The Best Fall 2023 Hats to Wear This Season

Wide-brimmed rattan hats and canvas bucket hats are often the first to come to mind when you think of summer headgear. What about the tops made for colder climates? Does your creativity end with the plain beanie? Jessica Richards, a trend forecaster, exhorts you to broaden your horizons, especially since fall hats, in particular, have the potential to be the most durable part of your ensemble. Let Richards explain: 'Hats are the additional decorative element we'll see this autumn as part of an ethos of absolutely flamboyant and extravagant wearing. More is more continues to be the prevailing attitude, so why not put a hat on top of that?

The fashion analyst watched the fashion population in its wild and natural surroundings before drawing the conclusion that maximalism is affecting the hat trends for autumn 2023: during fashion month, strutting through the streets. "Street style has always been about attention to detail to the 'full look,' but we're seeing more than ever that hats are often playful additions to already striking styling," explains Richards via email. "And during fashion month, the international street style we observed in every city underscored the significance of this daring accessorising trend. For instance, there were tonnes of sporty stylish Gucci x Adidas designs in Milan as well as colourful and furry bucket hats for Prada (but not from the company.

Richards goes into further detail about her findings and calls out specific women's autumn hat shapes that you should think about grabbing. If you weren't a fan of hats before, you most certainly are today, with everything from French-inspired chic berets to cool-girl baseball caps.

Fuzzy Bucket Hats

According to Richards, "the continuation of the oversized, overdyed, and colourful furry bucket hat" will be seen in the autumn of 2022. You've undoubtedly seen the silhouettes on a number of A-list celebrities, most notably Rihanna, who sports them for a variety of events, including date evenings with boyfriend A$AP Rocky. Along with Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Dua Lipa, and the founder of Savage x Fenty, Rihanna, she favours the plush buckets created by Kent-based milliner Emma Brewin. 

For example, Brewin thinks that her popular fuzzy bucket hats are much more than just a fashion accessory. She explains through email, "For me, they are so much more than an accessory.""I feel that, as one of my customers once put it, theirs is their emotional support animal." Furry bucket hats are casual clothing at its sexiest, "Who me? Oh, I just returned from the Aspen ski lounge," exclamation. 

Baseball Hats

According to Jenna Woodhull, vice president of design and product at the California-based hat company Brixton, "vintage-inspired, classic baseball caps are the perfect accessory to top off your fall look for a completely laid-back feel." Baseball caps have the ability to make any outfit appear entirely carefree. Richards suggests going the unusual route when it comes to styling the classic sportswear piece. Try "[contrasting] chic baseball caps against oversized tailoring" as seen on the peerless fashion influencer and founder of All The Pretty Birds, Tamu Mcpherson, in place of an athletic outfit.

Berets

With the current momentum in preppy fashion, Richards adds, "I'd also predict that we'll see a beret moment, with some combined with a net veil detail to balance sophistication with drama." However, if you don't like the widow-at-her-fifth-husband's-funeral vibe that some beret styles exude, avoid those with mesh overlays and try a classic shape in knit or felted materials instead. Lean into the Parisian-prepster roots of the beret by donning front-pleated pants, a sweater with Breton stripes, and ballet flats.

Newsboy Hat

Pageboy caps, also known as newsboy hats, are encouraged by more streamlined hat designs on the more fashionable side, according to Richards. "Preppy and tailored uniform-inspired dressing à la Dior and The Frankie Shop, among others, encourages this," he says. Brixton is the best place to shop for the trend because the headwear brand has nearly come to represent the flat silhouette. 

The firm's Vice President of Design and Product said, "The Brixton Hooligan or Brood Newsboy Cap were the first items the brand ever made, so we love seeing these styles back in the limelight." Even if their popularity is at its highest this autumn, they are and always will be in vogue. According to Woodhull, "these will always have a place in your wardrobe because of their timeless look."

Western Hats

According to Richards, the cool-girl cowgirl season will also come in the autumn of 2022. What better styling to encourage enormous and very present fashion? The Western hat trend is still going strong in both the designer and vintage marketplaces. When it comes to headgear this season, bigger is better, just like drama. This season, giddy up in hats with a broad brim in unexpectedly feminine hues and materials like ultra-soft felt or tweed.