I made the Panama Hat Tour!

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

PLACES

Go to Mono Goloso and bon appétit!

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

HAT FICTION

Do you remember Tom?

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

PLACES

Do you want to have a «Suin romanticón»?

Hellooooo,

Last Friday I went to one of my favorites bands concert “Monsieur Periné” (a Colombian band). At the beginning I was a little afraid to be the only one going there (some of my friends did not like the group and the others could not go). But one thing was pretty sure, I would be listening to them with my Panama Hat. No matter if I was alone, that night I would be the dancing queen. I had a very busy week, and all I wanted was to enjoy a marvelous night. And I really did!

Picture by Vicho Gaibor

First, there were two Ecuadorian musicians: one singer named Ricardo Pita and another band named Salú, both had a great swing. When Catalina, the vocalist of Monsieur Periné, arrived on stage, she not only sang all my favorites songs, but she also interacted with all the public. Her personality catched our attention a lot, and in the backstage when I told her I loved the band, she told me: “I saw you were singing all night” and then she HUGGED ME <3 But the best part you know what it was? : I GAVE HER MY HAT. Unfortunately I only have a blurred image L because there were lots of people there that pushed me away.

Picture by Ricardo Bohorquez

At the end of the concert I was so tired of jumping, dancing and singing, that believe me or not when I came home I just fell on my bed like a brick.

You can find the hat here: http://www.ecua-andino.com/index.php/e-shop/classic/panama-classic-navy.html

And in case you didn’t know their music have a look at this link: https://soundcloud.com/monsieurperine/sets/hecho-a-mano-1

Andrea

HAT ART

Panama Hat DIY

We can all recognize the classic outline of a Panama Hat. In fact, it might be the only hat model with the natural/beige color and shape completely sticked on our mind…but what happens when we decide to take this singular hat and make an entire change with it?

In 2013, Ecua-Andino organized during a whole week few events that promoted artistic activities around our iconic hat, the event was named “Sombrero-Arte” and took place in our Central Arts Theatre. The main purpose of this gathering was to showcase our cultural heritage and artistic background.

Here is a quote from Carole and Nigel, journalists from the legendary English Hat Magazine:

”The evening brought together a rare combination of talents, and the hats decorated and worn by the audience far exceeded the expectations of the judging panel. Eventually six finalist were chosen, and from these a winner! The programme of song, poetry and music, combined to make this a unique evening of friendship and cultural artistry, based on a heritage”

There are so many possibilities for your inner expression, and you do not need to be the greatest painter on earth or the next Van Gogh. Everyone has a lot of or a little bit of creativity, so why don’t you try it out…use some art materials, choose a Panama Hat and start to decorate it?

Soon I will be posting a picture of my very own one!

Keep in touch!

Andrea Lecaro

Sin categoría

HERE COMES THE SUN

First of all, I wanted to tell you how thankful I am for all your visits these past weeks. ¡Muchísimas gracias, queridos lectores!

Every time one of you reads my blog I become the happiest girl during the entire day with a big smile on my face. Get ready for some good NEWS coming up soon. I will post the whole information asap.. Stay tuned!

On Saturday, the weather in Guayaquil was as usual very sunny so I decided to use a beautiful vintage dress that I bought in a second hand store in la Rotonda. It was the perfect match with my Panama hat and that’s the main reason I’ve fallen for it. I used the classic hat model by Ecua-Andino with the beige tones and some brown heeled clogs (my favorites). The pictures were taken during sunset and even though I’m not used to pose you can see me as a real Femme Fatale (or a robot) in some photos.

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You can find the model here.

Have a wonderful week,
And please feel free to let me comments. I would love to hear from you!

Andrea Lecaro.

PLACES

IF YOU WANT TO VISIT MY COUNTRY…

First of all, I´m so sorry for the delayed post. I had quite a busy month, but I promise to you that I will be writing more in the future. Yesterday, I went to a very beautiful and emblematic place here in Guayaquil, Ecuador called Las Peñas. The houses are known for their colonial architecture, located on the slopes of Cerro Santa Ana.

A very important fact of this place is that at the beginning it was the home of mainly fishermen and craftsmen – and since the cocoa boom of the 20’s, the sector was gradually occupied by wealthy landowners, who built most of the houses of aristocratic style that are there today. The district is crossed by the street Numa Pompilio Llona and in the year of 1982 it was declared as cultural heritage of Ecuador, because of the hundred year old houses. The cultural background of this place is very impresive, it was the home of famous writers, painters, and also presidents here in Ecuador.

I visited it with the company of my boyfriend, he took the photos and encouraged me to smile even tough I was a little shy. You will find below some photos.

