Holaaa, hellooo,hallooo, ciao, salut, こんにちは,
Where do you use your Panama Hat, Panama Hut, Chapeau Panama, Cappello Panamá, Chapéu-panamá, etc.? When you put the #PanamaHat, I have seen plenty of photos all around the world in Instagram. Indeed, our iconic hat has travelled all around the globe, and has also been on top of many important heads. This first post is a ode to the worldwide use of this accesory.
Why don’t you send me some pictures to andrea@ecua-andino.com? #SpreadthePanamaHat and find out how tons of people wear this hat.
Stay in touch,
Andrea
Helloooo,
Last Sunday, I was in company of some lovely people, part of the Panama Hat Tour, organized by Ecua-Andino along the coast of Ecuador. The goal was to discover the origin and traditional process of making a Panama hat.
To sum it up, the hat process starts after the artisans collect in the coast mountains a bulk of toquilla palm and tie it into bundles of 8, we went to the town of Barcelona and saw how they boiled the toquilla palm in a large cauldron of hot water. Once the cogollos were cooked, they took them out of the cauldron and let them dry (for about 2 days). The following step is to send the dry toquilla palm to some places in the highlands or to other nearby communities so the weaving process can start.
Our trip continued and we stopped in Olón, ate some delicious sweets in a pastry shop named Los dulces de Benito, I had an amazing Tres Leches after which we carried on with our travel and made a stop in Puerto Lopez for lunch. Back on the road we decided to discover one of our best beaches here in Ecuador, so we went to Los Frailes and took some really cool pictures.
Eloise (a work partner/friend), also both special friends: Krystell and Virgit Canaz ( a fashion blogger: Preppy Fashionist.com)
As we arrived in Montecristi, the weather changed completely, and it started to rain a lot! But that was not bothering us at all as we really wanted to know the process of our beloved hats. So we went to a Panama Hats factory and were taught the last part of the hat making process such as cutting the edges and ironing the Panama Hat. At the end of the day we were so tired but definitely had a great time.
For this occasion I wore a T-shirt printed with the ironic phrase “I’m not a blogger”, a pair of shorts and a black classic Panama Hat that you can find here.
Wait for another post very soon,
Andrea Lecaro
Hi guys,
Today I wanted to share with you a little secret…I must tell you that even if I am super skinny I just love food above all (except above books of course).
This is why I really enjoy to discover new places to eat around the city.
On Monday I went to a really nice place here in Guayaquil, named Mono Goloso. I found them on www.facebook.com/elmonogoloso and since last month I REALLY wanted to taste their desserts and pastries. The decoration is very minimalist, Art Nouveau (Toulouse Lautrec look alike posters), and quite cozy.
For this occasion I wore a beautiful polka dot dress with a red Panama hat, you can find it here.
I definitely recommend you to have a coffee break there, with friends or family. It fits for any occasion and do try their Chocolatine, a dream! If you want a warm croissant go early on the morning, that´s my best advice for you.
See you soon for more articles.
Andrea Lecaro
This is my first post in the Hat fiction section.
As I Literature student and fashion lover, I wanted to mix both worlds as French designer Olympia Le Tan did with her book clutches.
Moreover, I realized how most classic novels are full of details in the way writers describe the characters outfits, and many of us remember “Jay Gatsby, standing outside his darkening mansion in that «gorgeous pink rag of a suit» or Anna Karenina at a ball, elegant in velvet, Venetian lace and a garland of pansies; Holly Golightly, effortlessly chic in dark glasses, a slim cool black dress, black sandals, a pearl choker». (Gordon, 2009)
So I was wondering how to start, and then I thought about my first childhood literature character, the legendary “Tom Sawyer”. This iconic Mark Twain´s character appeared in my life when I was 12 years old. I will always remember the big pink book with that special cover. The story captivated me a lot, and I would imagine that I was part of Tom’s Sawyer gang (maybe Becky…who knows?) .
Do you recognize this part of the story?
You know what’s cool? Ecua-Andino also has a model called Tom Sawyer, frayed on the brim and with a casual look, perfect for a day in the countryside.
You can find this model here
Let’s stay in touch and don’t forget to feed back with comments,
Andrea Lecaro
Referencies:
Gordon, Helen. (2009) Off to page: Fashion in Literature. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/19/fashion-in-literature
