Friday, July 30, 2010

Wholesale Panama Hats

True from the earlier times, mens and women’s always like to cover their heads either out of fashion or out of necessity. Previously, people wore a hat only on special occasions or events. During bad climate, people wear hats for protecting themselves from dust particles and air. In cold weather, hats help in preventing the loss of heat from the body while on sunny days; hats protect the person’s head and face from harmful effects of the sun.

Summer brings a number of accessories into fashion one among them is the panama hats. These hats not only serve the purpose of beating the heat but are equally trending as a fashion accessory. Researchers have found 85% of our body heat gets lost through our head only. Retailers have grabbed this opportunity to release a wide assortment of wholesale panama hats for sale to woo customers. These wholesale hats are equally relevant for both women and men as most of them stick to the codes of both sexes. The wholesale panama hats are specially designed so they pertain to both the feminine and masculine, coming with a good assortment of colors and designs to appease both.

Hats are also sometimes worn as a protective aid from injuries. Last but not the least, hats are also an indication of authority, are a status symbol and are usually worn with a uniform to indicate you belong to a certain department. In modern days, wholesale panama hats have become an important fashion accessory.

The wholesale panama hats for sale may come decorated with feathers and flowers to suit women while they may come in simple, single color design to befit men. On the contrary, the wholesale hats come in different fabrics and materials such as leather, a mixed material to provide style and sooth the comfort factor.

Taking into consideration the increasing demand of wholesale panama hats in the market, manufacturers have started manufacturing several types of hats, matching several occasions and preferences of the consumers. There are different types of wholesale hats available in the market including wholesale panama hats, cowboy hats, patriotic hats, Christian hats, city and states hats, emergency services hats, military and law enforcement hats. All these types of hats show the wearer’s interest in a particular field.

As , a person who is a fan of military and veterans can wear a hat with logo and quote of US Air Force or US Army. A person who is a pure Christian can wear a hat with a Christian logo or a quote which denotes the wearer’s devotion towards Christianity. People who have pride for being located in a particular part of a country can wear city and state hats on which logo and names of several places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and Texas are imprinted.

Because these wholesale panama hats have a Velcro at the back, these can fit on almost everybody’s head which means that you do not need to worry about sizes. Apart from that, there are special colorful hats for children and soft color hats for ladies in pink,red, black and grey colors. Hats for children are infant sized with logos like ‘Cute’, ‘Angel’ and ‘Princess’ in different colors like pink, blue, purple and white. Whatever hat you wish to purchase, wholesale panama hats are available which are just perfect for your needs and your preferences.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Where are the famous Panama Hats made?

This is a question that I've seen in the board game "Trivia Pursuit" and the famous TV show "Who wants to be a millionaire." The name obviously suggests that the Panama hat is made in Panama, but in reality this hat is exclusively produced in Ecuador. Panama Hats or Toquilla Straw Hats as they are also known have always been handcrafted by artisans from the towns of Montecristi on the coast of Manabi in Ecuador and use a very fine and thin straw called Toquilla Straw, which only grows in this region of the world.

The history of this hat name started when an Ecuadorean businessman named Manuel Alfaro who had his own plantations in Montecristi, decided in 1835 to hire several experienced weavers and build a hat business. His business prospered and when the Ecuadorian market got limited, he decided to extepand his business by exporting straw hats to Panama, since this country was becoming a major center for business. Shortly after he opening stores in Panama, he attracted the attention of many customers around the world that passed through Panama, which was already a major trading port.

Eloy Alfaro, son of Manuel Alfaro and later President of Ecuador took over the family and at the early 1900s, Ecuador was exporting thousands of hats to Panama, taking advantage that the Panama Canal was being built by many workers and American engineers who needed sun protection. The hat then was baptized by all foreigners in Panama as "Panama Hat" because it was linked to the country where it was bought. The popularity grew throughout the world when the world press published a photo of President Theodore Roosevelt using a Montecristi hat during his visit to the channel.

The truth is that since then on, this beautiful Ecuadorian Montecristi Hat it is now known as Panama Hat.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Panama Hat


