buuk.top / Sabrina Jiang
While most people probably focus on colorful bikinis or bold resort wear when they’re planning looks for a spring or summer vacation, there’s one accessory that should never be forgotten: a straw hat. Not only are straw hats the easiest way to add texture, volume, and detail to a summer look, but they’re also practical. Sun protection is incredibly important. After all, getting a sunburn isn’t just an aesthetic or momentarily painful experience—it also is directly linked to multiple forms of skin cancer, as the Skin Cancer Foundation explains.1While reapplying sunscreen is important, wearing a straw hat is a great way to give your skin an extra layer of protection, all while looking cute, too.
Straw hats can also look just as good with a black blazer or a black button-up as they can with a flowy sundress or other typical spring/summer outfits.
If you’re trying to become a hat person or simply looking for some extra sun protection as the weather warms up, here are the best straw hats that could be perfect for your wardrobe, no matter what your style looks like.
Madewell Packable Braided Straw Hat at Amazon
Lanzom Wide Brim Straw Panama Hat at Amazon
San Diego Hat Company Ultrabraid XL Brim Sun Hat at Amazon
Simplicity UPF 50+ Wide Brim Roll Up Sun Hat at Amazon
Sunday Afternoons Sunset Hat at Amazon
Free People Arizona Packable Wide Brim Hat at Freepeople.com
& Other Stories Straw Cowboy Hat at Nordstrom
Eugenia Kim Mirabel Hat at Revolve
Cuyana Wide Brim Ecuador Hat at Cuyana.com
ASOS Design Natural Straw Easy Boater at Asos
In This Article
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Best Overall
Madewell Packable Braided Straw Hat
Amazon
View On Nordstrom
View On Madewell.com
This straw hat protects from the sun without being too bold or oversized, but the best part of it is that it’s easily packable—a game-changer when you’re not interested in wearing a straw hat during your flight or stuffing it into an overhead compartment.
Price at time of publish: $40
Brim Width: 3.5 inches | Colors: Warm Nutmeg, Antique Cream, Natural Multi | Size Range: S/M–M/L
Best Budget
Lanzom Wide Brim Straw Panama Hat
Amazon
No matter how tight you are on suitcase space or what color you’re searching for, this adjustable, packable Panama hat is the perfect addition to any trip. It’s small enough to be comfortable and appropriate for any setting, while still providing important sun coverage. Oh, and it’s less than $30.
Price at time of publish: $30
Brim Width: 2.9 inches | Colors:Khaki, Beige, Brown, Gray, White, Natural, Blue, Green, Light Blue, Red, Pink, Purple, Teal, White, Yellow +more |Size Range: OS
Best Oversized
San Diego Hat Company Ultrabraid XL Brim Sun Hat
Amazon
View On Nordstrom
This oversized sun hat comes in every color you could ever want (in addition to the classic straw colors, of course) and provides maximum sun coverage. The reviews are pretty positive, too, so you know it’s a good purchase.
Price at time of publish: $48
Brim Width: 8 inches | Colors:White, Brown, Taupe, Khaki, Blue, Red +more | Size Range:
OS
Best Adjustable
Simplicity UPF 50+ Wide Brim Roll Up Sun Hat
Amazon
The most versatile type of adjustable straw hat is always going to be a visor. Not only does this allow you to adjust based on your head size, but it also allows you to wear multiple different types of hairstyles and lean back in your beach chair or lounge chair comfortably.
Price at time of publish: $22
Brim Width: Not listed | Colors:Beige, Black, Brown, Dark Blue +more |Size Range: OS
Best for the Beach
Sunday Afternoons Sunset Hat
Amazon
View On Zappos
View On Westmarine.com
Not ready to fully lean into Western wear? This cowboy-adjacent straw hat still touts a funky style with its multicolored shade options, beaded accessories, and braided strap. Shoving style aside for a moment, this hat is equipped with everything you need to have a practical beach day, too—it has UPF 50+ sun protection, a sweatband, and a chin strap to keep it in place during breezy selfie sessions.
Price at time of publish: $36
Brim Width: 3.75 inches | Colors: Oat, Cinnamon, Denim +more |Size Range: M–L
Best Packable
Free People Arizona Packable Wide Brim Hat
Free People
Looking for an extra-wide brimmed hat that also is great for packing easily? This packable Arizona hat from Free People is a winner. Plus, it has a chin strap and is available in four different colors.
Price at time of publish: $68
Brim Width: Not listed | Colors: Coffee, White, Toast +more | Size Range: OS
Best Cowboy Style
& Other Stories Straw Cowboy Hat
Nordstrom
View On Stories.com
Take our word for it: cowboycore is sticking around and there’s no better way to embrace the aesthetic than by starting from the top. This hat offers a more modest take on the trend—it comes in a sleek black hue, rather than a ranch-style beige, for a grungy, elevated look. What’s more, the hat will become your new closet staple as the no-frills design offers ample opportunities to build an outfit around it.
