The Keeneland was created for a client who lives on a tropical island off the coast of China. He didn’t say whether he has it all to himself. He did say the sun is strong.

He wanted a special style. One he could wear to the club for lunch or to Hong Kong for a meeting. Elegant without being formal. A style that would look good with a cigar.

After some discussion, we agreed on a Monte Carlo crown. After some experimentation, we agreed on a relatively short Aficionado brim. As soon as we saw the combination we knew it was a winner.

Fortunately for Andy, he’s not my size. If this hat had been my size, I would have been sorely tempted to start on a new hat for Andy. The moment I stepped back from the finished hat to take a look, I wanted to put it on and go watch thoroughbreds thunder down the home stretch at Keeneland on an Indian Summer afternoon perfumed by horses, bourbon, and burgoo. But that’s just me. Andy probably took it out of the box, put it on, and went to the beach.

Specs:

• Brim: 2 ¾ to 3 ¼ inches (after curl)
• Crown: 3 5/8 to 4 inches
• Sizes: 21 to 25 1⁄8 inches (53.3 to 63.8 cm)
• Sweatband: standard for this style is fine leather
• Ribbon: standard ribbon for this style is 1 1/16 inch black

Prices: (Learn why one Panama hat costs more than another.)

• Premium: $550, $650, $750, $900, $1100, $1500
• Super-premium: $2000, $2500, $3000, $3500, $5000
• Rare Treasures (extremely limited availability): $7500 to $25,000