Montecristi Roll-up
Roff Smith and Optimo in front of the Taj Mahal. Roff’s hat is a $650 Optimo and he does not roll it up.
Okay, okay, I finally gave up. I yielded to public pressure. It was pretty obvious from all the calls that a lot of you really, really wanted a Montecristi hat that you can roll up. And you want it to look like a classic Panama hat. And you want it to cost less than the other Montecristis. You’re right. It’s a good idea. Here it is.
What’s different about these, compared with the Roll-Up Panama Hats above? Plenty.
- These are hand-woven and finished in the Montecristi area, not Cuenca.
- Montecristi hats are lighter and thinner than Cuenca hats.
- The Montecristi Roll-Up Panama Hats are blocked by hand, instead of on a hat press. Hand-blocking gives them a more lasting shape under duress (such as rain).
- The Montecristi Roll-Up Panama Hats are available in custom sizes.
- The Montecristi Roll-Up Panama Hats come with a black cushy, cotton twill inside sweatband. Very comfy.
What’s different about these, compared with the hand-blocked Montecristi Optimos in the main Men’s Styles section?
These are hand-woven and finished in the Montecristi area like those in the Men’s Styles section. But these are a lower quality weave. Hence the lower price.
These Montecristi Roll-Up Panama Hats are shaped by hand in the same classic Optimo style, on the same wood blocks as the others. But these don’t get the same lavish attention and time. Less time, lower price. (Well, that was the theory when I introduced these. The reality is that I just can’t bring myself to do anything half way. So these get just as much blocking time as the others.)
The Montecristi Roll-Up Panama Hat has a hand-sewn black grosgrain ribbon and bow outside, just like the non-roll-up Optimo. Inside, there’s a soft, cushy, absorbent cotton sweatband instead of leather (you want to roll it up, right?).
If you want a Montecristi, and you want to roll it up, but you still want it to look like a classic Panama hat, this is your hat. Portable shade. Weighs about 3 ounces. Makes a somewhat different impression than a baseball cap.
If you want a finer weave roll-up Montecristi, I’ll be happy to make one for you. Just choose a quality/price level, and I’ll make it with a cloth sweatband instead of a leather one.
The higher quality option has been even more popular than I expected. A lot of you really do want a rollable Panama of legendary Montecristi quality. So, for those of you who want the very best:
PRICES Why One Panama Hat Costs More than Another
PREMIUM
$375, $500, $600, $700, $850, $1000, $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
2 1⁄2 to 3 1⁄8 inches
Wider or shorter by request
If you leave it up to me, smaller size hats will have smaller brims, larger hats will have larger brims.
CROWN
4 to 4 1⁄2 inches
(to the top of the ridge)
Taller or shorter by request
For proportion, I generally make larger size hats with taller crowns than smaller size hats.
SIZES
21 3⁄8 to 25 1⁄4 inches
54.3 to 64.1 cm
SWEATBAND see choices
Cotton Twill is the standard sweatband.
RIBBON see choices
Standard ribbon for this style is 1 1⁄16 inch black.
Montecristi
Roll-up Optimo
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Text and photos © 1988-2010, B. Brent Black. All rights reserved.
