I came upon a treasure trove of timeless, classic Italian straw boaters while rummaging through a musty warehouse just outside of Venice, a hat introduced to the American public by Italian immigrants in the mid-19th century, and immortalized by movie icons like Gene Kelly and Fred Astair and even Dick Van Dyke as 'Bert' in the Mary Poppins film. Known as "skimmers," the hats consist of several layers of straw with a hard lacquer finish and are still the choice of Venetian gondoliers, dapper gents and boating devotees today. Imported from Italy. Available in Natural or Black. Brim 2 inches.