HATS have been woven in and around Montecristi, a hillside town in Ecuador near the Pacific Ocean, since as long ago as the 17th century. Locally the cream-coloured titfers, which are made from the ...

The most notable misconception about the Panama hat is where it comes from. The handwoven straw hats are made in Ecuador, not Panama. They likely became associated with Panama because they passed ...

The Montecristi hats, which cost around $5,000, are in a special glass case, as is the vicuña bomber jacket, ($15,000). There is a considerable price range, however, said daughter Carolina Anda ...

Don Rosendo Delgado, now in his late 80s, is one of the great old-time hat dealers. He says Simon Espinal's hats are among the finest — if not the finest — he's ever seen, though he recalls a female ...