The weather was cloudly, but nothing can stop me from using my beloved Panama hat by Ecua-Andino. I wore a T-shirt that I customized myself with a printed face of one of my special Argentinian writers, Julio Cortázar, a black skirt and ballerina flats. But without a doubt my best choise was the hat with the wine color.

You can match any outfit with the correct Panama hat and no matter if the sky is gloomy you will alway look very stylish.

You can find the model here.

Andrea Lecaro.

Sin categoría

As I have said before, when I was a little girl I was always surrounded by Panama hats. I also remembered to do so many times the “Panama Hat Tour” around the coast and the highlands here in Ecuador.

We all knew about the controversial history behind our Panama Hat[1]. But nowadays the controversy has become much bigger. Many people discuss about either to call straw hats Ecuadorian hats or Panama hats? I often hear a lot of commentaries from my compatriots about advocating for our artisans and straw hat tradition. They don´t like the name Panama Hat, in fact they refuse it. I understand them, it´s normal to take care of your belongings. Nevertheless, the fashion world often confuses clothing names with the place where these become worldwide famous. That´s why I bring you today two illustrations:

-The Capri Pants: “The European fashion designer Sonja de Lennart invented the famous Capri pants in 1948. Well known as Capris, long or three-quarter shorts, they end below the knee and calf. The pants name comes from the Italian island of Capri, where they rose to popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. First only worn by women, Capri pants also became popular with men in many countries, especially in Europe and Latin America[2]”.

The Bikini: “On July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Reard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit at Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini modeled the new fashion, which Reard called “bikini.” He was inspired by news of the U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week[3].

Everything on Ecua-Andino headquarters, from our marketing team until our tags, is carefully chosen to promote the Ecuadorian origin of the Panama hat. Most of our clients know this fact; however, “Ecuadorian Hats” are still called Panama Hats. We could start a long crusade of marketing campaigns, claiming for our Ecuadorian rights and history, but it would a difficult task to say the least.

Then why do we only scream or react with anger but instead start to spread the word with faith, pride and conviction? I just started this post. What will be your step?

Andrea Lecaro.

Previamente les dije que desde pequeña siempre estuve rodeada de sombreros de paja toquilla y también recuerdo haber hecho muchas veces la ruta del Sombrero en la costa y sierra, aquí en el Ecuador.

Todos sabíamos sobre la controversial historia detrás del “Panama Hat”.[1] Pero hoy en día esta se ha incrementado. Muchas personas discuten si el sombrero de paja toquilla debe ser llamado “Ecuadorian Hat” o “Panama Hat”. A menudo escucho muchos comentarios de mis compatriotas, que se emiten en defensa de nuestros artesanos y tradición. A estos no les gusta el nombre “Panama Hat” y es más lo rechazan. En realidad yo los comprendo, es normal cuidar de los que nos pertenece. Sin embargo, el mundo de la moda muchas veces confunde algunos nombres de ropa con el lugar en donde se han hecho mundialmente famosos. A continuación les mostraré dos ejemplos de esto:

-Los pantalones Capri: ”La diseñadora europea Sonja de Lennart inventó los famosos pantalones Capri en 1948. Estos shorts largos o tres cuartos, terminaban por debajo de la rodilla y la pantorrilla. El nombre proviene de los pantalones de la isla italiana de Capri, donde se hizo popular a finales de 1950 y comienzos de 1960. Primero solo fueron usados por las mujeres, pero también se hicieron populares con los hombres en muchos países, especialmente en Europa y América Latina [2] “.

-El Bikini: “El 5 de julio de 1946, el diseñador francés Louis Reard presenta un atrevido traje de baño de dos piezas en Piscine Molitor, una piscina popular en París. La corista parisina Micheline Bernardini modeló la nueva moda, que Reard llamó” bikini”. El cual era inspirado por las noticias de la prueba atómica de Estados Unidos que se llevó a cabo fuera de la isla Bikini Atoll en el Océano Pacífico [3].

En Ecua-Andino, todos los miembros, desde nuestro equipo de marketing hasta los encargados de poner las etiquetas, promueven el origen ecuatoriano del sombrero. Podríamos empezar una larga cruzada de campañas de marketing, reclamando nuestros derechos ecuatorianos en la historia, pero sería una tarea difícil, ya que este nombre está implantado en la psiquis de las personas alrededor del mundo.

Entonces, ¿por qué sólo gritamos o reaccionamos con ira en lugar de difundir su verdadero origen con fe, orgullo y convicción?

Yo ya empecé con esta publicación ¿Cuál será tu paso?

Andrea Lecaro