I've adopted Chicago and travel there a couple times a year for long weekends to see some Cubs games, concerts and eat great food. Since reading about Optimo hats in a WSJ article and doing some research I've wanted to drop by the store to see what the fuss is about. I was in Chicago earlier in the summer and dropped by Optimo's new location in the Financial District. They're located in a beautiful old 1920s era building with dark granite and beautiful chandeliers just like you see in the gangster movies. I visited Optimo about mid-day and expected the sales person to be twiddling their thumbs but no, they had a continuous stream of customers being fitted and/or order hats for fall/winter. When it was my turn, the lovely saleslady Tiffani measured my head and I tried on several different styles to determine brim and crown size, color and materials. I ended up with a Heirloom Silverbelly Trilby with dark charcoal ribbon. It takes several months to have a hat made and I received mine a couple weeks ago. My wife is also having a hat made but hers will not be finished until the end of the month. I couldn't be more happy with Optimo's customer service and attention to detail. I have already picked out a panama for the summer, a Montecrist teardrop with 2 1/8" brim in grade 25 with 12l navy ribbon, that I'll be ordering in late winter. Here are a few pics.
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