How much do polleras cost?
How much does something like this cost? “Just the pollera puts you at a cost ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 or $20,000, depending on the technique and the colors.”
What are Panama hats made of?
Today, the legendary genuine Panama hat continues to be made of toquilla palm, and the very finest Panama hats are hand-crafted by artisans in the small town of Montecristi, Ecuador.
Are Panama hats popular?
It remains the most popular style today, and includes a variety of variations. The Optimo is the classic Panama hat style, called the Natural in Ecuador.
Is a Panama hat a fedora?
The main difference between a Panama hat vs fedora is that a Panama hat is made out of straw, and a fedora is typically made from felt. So the biggest difference is the material. Panama hats are woven from strands from the jipijapa plant, while men’s fedoras are usually made from felt.
What are the two types of Polleras?
There are five regional styles of pollera, each then divided into two categories: the more casual pollera montuna, which is plainer and straighter; and the fancier, pollera de gala, which boasts more elaborate embroidery and a fuller, gathered skirt.
What is a pollera in Panama?
The Panamanian pollera consists of a shirt and the pollerón, made of fine cotton or wool fabric, adorned with varied works, braids or lace. Under the pollerón lies the petticoat, made of linen or cotton, which is used as a kind of female underwear.
What does the name Panama mean?
Another states that the first settlers arrived in Panama in August, when butterflies are abundant, and that the name means “many butterflies” in one or several of the indigenous Amerindian languages that were spoken in the territory prior to Spanish colonization.
What is a montuno Panama?
The Montuno, as pictured above, is the traditional dress worn by men during town festivities, national celebrations, and particularly when performing Panama folk dances, together with women wearing Polleras.
How many weaves does it take to weave a panama hat?
Mr. Espinal’s hats average around 3,000 weaves per square inch — a fineness few weavers have ever even approached. His best has just over 4,200 weaves per square inch and took him five months to weave. Gabriel Lucas replaces a straw in a Panama hat at his workshop in Montecristi.
Who are Panama’s elite hat weavers?
Gabriel Lucas replaces a straw in a Panama hat at his workshop in Montecristi. The 52-year-old Ecuadorean is one of a dwindling number of elite Panama hat weavers, nearly all of whom live in Pile, an obscure village tucked away in the foothills behind Montecristi, a low-slung town about 100 miles up the coast from Guayaquil.
Where do Panama hats come from?
These days, the overwhelming majority of Panama hats are woven in Cuenca, an attractive town in the Andes whose residents, prompted by the local government, turned to hat weaving in the mid 1800s, once Panama hats became popular. These are the hats you find in department stores and most hat shops.