Milans from Optimo & Panama Grading

I'll be in Chicago late next week and am planning the pilgrimage to Optimo. From what I've read here for over a year now, Graham makes great hats, but his felt hats are nearly indistinguishable in quality from those made by Art. For the price difference, I'll stick with Art for felts.

However, I was thinking of getting another straw. I've got a Panama from Bob, and think that I'd like to pick up a Milan for that honey brown color. I'd love to get something up while I'm at Optimo, so this would be just the thing.

Searching through the threads, I can't find anyone who owns an Optimo Milan, though Bob has recommended them (for Milans) in a couple of threads.

Does anyone have an Optimo Milan?
What do you think?
What do they go for?

Thanks.

Optimo Milan

I don't have an Optimo Milan. I do have an Optimo Monticristi, with another on the way.

BUT, when I went to buy the 2nd Monticristi I tried on a Milan, and I have to tell you, I almost bought the Milan. It just caressed my head in a way that looked and felt great. Only my desire for a particular style kept me from the Milan. If I lived in a place with different weather (ie. New Orleans, etc.) I'd own a slew of Milans. As it is, my two Monticristis and one lightweight felt will get me through what passes for summer around here.

I just recieved my optimo milan c crown...................

I love it ...it fits perfectly and looks great,,,,,

My camera is on the blink so I cannot attach a pic as of yet.

I have a Monticristi comming as well...

i am enjoying my two Optimo milans...

Pics people, pics!

This seems to be one of the most under-represented hats on the Lounge.
Let's see 'em.

price?

Aerol said:

I don't have an Optimo Milan. I do have an Optimo Monticristi, with another on the way.

BUT, when I went to buy the 2nd Monticristi I tried on a Milan, and I have to tell you, I almost bought the Milan. It just caressed my head in a way that looked and felt great. Only my desire for a particular style kept me from the Milan. If I lived in a place with different weather (ie. New Orleans, etc.) I'd own a slew of Milans. As it is, my two Monticristis and one lightweight felt will get me through what passes for summer around here.

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How much are their Monticristi's?

Optimo Monticristis

They start at about $500, and go up from there. Worth every penny, and then some.

Aerol said:

They start at about $500, and go up from there. Worth every penny, and then some.

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especially the one that costs $20K...

What wpi is their $500 Montecristi?

And I second the call for Milan pics. I'd love to see them.

You can see some pics here:

http://www.optimohats.com/milan.htm

I am trying to figure out how a Milan hat could be worth
that dough. The site says,

"Made from hand-braided wheat straw, the Milan braid has been woven for over a century in a small village in China. An entire industry that was devoted to the cultivation, weaving and finishing of this fine braid essentially died out. The high cost of producing the Milan braid eventually led to its gradual replacement by synthetic braid or pseudo-Milan type hats in the marketplace."

I thought maybe they came from Italy. That's what the vintage
ones say on 'em. When they were popular in the 40s and 50s,
an import from China would have been very unlikely.

especially the one that costs $20K...

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I didn't know that offered Milans. They look very nice, and I'm sure they're very well-made. I assume they have a price point similar to the felts and Montecristis, though. That's a lot more than I can swing.

Anj

Price point

If I remember correctly, the Milans are about $350.

Aerol said:

Worth every penny, and then some.

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I totally agree. Optimo delivers unsurpassed quality of materials and workmanship with a superb fit (though as with a tailor, you really should be fitted in person, at least for your first hat). And, outstanding customer sevice.

Optimo was my last stop on a road trip from Akron (home) to Indianapolis to Effingham (a little town in Southern IL, for a wedding) to Chicago.

I'll have photos of the shop and my hat up in a few days, but here's the scoop:

The store is very nice, as is the staff. I've never been to the south-side of Chicago, and was expecting an old, possibly rough area, especially since the store has been around for a long time. (Sorry, but my knowledge of the area is based solely on Jim Croce ) Nothing could be further from the truth. The store is on a busy road that runs between a large retail zone and some really big, beautiful homes. I'm still amazed that there wasn't a Starbucks right next to Optimo. It's that kind of neighborhood.


Felts - this is the first time I've seen any Optimo hats in person. The felt hats are nice, but very plain. There is nothing fancy about the ribbon work, and there are no blocks that you haven't seen before. While I find the flecked felt to be the most interesting, it also reminds me too much of a blanket. There were a few hats in a light green (mint) and light blue from a former season, but nothing particularly appealing. All felts run from 500-600 off the rack. Customs are more. For the money, I don't think it's possible to beat Art.

