Panama Hats Travel Video duration - 5.51 minutes El Galpon Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Travel Video Fashion - Retail Therapy Gustavo Lerner Shop Owner, El Galpon - Panama Hats, the story used in long time ago, was a couple of hundred by getting vogue in the forties and thirties and the name is owned because, when the panama canal was opened, Teddy Roosevelt went to a conference and they asked “where did you get the hat?” and he said “I got it in Panama”. So from that year on, they say, the Panama Hat. - In order to be a Panama Hat, they have to meet three criteria. First, they have to be completely hand-made, second in Ecuador and third, from a specific kind of palm called Toquilla palm that grows only in Ecuador. Because it is organic material, no nylon is on the hat, so for this kind of weather which is warm and humid, you feel very fresh. And you exchange air, evaporate in this way. And it’s very light because the palm is very very very thin, but very resistant. So you can do almost everything with your hat, and when you wear it, it is like a feather. - Do you find here people coming to the shop having one idea of the kind of hat that they want and they leave with a completely different? - Yes, like two hundred times a day - What is? two hundred times a day (laughs) - At least. - Because you’re the expert, you’re like “Trust me, trust me - Yes. What happened right now, since Britney Spears got this hat, everybody wants it. But big guys, broad shoulders, they don’t look good on them... - Even the guys want to look like Britney Spears? - Yes. Yes, because what happens, I always say, a woman can take over a man’s hat but not the other way around. - - - What do you think? - Looks great - Oh perfect. Aren’t so? Because I like you Gustavo. - What else would you recommend then, for me? We’ve got so many to choose from. Classic Downturn Style - Well. This one is my number one for any woman. - Ooh, I love this, I love the vintage style! What era is this? - Twenties, thirties. - It’s just lovely. They certainly knew how to make things, back in the day, didn’t they? - What happens, it is a convenient hat because, on the back, it is a short brim. So if you are driving, you don’t have to take it off and it will not mess you hair. But in the front it is a big rim, so it covers you from the sun. - I love how hats have changed over the years to adapt to certain lifestyles. So what would you say have been the biggest changes with the styles? - Well at the begining, a panama hat should cover you from the sun, like this one. This is the oldest in the women’s, they are called Pamela. Presumably, because the woman who first wore this, Pamela was her name. These are the ones we call “urban” hats. - And these are the ones women come back to. I know Jennifer Lopez is a big fan of a hat like this. - Exactly. What happens, if you want to walk, you can bend it. - Ha, I see all the ways you can change it. And what was the idea behind the wide brim? - Protect you from the sun. Not only the face, but also what we call in this Spanish “the Nacimiento”, this part. Because it wrinkles very very easy - We don’t want wrinkles, Gustavo, no - No, they don’t look good. - While I love this one, I can certainly see the practical aspects of it being really tricky, the other had that caught my eye, is this one. It looks kind of Audrey Hepburnesque, to me... - Actually, you’re right. - Oh I am, oh good, good. I’m good on my hats and hat trivia. Oh yes, I love it. Now what can you tell me about this hat? - Well, the name is Campana, means “bell” in Spanish, because it is like a bell. It covers your face completely. - I love this …... It looks really chic to me. Adds a little air of mystery, as you’re walking through San Juan - Well then. Let’s get a little bit more current. What would you say is the most, sort of, hip and trendy hat right now? The most modern hat? - Well the most modern, we call the “checkers”. - And how is this made? - From here, centering around, but the artisan has to know before what you are going to do because you need one palm of each color. So you have to know the pattern already. They have to be very skilful - So they would design the pattern ahead of time and then start to make it? - Absolutely, yes. - Well the attention to detail is pretty incredible. What I love is that it makes the hat really unique. And I think it is another one that the ladies could pull off and steal from the guys. - That’s right. - Oh great.