Mr G's favorite Summer Hat was looking pretty dorky.
Yes it had been a fine Panama Hat.
But that was 20 years ago.
Most of the damage was done when getting out of the golf cart and hitting the roof of the cart.
A visit to the "Big City" was in order.
Jim Whittington of J. W. Hats, Salt Lake City, has been making hats since 1974.
While a new hat form was being chosen I had plenty of time to roam from one room to another.
There must be a story that goes along with this scene.
A very beautiful hat caught my eye. It had just been unwrapped from a newly arrived box. It had the most unusual color and texture. It was velvety and the color was a rich and an unusual greyish-green.
A note came with the hat sent from Wyoming by a, no doubt, very handsome cowboy.
Enclosed find my hat in need of repair. Please clean, replace sweat band and liner.....
Finishing touches were being applied to Mr G's new Panama.
I wonder if there is a hat for me in this overflowing abundance of hats.
This one looks more like an Easter bonnet.
My hat needs to have a large brim to keep me cool and protected from the high desert sun.
This is my Panama hat. It has seen better days.
But it fits just so. It's not going to be easy to find a replacement.
No doubt if I look long enough my hat will come to the surface.
One more look at the old hat.
And here is Mr G's new hat. Sitting by my saddle.
Have you owned a Panama?
My dear friends. Have a wonderful week ahead.
Gina
Dear Gina,
ReplyDeleteyou made me check out shops for hats in Fort Worth and I found several. One shop keeper states: " The hat not the clothes makes the man."
I have to take Daahling there..........what fun that will be. I love this post and find it inspiring. Your own hat is soooooo pretty! Do you still get up in the saddle???
Have a great Sunday, Sieglinde
Dear Sieglinde, Recently I saw a picture of your Dahling wearing a very fine hat. Fort Worth Texas is cowboy country. Shopping for a new hat in Texas would be a lot of fun.
DeleteIf I had a horse I would still get up in the saddle. Instead of a horse I ended up with a new house. For now the saddle provides a perch during cocktail hours.
Being a hat person (several in my closet - !), I would love to see that shop and find a hat there for me. It would have been nice to see you in one (even if just from the back) in the last photo - but Mr. G's and your saddle was a fine visual and very appealing: it made me think how much fun it would be to get upon a horse today and go for a ride with a hat just like that!
ReplyDeleteMary in Oregon
Dear Mary, There is no doubt that you would find a hat for yourself in J. W.Hats of Salt Lake. After you have found it you might have to come this direction. Plenty of saddles, horses and open land available.
Delete...not to mention that to-die-for italian estate with those hand-painted renaissance artifacts everywhere!!!
DeleteBe careful for offering such an opportunity... You have no idea how far I'm willing to travel for a good hat!!! hehehehehe
M in Oregon
Dear Mary, On the way you can stop at the hat shop.
DeleteDear Gina - I would have loved to join you both visiting such a quaint establishment, all those wonderful wooden hat moulds and the hissing steamer working hard on Mr. Gs panama. I bet he looks really smart in his new hat.
ReplyDeleteDear Rosemary, Oh what a difference a new hat makes. Mr. G's hat has been admired by many. You would have been so welcome to join in on the hat selection. The shop is a treasure trove of old and new and not just hats. Every room, and there were many, was filled to the brim with the most unexpected items. The perfect place to spend a few hours.
DeleteJW Hats looks like a very good hat shop...not many such places are still around that are able to treat customers as clients with custom caring.
ReplyDeleteI do love hats and have one very wide-brimmed straw hat that I usually forget to take with me during the summer months. I mostly stay out of the sun. I don't think I've ever had a proper Panama hat. Must look into that before next summer. xo
Dear Frances, You are right, not many places like J. W. exist today. Our cowboys know of this place and keep the Gentleman busy.
DeleteWhen you find your Panama you will be so pleased because of the way they mold themselves to your head. You will never again forget your hat when you go out on your sojourns to the park and the market.
I so enjoyed this post with a smile and a slight bit of envy that you live in a place that offers so many things different from where I live just a few states away. It makes me want to come back to Utah again, as it has been 3 years now. I have never owned a Panama hat, but now I think that I should own one! I love the older hats you have had and the new one for your husby and hope you find your new one soon. I cannot wait to see another entry from this place, when you make your selection known. Thank you for always sharing your world a bit with us~
ReplyDeleteDear Mary, Well, you will just have to come for a visit. We will find a Panama for you and you will be so pleased. As far as finding a new hat for myself, that might take a while. In the meantime I will keep starching and stitching mine until it finally falls apart.
