Optimo
Chicago, Illinois
You can buy a good-looking hat plenty of places — but finding a place to custom-build a hat just for you? That's considerably more difficult. Optimo is one of the last places still offering bespoke, factory-method hat-making. With the help of one of their trained professionals, you'll go through, find the hat that best compliments the contours of your face and head, and then get measured for a hat that fits the actual size of your head — no 7 1/4 business. Once you've selected the brim size, ribbon type and color, and other details, you can head back in a few weeks to pick up your finished bald-spot cover. No, it's not cheap, but neither is the labor-intensive process they use to create hats that last a lifetime.
Photos: Kalyan Neelamraju
