearing and will over time mould more gently to the head.

Every Monticristi Panama hat hood is initialled by the weaver as a sign of pride in craftsmanship. This hat could take anywhere from 2-3 months to finish.

The small differences between the Monticristis. All Monticristis are delivered like the hat on the left. It is then for the hat milliner to finish the hat they way they want to. The hat on the left, if you look closely, is less finely woven than the hat on the right. 

Matchy matchy men's fashion. From Le Noeud Papillon: silk braces in our limited edition silk with dual sided tie and matching hat band.