Panamas - I'll start by saying that I really like my hat from Bob and it is not my intention to criticize him in this post. I've got a 500wpi, blocked by Art. However, the quality of the Optimo hats, even at the lowest grade, is far superior to my hat. The weave is much more even (no spots of tight weave, followed by a looser looking weave), and is incredibly smooth (not slightly bumpy). Of course, the $525 starter at Optimo is woven as loosely as a hat for under $100 from Bob. Based upon the wpi of my hat, if it were offered by Optimo, it would be in the $1400 range - though again, the weave is wonderful at Optimo, where hats are graded on wpi and quality of the weave. I held a hat of that quality, as well as one that was priced at $8000. Both were smooth as silk and light as a feather. Tiffany, the really friendly girl working the counter, didn't say that I couldn't handle the $20,000 hat, but seemed to offer everything but that one. Again, I like my hat from Bob, but the hats at Optimo, in my opinion, are far superior.

Milans - There were very few of these in stock. Apparently, they're lucky to get one shipment per year. They run $395, had about 5 or 6 in stock, and had exactly one in my size. Though he wasn't in the showroom at the time, Tiffany found Graham and brought him in to check the fit. I loved this personal attention from the owner, despite the fact that I knew that the hat fit just right. Even though he was only in the room for 2 minutes, Graham made me feel like my purchase really mattered.

I've never held a milan, but wanted one to have a second Summer hat and was not going to leave Optimo without a purchase. Milans are significantly heavier than panamas but, probably due to a looser weave, feel cooler. They're not translucent like a panama and I don't think that the color is quite as gold as it appears on the site - though the site does use a black background, so maybe it's just about context.

I hated the ribbon that was on my hat, so they let me pick one from the scores they had on hand. Two women working the sewing machines helped make the selection and the switch brought no extra charge. I'm having my hat shipped for $15, to avoid the 10% sales tax.

If you're going anywhere near Chicago, be sure to stop in to Optimo. Even if you don't buy anything (but you will), it's worth the visit.

There's no need to worry about Bad Bad Leroy Brown.
He must have moved.

An interesting FTC case concerning Milans

http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/311/311.F2d.358.6008_1.html

From an old millinery book

http://vintagesewing.info/1920s/22-m/m-03.html
http://vintagesewing.info/1920s/28-mhd/mhd-03.html

Again, I like my hat from Bob, but the hats at Optimo, in my opinion, are far superior.

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That's the glory of buying hats from 10 year old and 12 year old kids. If we, and perhaps a few others, are the only ones buying from them, then at least they have the opportunity to improve as weavers. I'm proud to say that we buy hats from everyone. I could focus on only the best hats, but the prices would go up and the number of people weaving would go down. We're trying to help revive, not kill, an industry

I'd be happy to compare side to side my $1000.00 hat versus their $1000.00 hat. Mind you, a few Fedora Lounge members do have both. I understand the fact that they remain silent, but they are here.

Panamabob said:

That's the glory of buying hats from 10 year old and 12 year old kids. If we, and perhaps a few others, are the only ones buying from them, then at least they have the opportunity to improve as weavers. I'm proud to say that we buy hats from everyone. I could focus on only the best hats, but the prices would go up and the number of people weaving would go down. We're trying to help revive, not kill, an industry

I'd be happy to compare side to side my $1000.00 hat versus their $1000.00 hat. Mind you, a few Fedora Lounge members do have both. I understand the fact that they remain silent, but they are here.

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I appreciate your support of the weaving, the area, and the culture. However, with respect, I'm comparing hats against hats, not hats against hats with causes.

I would love to see two side by side comparisons of your hats with those sold by Optimo. First, I'd like to see those of about equal wpi - regardless of the price difference. Again, I think the hat I bought from you would cost $1000 more at Optimo, but would not be up to their standards of weave quality. Second, as you've suggested, I'd like to see a price comparison: $1000 hat vs. $1000 hat. I have no doubt that your product would have a much finer weave but, again, I believe that Optimo's quality would be evident. I think you provide a better value (quality for the price), but in terms of quality alone, I can't imagine beating Optimo.

Thanks for the Links, Lefty, very interesting reading and lots of good information there!