buuk.top / Lecia Landis
With the rise of 90s fashion trends, the chances are high that your favorite influencer or celebrity has been spotted in a bucket hat recently. And youve probably landed on this page because youre interested in jumping on the bandwagon, too. Bucket hats are trending, yes, but theyre not just a fluff piece; theyre also a functional accessory, as they can shield us from the elements either by shading our face from the sun or keeping our head warm in low temps.
With that said, looking for the best bucket hat can be a challenge in a saturated market. To save you some time, we’ve sifted through the noise and made an organized list based on color, fabric, price, size range, and more.
Keep reading for the best bucket hats, plus some advice on how to wear them from stylist Leena Alsulaiman.
Girlfriend Collective 50/50 Bucket Hat at Girlfriend.com
Top Band Reversible Bucket Hat at Amazon
Anthropologie Faux Leather Bucket Hat at Anthropologie
Madewell Short-Brimmed Bucket Hat at Amazon
lululemon Womens Cinchable Wide Brim Bucket Hat at Lululemon
Chok.Lids Cotton Style Bucket Hat at Amazon
Abacaxi x SVNR Puno Hat at Svnrshop.com
North Face Class V Brimmer at Amazon
LITA By Ciara Faux Fur Bucket Hat at Thehouseoflrc.com
Sunday Afternoons Ultra Storm Bucket Hat at Amazon
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Best Overall
Girlfriend Collective 50/50 Bucket Hat
Girlfriend Collective
Embrace the trend while helping protect the environment with a simple bucket hat. With this design, Girlfriend Collective says it conserved over 100 gallons of water and reduced carbon emissions and energy. Plus, the cotton with which it was made was grown without chemical pesticides or insecticides, so its safe for you and the environment all around. And yet, what makes this hat deserving of the top spot on our list has just as much to do with its wide color selection, attainable price point, and size inclusivity (its available in two sizes for the best odds of a comfortable fit).
Price at time of publish: $38
Material: 50% Texloop RCOT primo recycled cotton, 50% organic cotton | Size Range: XS/S, M/L | Colors: White, Agave, Black, Banana +more
Best Budget
Top Band Reversible Bucket Hat
Amazon
High-quality bucket hats don’t have to be expensive. This style comes in many cool prints and materials, including a tie-dye pattern thats so cute for brunch with the besties or a last-minute trip to the beach. Its also reversible for added versatility and value.
Price at time of publish: $14
Material: 100% cotton | Size Range:OS | Colors: Tie Dye Pink, Tie Dye Orange, Corduroy Navy, Corduroy Khaki, Camo Black +more
Best Faux Leather
Anthropologie Faux Leather Bucket Hat
Anthropologie
Anthropologies Faux Leather Bucket Hat is all things luxurious and chic—all thanks to the buttery-soft faux leather material. Whether youre looking for something a little cheaper than real leather, or animal skin just isnt your thing, youll appreciate how high-quality this bucket hat is. By design, faux leather can get a bit warm, so just keep that in mind if you plan on wearing it in the blazing sun.
Price at time of publish: $42
Material: Polyurethane | Size Range: OSFA | Colors: Brown
Best Short-Brimmed
Madewell Short-Brimmed Bucket Hat
Madewell
View On Zappos
View On Madewell.com
For a classic bucket hat, opt for this lightweight short-brimmed one, which you can wear with your favorite athleisure outfit or to the beach for an effortlessly playful look. Its neutral color will pair well with basically anything in your summer closet.
Price at time of publish: $30
Material: 100% cotton | Size Range: S/M, M/L|Colors:Vintage Parchment
Best Wide-Brim
lululemon Womens Cinchable Wide Brim Bucket Hat
Lululemon
Similar to the way you use sunscreen to protect your skin from sun damage, you can keep your head and hair protected with this wide-brimmed bucket hat. Its strap ensures it stays put on your head and the longer brim in the back is for extra protection from the suns harsh rays. It even features an inner sweatband to absorb any moisture on those hot days ahead.