DeleteHello, what a great post. I like the hat shop and the new hat. Happy Monday, have a great new week ahead!
ReplyDeleteHello Eileen, I am so glad that you like this post. I enjoyed being in the shop and was given free reign to snoop around and take lots of pictures.
DeleteHow neat. I have an old hat of my Dad's similar to this one. Happy Monday! Hugs, Diane
ReplyDeleteHello Diane, Thank you for hosting Mosaic Monday. I appreciate it. Have you tried on your Dad's hat? It might fit. Happy Monday to you as well.
DeleteHello Gina,
ReplyDeleteA super post. I have had the pleasure of being in the same kind of hat making factory in Houston Texas. I thought it fascinating.
My school uniform in Africa as a young girl, we all had to wear panama hats. I loved wearing mine. Old colonial traditions.. not sure if they still do , but dont think so.
Mr G's Panama.. is perfect, you will have to hang the old one up somewhere ... a talking point for past times.
I love your saddle Gina..
Keep your little hat , its gorgeous..
love val.
I am slowly catching up, after a long absence.
Dear Val, While traveling in Europe I have come across little girls on a school outing. All in a row and wearing uniforms and hats. What a lovely sight!
DeleteMr G still wears the old hat. He is saving the new one for more important visits. The trouble is that he forgets what he has on his head and ends up wearing his beat up old hat everywhere he goes.
It's wonderful to know that you are feeling better.
What a wonderful place! I didn't even imagine such places still existed. How lovely to have a hat made for just your head.
ReplyDeleteHello Spirit, It is comforting to know that here and there such places still exist. Thank you for stopping by.
Delete'A perch during cocktail hour' hahaha.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the photos of the hattery. Very interesting.
Hello Gayle, Thank you for your visit and thank you also for leaving a comment. The saddle may be just be a perch for a little while longer.
DeleteI love hats so I enjoyed seeing this. I love your panama hat.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
Hello Carolyn, My Panama hat is more than 30 years old. In the summer it never leaves my head, hence the pitiful condition that it is in.
DeleteVery interesting to see the hats being made and one sent in for repairs and cleaning. I have a friend living in Panama that swears by the hats but I have not had the pleasure. I like yours and the one you think looks like an Easter bonnet - that would be my choice. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to Mosaic Monday Gina.
Hello Judith, If ever you have an opportunity to own a Panama you will never want for another type of hat. No doubt that Easter bonnet is available. J. W. will only be too happy to mail it to you.
DeleteThank you for hosting Mosaic Monday. It is appreciated.
Whittington Hats looks like a fascinating place to visit, and I am particularly drawn to the hat molds. I notice that none of the molds have indentations, so I'm guessing that creases get added later by hand. I have a straw hat that my friend Sandy calls my "plantation hat," but with my bookish looks, I'd never be confused as anything but urban!
ReplyDeleteDear Mark, If you can wear a cardinal's hat you can wear any hat, bookish looks or not. The style of a hat is determined by the preference of the buyer. That is where the steam comes into play. The hat is molded right there and then.
DeleteI truly LOVE this fabulous post on hats Gina - I'm lover of any type of head gear from my tacky looking washable garden hats to my German wool cloche worn often in winter.
ReplyDeleteI would love to watch Panama hats being made - and those hat blocks are just amazing. Your hat with the silk ribbon and flower is still absolutely beautiful - don't ever get rid of it please!
When I look through my own collection I notice I've bought hats in many places/countries I've visited. Perhaps I'll find a new one on this upcoming trip - Paris or Barcelona should have nice hats! I'm actually packing an Aussie hat for the trip - it has a good brim for rain, chin strap for wind, and works perfectly with my crinkled Eileen Fisher raincoat! Of course I'm really hoping for dry, sunny weather to see Provence in all it's autumn best.
Mr. G's new Panama is awesome - he will look most handsome in it I know.
Much love, Mary
Dear Mary, Your upcoming trip sounds fabulous, especially the part where you will be taking to the waterways through France. A hat is always a good idea to take along. For years I have packed the same red beret just in case. My other favorite hat is a hat I purchased in Peru. It is a Lama felt hat that is waterproof. All I do is move my head forward and the water runs off in a stream.
DeleteWe will be in France at the same time and I am counting on glorious sunshine during the wine harvest.
Bon Voyage and have a most wonderful trip.