Levine Hats Co. Men's Casa Blanca Optimo Crown Panama Straw Dress Hat

I have been shopping for an Optimo shape Panama hat off and on for some time. I am not really a Panama hat snob, insisting that it be made in Ecuador. This one is made in the USA. Actually, I rather like the concept if the quality is up to snuff. The hat came well packaged with the brim turned up as in the picture. Since I am not Charlie Chan, I didn't want to wear it that way. So, I turned the brim down. It left the brim just a bit wavy. Good thing I knew the "steam" trick. I steamed the brim over the kitchen stove, and it smoothed up nicely.A Panama hat snob could easily get into over $300 for some Panamas, depending on its grade...Fino, Super Duper Fino, etc. It may have said in the description what this one was, but I don't recall. It is very similar to a Bailey Panama I have in terms of the weave.I am very pleased with the quality and the fit and the price. At $109 I think it is a real bargain. Plus, they had it in stock. Some Panama hats may take a couple of months to be made after ordering.

I bought this hat for sun protection, but it's more than that. It's very comfortable and looks great. I can't speak yet of its durability, only time will tell. It's coated with DuPont Teflon Shield + fabric protector, so it will be easy to keep clean -- and it's made in the USA.I will wear this hat daily from April through September in the heat and humidity of Austin, Texas. If it falls short of expectations, I'll write an update. Meanwhile, I would definitely buy it again. It's more attractive than its photos suggest.UPDATE March 24, 2018: My Casa Blanca Optimo continued to exceed expectations, but it turned up missing during my last move. So, I purchased another hat identical to my previous one. The DuPont Teflon Shield was great. It helped remove smudges and stains from my first hat, which was very light in color and easily showed dirt. My second hat (received yesterday) came in a nice hat box, which will be useful in storing and protecting the hat. This is a great hat! I would buy again!

I bought two hats from Levine Hat Company of St. Louis, the casa blanca crown Panama Hat (like the foldable summer hats) with the small ridge on top) was what I bought. I am well pleased with the QUALITY of the hats, the weave is small and tight and coated with Teflon, white in color, with a black hat band. The weave keeps the sun out and is both flexible but sturdy enough to keep it's shape once formed to the shape you desire. I typically wear the brim down but that is personal choice. Hat was shipped in a double box, the hat box with a clear plastic bag over the hat and the ha in a cardboard holder inside the hat box and that box within the shipping box.The shipped hats got here very quickly (from St. Louis to north Texas), and were shipped securely and fast. The hat protects me from the sun, and lets air get to my head. They are stylish and cool (temperature wise).Very pleased with seller & hats.

This is a very nice, well-made hat and it fits as expected. The reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 is the condition it arrived in - it looked like a very large gorilla sat on it. The brim was crumpled and the crown had several dents even though it was shipped in a cardboard box that was not damaged. That tells me it was in this condition before shipping.The good news is that after 10 minutes of steaming, I was able to return it to some semblance of a panama hat. Another 10 minutes or so of steaming should straighten everything out. I would buy it again - just be aware that you will probably need to do some reconstructive surgery.

I really like this hat. Couple of things though.Bought this 3 years ago and love it. I wear a 7 1/4 so I ordered the large. Too big. Had to buy a sizer, also from Amazon and it worked well. It blew off my head on the lake and got wet. Now the brim won't straighten out. I've tried everything. Oh well, I'll buy another. It was about $20.00 cheaper 3 years ago but I think the price is still good for this quality and appearance.

Shape is perfect, fit is perfect and the best looking straw hat I have ever had. I downturn the brim and use it primarily for golf through the summer. I buy a new hat for summer each year. I use a sweat stop in the front and spray it with no sweat spray and it looks good and holds its shape for the year. This is the second one exactly like this and I purchased this one to put away for next year just in case I can’t find it when I need the next one

Hat arrived today but no “Levine” box as depicted on Amazon. Hat was wrapped in plastic and the crown was smushed in, even though the shipping box showed no sign of damage. So, the crown and side are not ‘smooth and straight’ but creased and crooked. I will see if they improve with some time but if not Amazon/Levine can expect to do an exchange. Outside of that, it appears to be well made and does look nice (overlooking aforementioned issues). If the thing smoothies out or I get a good exchange it would be a Five Star rating easy.

The hat was delivered early. Nicely packaged and in great shape. Very comfortable and attractive. I am very pleased with the quality.