Panama

Men’s Summer hat made from plaited straw with a broad brim and a dented crown. It took this name in 1906, the year in which the American president Theodore Roosevelt sported one whilst on an official visit to the Panama Canal. Its shape is similar to that of a felt hat, but it has the advantage that it can be rolled up and unrolled again without losing its shape. It is made from straw from the leaves of the Carloduvica palmata, a plant that grows in Ecuador. It is the ideal hat for hot climates. Very elegant, with a price to match, it is often used by wardrobe designers for movies set in the first half of the 20^th century. Worn by Dirk Bogarde when playing the character Gustav von Ashenbach in Visconti’s Death in Venice.