Bucket hats are officially back, and here’s your no-nonsense guide to pulling them off

By Freya Drohan
30th Jul 2019

Image via Instagram/Zimmermann

Bucket hats are officially back, and here’s your no-nonsense guide to pulling them off

There’s no avoiding it, bucket hats are a thing for SS19. Here are four foolproof ways to wear them stylishly.

There are just two things I said I wouldn’t dabble in this summer: cycling shorts and bucket hats. But, with the warm weather comes a hedonistic, uninhibited approach to life: *adds to cart*.

Maybe it was the onslaught of images showing nonchalant, stylish Glastonbury-goers that littered my feed recently, or perhaps it’s due to Anna Sui’s dreamy velvet and satin bucket hat or Ganni’s omnipresent leopard-print version. All I know is that my head has been turned by this trend quicker than any Kangol-wearing rave kid could recite the words to a Prodigy song.

Anna Sui SS19

Believe it or not, what is now considered a streetwear staple actually has its roots on the heads of Celtic fishermen and farmers in Donegal. In the 1960s and 1970s, the bucket hat was referred to as an Irish walking hat (not as catchy a moniker), intended to shield its wearer from the harsh weather, as raindrops would cascade down the side of the water-resistant hat and not remain stuck in the brim.

It has since, of course, had more pop culture moments than most of its headwear counterparts. Since it doesn’t look like the floppy chapeau is going anywhere anytime soon either, I thought it was time to educate myself on how to wear one without looking and feeling like I was auditioning for a role as a Happy Mondays backup dancer.

Wear it to the beach

The beach — the most carefree spot in the world — is the optimal place to try out this trend. Team your bucket hat with a sporty swimsuit for an extra cool factor.