ABSTRACT
The popularity of rough native straws decorated with all manner of objects, flora and fauna, had been growing for several seasons in the small shops in tropical resort towns. Customized to suit individual tastes, these hats cost as little in Haiti or Jamaica, but rarely survived the airplane trip home intact. Then domestic hat manufacturers came up with similar reproductions constructed out of more durable materials and retailing in the $5-$17 range. Models in straw included: a cloche trimmed by peppers and bow; a boater decked out in seashells and a flying fish; a porkpie with a bandanna band to which was attached a stop watch and cigarette case, and topped off by a cigarette burning a hole in the brim; a feminine basket shape with a life-sized tropical bird attached to the wide draped band; and a stovepipe adorned with flowers and built-in sunglasses, the latter of which protected the eyes when the hat was pulled over the face.
