The thing is, straw hats have been around for eons, since the middle ages, even. In maybe an even more intriguing twist, the hat styles haven’t changed a whole lot between then and now. Certainly, when you put your new straw boater hat on your head you aren’t harkening back to the 1300s, but each intertwined piece of straw tells a story, much like the history of straw hats.

Over the years they’ve evolved depending on the climate in which they were made and the plant material available to hatmakers. Today, we see an assortment of different types of straw used to make these summer hats: toquilla palm for Panama hats; shantung, raffia, and toyo for today’s dashing fedora styles. Each straw hat has its own history, its own legend woven into its shape and feel.

While straw hats range in size and shape, a popular form is that of wide-brimmed hats. Floppy hats and straw fedora hats have adapted to today’s modern wearer, blending seamlessly in with a casual floral-print shirt or summer dress. So, despite the ancient history of the straw hat, you can rest assured that whatever design you decide upon will offer a truly modern take on a historical classic.

Though the hat racks are numerous and the aisles endless, your visit to our hat store won’t be complete without a trip to the straw hats. Made from the Earth and born of necessity, straw hats are a nod to the vast, stretching history that binds all of us together. Try on a new straw hat today, and appreciate the weightlessness of it, the comfortable feel. Though you’re someone born of this age, you’re carrying history along with you. Don’t be surprised if the straw of your palm leaf hat turns some heads today.