The Panama hat is one which everyone wants to keep it in their collection. These days, accessorizing has the integral part of life. And one cool way to make a fashion statement is by wearing a hat. The hat provides excellent comfort levels from the sun. The straw is harvested in the Eastern and Western slopes of the Andes.
Wearing a hat conveys different meanings. It can be the part of your uniform or a fashion statement but wearing it well is important. Hats have been in the market for many years now. Designed to protect the head from sun and religious purposes, hats have now become an accessory but it was considered as a social symbol during earlier centuries. Hats today can now be worn practically by everyone to suit their needs and style. Do you want to make a fashion statement by wearing hat? Panama hat is the excellent one in the market serving its purpose. These hats have become the symbol of elegance as every Hollywood star, celebrities, singers and leader used to wear it.
Panama hat is made up from quality straws. But you cannot rely upon the quality of the straw. The real man is the weaver and his work makes it a quality one. Look for tightly woven consistency in the straw - the fewer the gaps, holes and bumps, the better would be the look. Look for evenness in the weave and rows should be straight and resemble.
Panama hats are very costly, with prices for the best Super Fine quality commonly exceeds thousands of dollars. A genuine Panama hat starts with hand-split Tequila straw, and the super-fine hats have the straws are sliced as fine as sewing thread. All original Panama Hats are bleached with sulphur fumes making them a light ivory color.
There are so many styles of hats available and it can be difficult for one to choose. When you're trying hats on, remember to keep the shape of your face in mind. If your face is long, a tall hat will only highlight that fact. A round face, however, is complemented by a hat that boasts some height.
While choosing any panama hat you should consider your outfit. You have to use your common sense as you wouldn't wear a straw garden hat with a wool suit or choose a cowboy hat to top off your little black dress.
Apart from this, lots of things are to be considered as the size of the hat, angles of the hats etc. These things enhances one look and make him look cool.

Panama Montecristi Fino Hats

Many people know that these panama hats are woven by hand and around the small town of Montecristi, Ecuador. The locals know the plant as "paja toquilla". The "fino" quality can be quite expensive - even into the thousands of dollars, so it is no surprise that potential hat buyers want to know as much as they can before purchasing. Further complicating questions about the panama hats itself is the fact that these hats often come to the North American market in their most basic state - unblocked, without a sweatband, and without a decorative trim. Buying the hat this way has advantages and disadvantages. I have traveled around the world with my basic unblocked Montecristi Fino Panama Hat and it has served me very well. But because most hats in North America come to the retail market in a more finished state, the hat requires some explanation.

Panama hats can be rolled like fine linen and stored in a balsa wood box, often with the Ecuadorian flag decorating the box.This is true, but the owner must understand that this will create a crease in the crown of the hat.For many this is no problem - the crease becomes a style point, not dissimilar from the "optimo" style crown.Half the hat is folded into the other half and it is carefully rolled from there.The big cigar shape is then held in place by double or triple looping the grosgrain trim and slipping it around the rolled hat. Panama hat can be stored in the box, packed in a suitcase, or put in the pocket of one's trousers when walking about and choosing not to wear the hat.When the hat is unrolled, it may take some minutes for the material to relax and expand so that it is again "a hat".Regularly rolling and unrolling your Panama hat will shorten its life span, as the straw will eventually crack. If you are a stickler for getting the absolute most time of service from products that you purchase, we recommend not rolling your hat.

We include two options with a panama hat purchase.1. The traditional grosgrain ribbon. Place the hat on your head. Run the ribbon around the base of the crown and pull it so that the hat fits snugly, not too tight, on your head.Tie a knot or make a bow at the point where the fit is most comfortable. Typically this knot or bow is slid to the left side for man and to the right side for woman.2. The elastic trim. During a trip to Ecuador, we discovered some upscale boutiques sold trim that was elasticized so that the hat wearer could simply stretch the trim onto the hat. When we returned to California, we purchased the material and now make these ourselves. We include one, as an option, with a purchase.


Women’s Hat

Women’s hats were largely associated with elite classes before the 20th century. Hats were not worn for its functionality practically during those times. Rather, it was for showing off their status and procession. Most of their hats were adorned with feathers, jewels, and exotic fabrics. For upper class women, being fashionable was much important than anything.

Today, the adorning hats with jewels, feathers or metals seem to cease a bit. Now this kind of decoration is limited for cocktail parties, racing events and weddings. Now, women are more practical regarding the use of hats today. There are not far behind their male counterpart regarding the use of hats in the fashion industry. Most of the women’s hats are still adorned with creative design to exude a sophisticated style.

Today the women's fashion hats can range from simple berets, rib knits hats, felted hats, cloche hats, beanies, baker boy caps, Panama hat and trilby hats.

Panama hats

Women’s straw hats are mainly made from materials like toquilla straw, twisted grass, coberg, shantung, raffia, vegetable fibers and Milan. The Women's Panama Hats are the most famous among the straw hats. Panama hats are known for its popularity among the hat lovers. The Panama hats are made from the toquilla straw found in Ecuador. Most women’s Panama hats are weaved with a laced crown and wide brim. Even today, the Panama straw gives a stunning and elegant look when it is worn. The Panama straw hats are finely handmade taking months to complete and it can last ages if taken great care.

Trilby Hats

The Trilby gained quite a status as the hat of choice when it supplanted stiffer styles in the 1920s. Now the trilby is made from a wide range of materials from angora to classic wool checks. The style is much loved among today’s women.

Berets

The berets are worn by almost all women. The beret is simple yet gives a fashionable style. It comes in multitudes of colors. The crown is round but it is typically pushed to one side.
 
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