Price at time of publish: $49
Brim Width: Not listed | Colors: Black | Size Range: M–L
Best Designer
Eugenia Kim Mirabel Hat
Revolve
View On Saks Fifth Avenue
View On Bloomingdales
You can tell by the shape and design of this hat that it’s not your average straw hat—and that fact is reflected in the price, too. The Italian-made hat features details like a grosgrain band with a black-tie accent and an internal drawstring detail, perfect for adjusting based on your hairstyle and head size.
Price at time of publish: $495
Brim Width: 6.5 inches | Colors: Natural | Size Range: OS
Best Sustainable
Cuyana Wide Brim Ecuador Hat
Courtesy by Cuyana
This gorgeous hat comes in four different sizes (and gives clear directions on how to figure out your hat size, if you’re not quite sure), six colors, and features an adjustable inner band so you can easily find your most comfortable fit. It is also made from toquilla straw, which is ”a renewable resource made from young toquilla palm fronds that are harvested without harming the main tree,” the brand explains.
Price at time of publish: $128
Brim Width:4 inches |Colors: Natural, Chocolate, Black, Honey +more | Size Range: 56–59
Best Boater
ASOS Design Natural Straw Easy Boater
ASOS
It doesn’t get more classic than this boater hat from ASOS. Not only is it affordable, but one buyer noted that it feels of good quality and wasn’t flimsy.
Price at time of publish: $7 (originally $15)
Brim Width: Not listed | Colors: Natural | Size Range: OS
Best Floppy
Aerie Floppy Straw Hat
Aerie
Unstructured and unbothered, a floppy hat is ideal for laid-back looks. Aerie punches up the classic design with chunky, beachy blue stripes and textured fabric that are perfect for your next summer brunch at a café or stroll down a city street.
Price at time of publish: $35
Brim Width: Not listed | Colors:Cobalt | Size Range: OS
Best Classic
J.Crew Wide-Brim Packable Straw Hat
J.Crew
Available in three sizes, this classic straw hat from J.Crew is a best-seller for a reason. Not only is it packable (making it vacation-ready), but the wide brim will help protect your face from the scorching summer sun.
Price at time of publish: $70
Brim Width:Not listed | Colors: Straw | Size Range: S/M–L/XL
Best Multicolored
Greenpacha Rainbow Hat
Revolve
Beiges and blacks have their time and place in a minimalist’s wardrobe, but you’ll be surprised how much you can pair with this multicolored shade. Not to mention, can you imagine the instant serotonin boost you’ll get while donning the contrasting colors? We love how its short brim and extended crow height give it a look similar to the beloved bucket hat trend that celebs have resurfaced from the ’90s. Even better, the playful scalloped edging enhances its appeal and distinguishes it from your traditional straw hat.
Price at time of publish: $197
Brim Width: Not listed | Colors: Multi | Size Range: S–L
Meet the Expert
Lauren Alexander is the co-founder of the brand LNA, a label that offers easy-to-wear pieces that embody the effortless cool-girl chic vibe.
What to Look for When Buying a Straw Hat
Utility
When shopping for a straw hat, one of the biggest things to consider is where you’re going to be wearing the hat. If you’re going to be wearing it as much at home as you are on a far-off beach vacation, then you might be OK with purchasing a non-packable straw hat with a dramatic brim. Alternatively, if you are only going to wear it on that beach vacation, you’ll want to make sure your hat is packable or rollable (unless you’re cool with wearing it on the plane).
“I always look for straw hats that you can fold up and they still hold their shape after. You want something that you can take to the beach that won’t get ruined," says LNA co-founder Lauren Alexander.
Alexander also shares that black straw hats are a great option for a hat that can easily go from the beach to day-to-day life, as “a straw hat that is versatile is going to give you more ways to wear it,” she explains.
“I’d wear a black straw hat with a black blazer or black button-up,” Alexander says. “I love the hair being down and undone under the hat to make it look effortless and still chic.
If you’re talking about a traditional Panama hat, there are more specific requirements for what exactly a straw hat is made of. As Hats in the Belfry explains, “It is made from the leaves of Carludovica palmata, which someone once said is not quite a palm tree. It has been woven in a very specific and unique style since the seventeenth century in Ecuador, and may not be made any different, or woven anywhere else if it is to be properly called a Panama straw hat.”
There are straw hats made from many different materials nowadays, though, including raffia, toquilla straw, woven straw, paper straw, and more.
While all might seem lost when you’ve misshapen your straw hat, there is a pretty easy way to return your favorite straw hat to tip-top shape. All you need is a steamer, a little time, and some patience, and you’ll be good to go. The best way to master the method would be to follow a YouTube tutorial on the process, like this one from Conner Hats.
Why Trust buuk.top
Irene Richardson updated this article. She writes on fashion and beauty for buuk.top, buuk.top, Brides, and Travel + Leisure.
Olivia Muenter is a fashion commerce contributor for buuk.top, and she has been published in Refinery29, Bustle, Fashionista, Glamour, and Woman’s Day, among others. Her search for this piece covered retailers of all types. For criteria, she evaluated customer reviews, design, versatility, and material.
Article Sources
Gallagher RP, Lee TK, Bajdik CD, Borugian M. Ultraviolet radiation. Chronic Dis Can. 2010;29 Suppl 1:51-68.
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