Material: 90% recycled polyester, 10% elastane | Size Range: S/M, M/L| Colors: Wild Indigo, True Navy, White Opal, and Black
Best on Amazon
Chok.Lids Everyday Cotton Style Bucket Hat
Amazon
With over 9,000 positive ratings, this best-selling bucket hat is likely worth your while. It has UPF 50+ sun protection, comes in a plethora of color options, and will cost you less than $15.
Price at time of publish: $15
Material: 100% cotton | Size Range: OS| Colors: Apple Candy, Army Green, Black, Black Denim, Blue Jean, French Rose +more
Best Sustainable
Abacaxi x SVNR Puno Hat
SVNR
Crochet is the new tie-dye, as its appeared on everything from cropped tops to bikinis this summer. But what makes this style even more covetable is its sustainable factor. The collaboration item is hand-crocheted in Peru from tangüis (native Peruvian) cotton, then hand-beaded in Brooklyn.
Price at time of publish: $250
Material: 100% cotton | Size Range: OS | Colors: Mango, Coral, Jamun
Best Size Range
North Face Class V Brimmer
Amazon
View On The North Face
View On REI
Compared to other brands with a "one size fits most" approach to fit, The North Face has a wider range (S/M to L/XL). Plus, it comes with an adjustable chin strap, FlashDry fabrics, and a sweatband to ensure a secure, comfortable fit even when the temperatures reach the double digits.
Material: 68% recycled nylon, 26% nylon, 6% elastane with FlashDry™x| Size Range: S–XL| Colors: Lime Cream, TNF Black, and Asphalt Grey
Best Faux Fur
LITA By Ciara Heart Faux Fur Bucket Hat
Nordstrom
This retro-looking faux fur bucket hat from LITA By Ciara will add dimension and texture to your fall or winter looks. Its available in three neutral colors for easy outfit-matching potential.
Price at time of publish: $98
Material: 100% polyester| Size Range: OS | Colors: English Rose, Milk, Black
Best for Hiking
Sunday Afternoons Ultra Storm Bucket Hat
Zappos
View On Zappos
View On Moosejaw.com
On your next mountain adventure, opt for this waterproof, moisture-wicking, and sun-protecting bucket hat. It also features a chin strap to keep it securely on your head in the face of wind or more high-impact movement so you wont be fumbling around with it.
Price at time of publish: $52
Material: 78% nylon, 22% polyester |Size Range: L| Colors: Plum/Taupe, Shadow, Taupe
Best Designer
Celine Triomphe Hat in Raphia
Celine
Theres nothing quite like a classic straw hat for summertime. Not only are they the epitome of quiet luxury, but they also add a touch of French Riviera chic to every outfit you wear it with. (Were partial to a linen button-down or a coordinating set, but well let you decide.)
Price at time of publish: $750
Material: 100% raffia | Size Range: S, M, L| Colors: Natural/Black
Best Minimalist
Anine Bing Darra Bucket Hat
Anine Bing
View On Verishop.com
On the topic of quiet luxury, we love this simple black cotton bucket hat from Anine Bing—a design label known for its cool, minimalist aesthetic. Hand-crocheted with black cotton yarn, this hat is accented with an Anine Bing monogram (which youll find on plenty of the brands items) in cream for a subtle touch.
Price at time of publish: $200
Material: 100% cotton |Size Range: XS/S, M/L| Colors: Black
Best Flat Top
Lack of Color The Inca Bucket
Courtesy by Saks Fifth Avenue
View On Saks Fifth Avenue
View On Lackofcolor.com
A roundup of the best bucket hats wouldnt be complete without Lack of Color. The brand does many things well, but we adore their bucket hats specifically. This model is made from tightly-woven raffia straw and is intended to be worn for many different activities, from the beach or brunch to a hike or a night out.
Price at time of publish: $149
Material: Raffia straw | Size Range: S–XL | Colors: Straw Natural, Brown, and Black
Best Gingham
LOFT Loft Gingham Bucket Hat
LOFT
The vibrancy of this hat is perfect to wear at a picnic in the park or on a day spent at the beach. Its made entirely from cotton so its easy to simply throw in the washing machine when it collects dirt and dust stains from a season of constant wear.
