Monte Carlo
This is the original Planter style, as immortalized atop Clark Gable in GWTW. His had a relatively tall crown, which is usually less flattering. Of course some people look good in anything. And a lot of them become movie stars. See movie clip
Charlton Heston wore a wider brim version with an almost flat crown top in his portrayal of a South American plantation owner in Naked Jungle. His wife (Eleanor Parker) looked even better in hers. Hers had an especially wide brim and fairly short crown styled like my Monte Carlo. See movie clip
The mass market version of this style, these days, is often called a Gambler. My Monte Carlo is blocked and styled by hand, so the brim edge gets a full curl (instead of just turning up). That’s the way they made them when there really were riverboat gamblers, and that’s the way I make my Monte Carlo now. No short cuts.
You can change the look of the style to suit your look by having me make your brim wider or shorter, and/or by making the curl diameter bigger or smaller. In the top photo the brim is about 31⁄8 inches with a slightly larger than regular curl. The same hat is shown in profile. The Monte Carlo in the second photo from the top has a wider brim and a regular curl. The same hat is shown in the bottom photo.
Brim width can vary from about 23⁄4 inches to 31⁄2 inches (after the curl). Curl diameter can vary from about 1⁄4 inch to about an inch, the default is about half an inch. Send me an email or call if you want help deciding.
PRICES Why One Panama Hat Costs More than Another
PREMIUM
$550, $650, $750, $900, $1100, $1500
SUPER-PREMIUM
$2000, $2500, $3000, $3500, $5000
RARE TREASURES very limited availability A $25,000 hat? Really? How Fine Are the Finest?
$7500 to $25,000
BRIM
3 to 3 1⁄2 inches (after curl)
CROWN
3 5⁄8 to 4 inches
SIZES details
21 to 25
1⁄8
inches
(53.3 to 63.8 cm)
SWEATBAND see choices
Standard sweatband for this style is un-dyed fine leather.
RIBBON see choices
Standard ribbon for this style is 1 1⁄16 inch black.
Monte Carlo Order Now
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Pipsqueak Productions, LLC
Text and photos © 1988-2010, B. Brent Black. All rights reserved.
