As the cold months finally draw to a close, the sun looms on the horizon. Hot spring and summer days are coming. Before long, the temperature will rise and the sun will grow blisteringly hot. While the warmer months are a great time for all sorts of fun in the sun, savvy stylists know that summer hats for women and men are essential accessories for the season. When the heat really kicks in, and there’s no shade in sight, only the best quality hat will do! What makes the best summer hat? The material, of course! When it comes to the best summer hats for men and women, straw is the way to go!
High-Quality Straw Materials
While it’s no secret that straw is the best material for a summer hat, what many may not realize is that there are a variety of different straw materials available. While any straw hat is likely to provide a lightweight and breathable hat-wearing experience, each type of straw has its own distinctive look and qualities. When looking for the perfect summer hats for men or women, it’s important to be in-the-know about the advantages of each style. Today, we’ll be giving you all the details on the hottest straw hat materials for 2020! Keep reading to find the perfect straw material to suit anyone’s needs!
Panama Straw
Panama straw is a premium straw hat material and is perfect for men’s summer hats and straw hats for women. True Panama hats are made from straw from the South American toquilla palm plant. The tightly woven toquilla straw does an excellent job of repelling water and sunlight, making it the perfect material for outdoor hats as it will stand up well to summer showers and sunshine! This lightweight material is versatile, dependable, and highly fashionable with its light coloration!
Though Panama hats are often considered a hat style in their own regard, this popular material is also used for making a variety of other styles of summer hats for men and women. Other hat styles sometimes made from Panama straw include western straw cowboy hats (pictured above) and safari hats (pictured below). Hat styles that utilize the Panama material without adhering to the traditional hat shape often take more liberties in terms of stylistic choices. Straw cowboy hats like the one pictured above are available in eye-catching colors, whereas traditional Panama hats retain their natural light coloration. Straw cowboy hats are the ultimate accessories for any rodeo or outdoor event this summer!
Safari styles benefit especially well from the tightly-woven water and sunlight repellent qualities of Panama straw. Their wide brim construction paired with the unbeatable Panama weave makes Panama Safari hats an easy choice for anyone looking for premium sun-shielding! Panama straw is a great choice of material for any hat style due to its extreme versatility.
Shantung Straw
Shantung straw is a formidable hat material and closely rivals the high quality and durability of Panama straw. The unique process for creating a Shantung straw hat involves molding a flat, woven sheet into the shape of a hat. Shantung is thin and lightweight, but also highly resilient to allow it to assume the fashionable shape of various hat styles. Shantung straw is traditionally dyed a light ivory shade that has become a staple of both spring and summer hat fashions.
Seagrass Straw
Perhaps one of the most striking materials available for hat-making today, seagrass is both durable and delightful to behold. Seagrass is harvested directly from the ocean floor and becomes very firm and stiff once dried and treated. Its unique appearance is remarkably natural and makes any seagrass hat stand out as a true conversation starter. The stiff nature of seagrass also makes it perfect for creating vented hats that breathe to combat the heat and humidity of the warmer months. While seagrass straw hats are beautiful for either gender, their rugged and natural appearance makes them great as men’s summer hats. Seagrass hats are excellent at holding their shape and are the perfect solution for no-fuss fashion.
Milan Straw
Milan straw is easily identifiable by its layered weave which overlaps at different angles throughout the construction of the hat. Milan straw hats are often dyed various rich tones to create uniquely constructed and colorful hats. The average Milan straw hat will tend to weigh more than other straw hat styles as the overlapping weave utilizes more material and creates a heavier product. This can be ideal for windy days on the beach as Milan straw’s weight helps it to stay in place
Raffia Straw
Imported primarily from the raffia palm, native to Madagascar and Africa (Kewscience), raffia is an exotic and exquisite material for straw hats. Raffia is a very lightweight material that wears best when the temperatures begin to rise! Raffia straw hats tend to favor a natural coloration and make for excellent neutral accessories to complement a vivacious ensemble. Try pairing a raffia hat summer hat for women with a bright sundress or a summer hat for men with a vivid tropical patterned shirt for a stunning effect!
Palm Straw
Palm straw has a very distinctive look that sets is apart from many other styles. Palm straw is made from genuine palm fronds that are harvested and crafted into stylish hats. The weaving of these hats is very pronounced to create a true statement piece. Traditional colors for palm straw hats stay in the natural range with varying shades of beige being the predominant selections available for palm straw hats. Palm straw’s rich beige tone creates a great look for summer hats for women and men that is sure to wear well with any casual seaside style!
Straw Hats Bring the Heat!
A stylish straw hat is the best way to heat up any summer wardrobe! With so many fine selections available, the only difficulty will be picking just one. As the summer months can bring many varying weather conditions, from the blistering heat, sweltering humidity, and pouring rain showers, we recommend selecting several different styles to accommodate every possible scenario. There is truly a fashionable straw hat for any occasion and a wide assortment of colors and styles to choose from. Come rain or shine, these straw hats are made from the best materials available for men’s summer hats and summer hats for women and are sure to heat up your summer style!
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