Shopping for Panama Hats (Part 2)

Daniel and I spent a lot of time trying on hats at Paredes and Sons.

It was fun.

They have hats in all shapes and sizes and colors for men and women. Daniel is trying on the classic natural straw-colored Panama in this picture. But they also have lots of other not so classic ones like the one I am wearing below.

They start at about $20 and go up to around $80 for a fino.

You can tell the difference by looking at the size of the straw in the hat. The smaller the better. You can also hold the crown up to the light. If you can't see light through the crown, it's a fino. Finos are also more supple. However all classic Panamas can be rolled into a cone and will pop back into shape.

We are interested in getting classic hats for ourselves. My wife Ann wants one too. Can we afford finos for everyone? That remains to be seen. We are going to do a little more shopping first.