When I was living in San Francisco in the ’80s, I decided, in a modestly flush moment, to buy myself a real Panama Hat. Already known to me was that those hats are actually made in Ecuador. They were shipped to the world via Panama, so the designation Panama stuck, right up to today.

In San Francisco, the goto guy was Michael Harris, the owner of Paul’s Hat Works way out on Geary between 25th and 26th. The firm was founded in 1918; Michael bought it in 1980, then retired in 2009; presently, 4 artistic young ladies continue the tradition of Paul’s Hat Works. Yea for continuity! I haven’t been there lately, but back then it was like walking into a shop right out of Charles Dickens. Curious, ancient-looking steam machines for shaping hats made a gentle, engaging pssst, pssst, pssst sound. Antique hat boxes, many hat forms, many hats, and tools I knew nothing about filled the shop.

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Michael Harris in his hat making shop

I don’t usually conflate the terms art and craft in the same sentence, but Michael is an exquisite craftsman and true artist at the same time - his palette is palm straw and felt. He showed me about a dozen hats in ready-to-finish condition and explained the differences in quality and price. They needed their edges finished, blocking, an interior sweat band, and an exterior hat band. I chose one, then I got fitted with a machine called a conformateur that showed Michael the exact shape of my head. The conformateur looks dangerous and perhaps painful, but it was just a bit heavy.

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A conformateur

I chose a fine 1940s blue/gray grosgrain ribbon for the hatband; Michael still had some wonderful old hat band ribbons in stock. My hat was ready in a few weeks, and to this day, it is one of my preferred possessions.

As they say in the Michelin Guide: “Worth a Detour”

Paul’s Hat Works, 6128 Geary, San Francisco, CA 94121 (415) 221-5332


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Alan wearing his superb Panama hat

How marvelous that Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky seemed to have a deep, abiding friendship and an ardent love affair. But, did they? I just saw the 2009 film by Jan Kounen, aptly titled, Coco & Igor. In the film, these two characters seemed to have a wooden wall between them and their feelings no matter how many times they got it on. Nobody really knows if this liaison actually happened, how long it may have lasted, or how intense it might have been. Stravinsky never mentioned it, but Coco told her biographer Paul Morand, about it in 1946 and 30 years later that conversation was published. The fiction movie was based on the fiction novel Coco and Igor published in 2002, and so on... Anyway, the lovely actress, Anna Mouglalis, playing Coco was a treat to watch.

No question however is the exquisite creative focus and energy that Coco and Igor each brought to the world in real time. Coco created spectacularly beautiful clothing that freed women from the restrictive garments they wore at that time. Her designs are still elegant 80 years later. Music generally evolves in some discernible linear pattern. Stravinsky changed all that with his avant-garde dissonance that drove people to riot at the premiere performance of “The Rites of Spring” (Le sacre du printemps) in 1913 Paris. What an superb bunch of collaborators on that presentation: Stravinsky (music), Nijinsky (choreography), Roerich (set design and costumes), and Diaghilev (general impresario).