Men Hats

A Panama hat or just Panama is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant (Carludovica palmata). Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19th and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas, and Europe. For some products, the name of their point of international sale rather than their place of domestic origin stuck, hence “Panama hats.” The 49ers picked up these hats in Panama, and when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal construction, he wore such a hat, which increased its popularity. They're also known as a Jipijapa, named for a town in Ecuador once a center of the hat trade. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a use of the term as early as 1834.

Glorified during the 19th century, the panama has since been considered the prince of straw hats. Ecuadorian national hero and emblematic figure, Eloy Alfaro helped finance his liberal revolution of Ecuador through the export of panamas. The reputation of the hat was established by Napoleon III, Edward VII, and some other aficionados.

Panama hats are often seen as accessories to summer weight suits, such as linen or silk. Beginning around the turn of the century, panamas began to be associated with the seaside and tropical locales, such as Brighton or the Caribbean. They are usually preferred over felt hats in such climates for they are light coloured, light weight, and breathable.

Beginning in the late 1960s, hats in general were worn less often. However, the panama seems to be one of the few hats to survive the tests of time. Men can still be seen sporting a panama in the tropics. It is, by no means, as popular as it was during the golden age of hats, but it is still surviving. As a matter of fact, well founded hat companies, such as Dobbs, Stetson and Cavanaugh, now produce more panama styled hats than felt hats, such as fedoras or bowlers.

In televison, the Panama was worn rarely by the First Doctor (William Hartnell), occasionally by the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) in a rolled up style, and most frequently by the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), in the long-running British sci-fi show, Doctor Who.

Legendary NASCAR team owner Jack Rousch is never seen without wearing his trademark Panama Hat.

Panama hat quality is a heavily disputed subject. There are two main processes in the hat's creation: weaving and blocking. The best way to gauge the quality of the weave is to count the number of weaves per square inch. Fewer than 100 would be considered low quality. There are many degrees of increasing quality, up to the rarest and most expensive hats, which can have as many as 1600-2000 weaves per square inch it is not unheard of for these hats to sell for thousands of dollars apiece, a $500.00 hat for $30,000 no less.

The quality of the weave itself, however, is more important. A high weave count, even an attractive-looking one, does not guarantee a well-woven hat. It is said that a Panama of true quality can hold water and can be folded for storage without damage.

Even though the panama continues to provide a livelihood for thousands of Ecuadorians, fewer than a dozen weavers capable of making the finest "montecristi superfinos" remain; the UK's Financial Times Magazine (Jan. 2007) recently reported that there may not be more than 15-20 years remaining for the industry in Ecuador, due to the competition of paper-based Chinese-made imitations, especially as a few hat sellers dominate and manipulate the market, literally killing the industry.

A homburg is a stiff felt hat that is superficially very similar to the trilby or fedora, since both can have a crease from the front to the back of the crown, known as a "center dent". The homburg usually has no pinches, and has a brim with the edge sharply turned up all the way around. It is typically made from wool or fur felt and has a grosgrain hatband and brim treatment with an optional feather. A variant form is the "lord's hat", which lacks the edge ribbon, and may, optionally, be pinched.

It was popularized by Edward VII after he visited Bad Homburg in Hessen, Germany, and brought back a hat of this style. Like the trilby or fedora, the homburg was once quite popular and is still available in almost any color, but the most common colors are black, grey, and brown. In Britain a black homburg became widely known in the 1930s as an "Anthony Eden" after the Government Minister of that name.

In formality, the homburg ranks just below the top hat, and above hats such as the bowler or fedora. It is appropriate (often with a topcoat) with a stroller, or with black tie.

The "Godfather" hat, as it is sometimes referred to in American popular culture, was made popular by many legendary gangster and mafia movies made in Hollywood. Flower power pop group Procol Harum had a hit single "Homburg" in 1968 about the hat. The biggest names in the world of "hip-hop" brought it back into style in the late 1990s and is still popular with many artists of today. Many of the hats sold as "Godfather homburgs" have a wider brim than a regular homburg, with the brim rolled up more on the sides, like a bowler.

The fedora is a soft felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides. Similar hats with a C-crown (with an indentation for the head in the top of the crown) are occasionally called fedoras. The term fedora was in use as early as 1891.

Beginning in the 19th century, the fedora came into use as an upper-class clothing accessory. Hats that resemble the soft felt version are often called fedoras even if they are made of straw or twill.

The word fedora comes from the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou. Princess Fédora, the heroine of the play, wore a hat similar to a fedora.

In the early part of the twentieth century, the fedora was popular in cities for its stylishness, ability to protect the wearer's head from the wind and weather, and the fact that it could be rolled up when not in use. The hat is sometimes associated with Prohibition-era gangsters and the detectives who sought to bring them to justice.

The popularity of the fedora has resulted in a large variety of styles being available. Fedoras can be found in nearly any color imaginable, but black, grey, and tan/brown are the most popular.

In the United States, fedoras were considered an essential part of the suit and of business and formal attire. Most men did not go outside without wearing one.

In Hollywood movies of the 1940s, characters often wore a fedora, particularly when playing private detectives, gangsters, or other "tough guy" roles. A trench coat was frequently part of the costume, a notable example being Humphrey Bogart's character in Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon. The fedora is also widely recognized with the character of Indiana Jones.The fedora is closely associated with film noir characters.

Like the bowler hat, the fedora fell out of usage and popularity during the late 1950s-early 1960s; the hat began to lose favor even earlier on the West Coast, which is known for its more casual clothing. The early 1950s switch from large lapels and ties to thin ones, resulted in shorter-brimmed hats, and this likely played a role in the fedora eventually being deemed a non-essential item. Also playing a part was the shrinking automobiles of the mid-50s, which often made it difficult to wear a hat while driving. Fedoras have staged something of a comeback as of the 2000s. This trend seems to be expanding particularly fast in the rock and metal communities, where artists such as Pete Doherty have been seen donning fedoras at concerts and live performances. Since the early part of the 20th century, many Haredi Jews have worn black fedoras and continue to this day.

The demise of hat use by American men was quite abrupt. One hypothesis explaining the sudden shift places the date for the change as 20 January 1961 when John F. Kennedy chose not to wear a hat to his inauguration. The speculation is that men decided if the President didn't have to wear a hat, then they didn't have to put up with the bother of doing so either. By reason of this myth, it is thought to be easy to date a picture that shows groups of American men as before or after 1961 by the proportion of hats worn. There is ample photographic and journalistic evidence of President Kennedy indeed wearing a top-hat to his inauguration ceremony, only removing it when he gave his speech.

Traditionally, when a man doffs this hat, he grasps a fedora by the crown. If there is a strong wind it is acceptable to anchor a fedora using the "wind trolley" found on better fedoras. This elastic band can be taken off the crown and wound through the button hole of a suit lapel. Hats, including the fedora, are typically doffed indoors, except in public areas such as lobbies or elevators. If a man wearing a fedora enters into a conversation with a lady, custom dictates that he doff his hat.