Material: 100% cotton | Size Range: OS| Colors: Cove Green
Best Designer
Jacquemus Le Bob Frescu Bucket Hat
Net-A-Porter
View On Mytheresa.com
For those all about pink, this bright neon-hued bucket hat by Jacquemus is the way to go. Lean into the Barbiecore aesthetic and pair it with your favorite all-pink outfit or, if youre more of a minimalist, wear it with a solid black and white fit for a pop of color. For those who arent into pink but love the design, it comes in two neutral colors as well.
Price at time of publish: $135
Material: 74% polyamide, 26% cotton | Size Range: 56, 58, 60 (centimeters)| Colors: Pink, Beige, Navy
Best Animal Print
Loeffler Randall Ivy Leopard-Print Nylon Bucket Hat
Saks
View On Revolve
Show your wild side with this leopard print bucket hat that can add an element of playfulness to a monochrome outfit as well as it can complete a head-to-toe leopard print fit for the ultimate Y2K throwback.
Price at time of publish: $60
Material: 100% polyester| Size Range: OS| Colors: Leopard
Final Verdict
Girlfriend Collectives 50/50 bucket hat is cute, affordable, and sustainable (being that its canvas is made from recyclable materials and billed to be 100% biodegradable). What more could you want? It comes in a variety of neutral and colored hues, like beige, yellow, and blue. However, if youre looking for texture, patterns, or simply a better price, you cant go wrong with our budget pick, Top Bands Reversible Bucket Hat for under $15.
Meet the Expert
Leena Alsulaiman is a creative mentor, strategist, stylist, and style coach based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
What to Look For in a Bucket Hat
Circumference
If you know you have a larger- or smaller-than-average head size, its important to check the retailers size chart and compare it to your own measurements. (We answer how to measure the circumference of your head in the FAQs section, below). Some hats come in multiple sizes, so look for these options versus bucket hats that are only offered in one size, which are made for an average-size head.
Brim
The brim width of a bucket hat not only determines the style but the amount of sun protection, too. If you burn easily, look for wider brims that will cover more of your face and neck than any shorter one will. If youre looking for a short-brimmed hat, you cant go wrong with the Madewell Short-Brimmed Bucket Hat; for a wide-brimmed hat, the Lululemon Womens Cinchable Wide Brim Bucket Hat is a great option.
Material
"[One] perk of bucket hats is their flexible design, including the vintage, distressed look, which allows for various materials. This compatibility with many fabrics means that manufacturers can create bucket hats out of whatever textured materials are trending," says Alsulaiman, who points to crocheted and distressed materials as the current go-tos. For a more rustic feel, check out the Anine Bing Darra Bucket Hat, a hat made from hand-crocheted yarn, or the Lack of Color Inca Bucket Hat, made with tightly-woven raffia straw.
You might already know what a bucket hat looks like, but what is it in laymans terms? Here’s how Alsulaiman describes them: “A soft hat with a narrow, downward-sloping brim that got its name from the fact that it looks like an upside-down bucket. It has become more popular in the last few years, especially with streetwear.”
The best part about fashion is that how you want to style a piece is up to you. “If you are dipping your toes into the trend, [one] way to go with bucket hats is a solid color or denim," Alsulaiman suggests. More adventurous folk can play with textures and materials as well.
To figure out how to measure yourself for a hat, you need to determine your heads circumference. “Use a sewing measuring tape or a string and wrap it around your head [making sure its] above your ears and across your eyebrows," Alsulaiman says. "Then, stick your finger under the tape so there is a little room." The number where the two sides meet is the head circumference.
Why Trust buuk.top
Casey Clark is a buuk.top contributor and has written about fashion for other publications like StyleCaster, Reviewed, and BuzzFeed. Staying up to date with the latest trends, she’s on the pulse of fashion for everyone and aims to make knowledge about the industry more digestible and easy to understand.
Erika Reals is buuk.tops former Associate Fashion Commerce Editor. She has more than three years of experience in the commerce space and four in the fashion industry. A recent adopter of the bucket hat trend, she has already hoarded a small collection and wants to buy more from this list, come her next payday.
According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly-published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find enough bucket hats from Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands to meet this percentage. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@buuk.top.com, and we will evaluate the product ASAP.
Caitlyn Martyn
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