Bill Broun

Faculty Advisor

What’s in and what’s out when it comes to spring/summer 2021 headwear?

As a follicly-challenged English professor, I guess I’m a little sensitive about baldness remarks and commas.

However, I’m actually more particular about hats.

I take fashion for the noggin very seriously.

No semicolon ever kept my head warm or shielded my face from the burning sun, but hats can change my mood.

The more hair I lose, the more hats I seem to acquire.

As a result, I’ve become weirdly current on hat fashion.

I love to see what’s coming into fashion every season and I often get at least one new hat per season.  

This spring it’s a classic: A Kangol Tropic 504.

A lot of students don’t seem to think consciously about hats, but they often make great choices effortlessly.

“I don’t really wear summer hats, but I [do] wear a visor,” said freshman political science major, Ivana Karataseva.

But sporty visors are actually super cool this spring.

So, what are fashion-conscious people wearing up top as summer 2021 approaches?

Twill buckets with front-and-center retro sports logos seem to be trending.

This unisex Adidas colorwash bucket ($32 at ASOS) with an old-school trefoil leaf would work for any casual occasion, and it’s typical of its type.

For women, straw hats are once again, all the rage.

The bigger and floppier, the better.

This $49.50 J. Crew take on the trend pretty much nails it.

It’s an elegant 1970’s-inspired look, although the vast majority of the people driving the trend were born 30 years later.

It’s not just floppy straw hats, tidy straw is in too.

Most students can’t afford a $510 high-domed straw hat from Gucci, but Nordstrom has a very affordable and pretty gondolier straw hat that looks more versatile for just over $60.

Buckets have been enjoying a come-back from the early 90s for years now, and textures are an especially big thing with buckets.

This Kate Spade crocheted bucket combines the straw craze with a fun shape and a great knobbly feel.

For men and women, fedoras and porkpies are also enjoying a big revival, and there are some wonderfully smart and student-priced selections out there at shops like ASOS.

If you caught the fashion-bug trend for chunky white trainers, you probably also know that dad hats are also back from the 90s, like the ghost of George Costanza.

But they’re better these days, and often include thoughtful perks such as UV protection and even wireless radiation blocking.

What’s out?

Honestly, when it comes to hats, I would say almost nothing is especially verboten.

Perhaps this is because hats feel so fun right now after the bleakness of last year.

So, while skinny jeans may be out, almost any hat is welcome and on trend—except maybe this one?

Bill Broun is a professor of English and faculty advisor to the Stroud Courier.

Email Bill at:

wbroun@esu.edu