Just Don't Call it Panama

There are many types of Panama hats, but they all have one thing in common: they?re made in Ecuador. According to legend, it was the Americans who coined the term ?Panama? after the press ran photographs of Theodore Roosevelt wearing a hat as he inspecting the Panama Canal- actually he had just borrowed the hat from the Ecuadorian president moments before the photographers arrived. In spite of this big misnomer, the name stuck and in 2012 this humble handmade topper was designated a UNESCO symbol of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Today the Panama hat lives on as both a symbol of enduring artisan craft and style, check out our favorite ways to wears this classic.

There are many types of Panama hats, but they all have one thing in common: they?re made in Ecuador. According to legend, it was the Americans who coined the term ?Panama? after the press ran photographs of Theodore Roosevelt  wearing a hat as he inspecting the Panama Canal- actually he had  just borrowed the hat from the Ecuadorian president moments before the photographers arrived. In spite of this big misnomer, the name stuck and in 2012 this humble handmade topper was designated a UNESCO symbol of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Today the Panama hat lives on as both a symbol of enduring artisan craft and style, check out our favorite ways to wears this classic.

Images courtesy of Valdez, Prymal, Tumblr