Christys' of London Men's Panama Straw Pinch Front Safari Hat

This is a very nice hat, although it is not worth the originally marked price. The discounted price is much closer to what it's worth. The only other problem is in the notation on one of the tags. The tag states that the hat is "uncrushable". Someone in the packaging department interperted this to mean one could crush the hat and it wouldn't incure any harm. So they packed the hat in a short box crushing the hat down like a pancake. THE HAT IS NOT CRUSHABLE! The tag in the hat only means that the hat has a stiffening fabric on the inside to keep the hat from wearing out prematurely from normal use, when you pinch the crown putting the hat on and removing it.

This is a nice hat at a good price, but my advice is to pay a little more and buy from a hat dealer. The only reason I bought from Amazon is because I live far from any real hat store. The first hat I received was packed in a box that was barely large enough for the hat, then covered with air pillow packing so that the hat was crushed. The replacement was sent in the same size box, and while it was not completely crushed, the brim was mis-shaped (dished). After several days of applying steam and pressure, I was able to re-establish the original shape. Whether this will affect the long-term durability of the hat remains to be seen. All in all, a disapppointing experience. I hope someone at Amazon actually reads this, because problems with this product are entirely due to misguided packaging procedures. What works for a book or an electronic component will not work for a Panama hat!

Upon reading other reviews about poor packaging, I was a bit anxious about the possibility of receiving this hat in poor condition. On the contrary, I was pleased to find that the packaging problem had been solved, as the hat was properly packaged to avoid crushing and shifting. Regarding the hat itself, I feel it is of excellent quality (Grade 8), made by an excellent company (Christy's), and it features perfect proportions: the rise of the hat is 12 cms, with a 33 cm length (front to rear) and 29.5 cms (side to side). This is personal preference, of course, but it looks more balanced, in my opinion, than another of my Panama-style hats that has an extra centimeter on both the rise and length. One final note: the front of the brim is flexible, enabling it to be worn up or down, unlike some other hats.

i choose this hat for i really like the style of the hat ...style mirrors my stenson dress hat, but i had to sent it back for when i receivedthe hat from my secretary, i had no idea it was the hat for it's no way the hat wound't be damaged in this flat carton,but sure enough as soon as we opened the carton everyone gasped for you could see right off the hat was damaged for crushing it into the carton.what a disapointment . will try another seller that respects the nature of the product...

This hat arrived with 7 cracks - couldn't wear -- box used was smaller than the hat, so the packer just mashed to box closed to fit.

very nice hat for the money, arrived on time, fit well and looked good, although it did have very small but hardly noticeable imperfections.

Great Hat. Really cool. Love it. It is a trendy hat that fits well and is very comfortable. Panama straw hat is the only way to go...

Great hat, my husband loves it. Great packaging....was worried due to other reviews.