A few distinct types of straw hats for women are trending right now. And The Hatwalk wants you to see them all.
So here they are.
These are the best straw sun hats for women on runways, red carpets and race days.
Straw Beach Hat
No one looks better in direct sun light than Miamians, and these two – in ready-to-swim fashion – really know how to dress up their walk from the sand to the shore for elegance and comfort.
Straw Lifeguard Hat
Use a wide brimmed straw lifeguard hat to banish harsh sunlight, bring your own shade and save your puppy from over heating.
What makes the straw lifeguard hat different from the rest? It’s one of those wide brim straw sun hats for women that keeps the Sundays out. It gets its name because it’s frequently seen on waterman on the coast of popular surfing locations worldwide.
Fancy Straw Hat
Straw hats aren’t typically associated with more formal attire. But this black straw fedora with a teardrop, pinched crown and gold Cuban link chain is a gangster hat that can be worn to the coast or the club.
Wide Brim Straw Hat
Black straw hats play dress-up nicely. This straw women’s pork pie hat with clean lines and an extra wide brim is perfect for a day at the races in this skin tight summer semi-formal dress with a high slit and sttletto heels.
Frayed Edge Straw Hat
You may have seen this raw, organic hat brim while sipping a mai tai beach bar or on the cast of Sex and the City. They’re large, upscale, and dashing. Just remember-the larger and floppier the frays, the better.
Double Banded Straw Boater Hat
Trend setter Rihanna is ready for her Broad Beach close up in this tan straw trilby hat with layered hat bands, a tortoise edged hat brim, hoops and gold bling.
Couture Straw Hats
Not all straw hats are summer hats. They’re also featured with evening wear on the heads of some of the world’s top models. Here are current runway looks that caught our eye.
There’s something timeless about a simple straw hat with a floppy brim and this one accessorizes this peasant style, rumpled mauve dress with a tied natural leather as a belt.
This straw sun hat with an extra wide, flopy brim and matter green scalloped ribbon brings an elegant feeling to relaxed beach PJs.
How to Wear Straw Hats
Fun, trendy, and sassy, these relaxed toppers are great for many occasions. But straw hats are typically worn at less formal events.
Here are some fashion faux pas’s to avoid making with this straw accessory.
Wear them in the Spring and Summer.
According to a Glamour, straw hats in the winter are a NO. Associated with summer and the sun, your hat is strictly for feel-good weather only. In the colder months, women’s felt hats are more popular.
Take them on-the-road.
Because of their material, straw hats are easy to travel with. They’re light and flexible and can fit into many a traveler’s carry-on bags.
Not for the business meeting.
While the hat is both pretty and chic, it is fairly casual. Leave it for after-work excursions only.
Wear natural straw hats with sun dresses, not gowns.
A wide-brim straw is a perfect addition to almost any dress. However, some stylists say it is not the best fit with your prom dress or your evening gown. Use a floppy, wide-brim hat with your spring dress but leave it at home for your next fundraising ball or networking event.
Not all straw hats are sun hats, but many. For latest in sun hat fashions, check out our post on Women’s Sun Hats, Then and Now.
Vintage Straw Hats
Featured in places around the globe, from the white-sand beaches in Cuba to the rice paddy fields of Indonesia, straw hats are universal. This piece of clothing has been a part of different cultures throughout the world since the Middle Ages, beginning in Africa and Asia.
There are and have been several variations of straw hats since then, but one thing that binds them altogether is the fact they’re all woven using some form of plant fiber. In Asia, for instance, you will see straw hats in places such as the Philippines that are made from rattan, whereas in areas such as Russia and the Ukraine such hats are designed from rye straw. In contrast, Ecuador straw hats, known as Panama hats, are made from Toquillar straw. Easy to make and durable, regional creations of the straw hat have been made all over the world to suit the people, and the plants, of each place. Plants that have been used for straw hat fibers include flax, hemp, jute, kudzu, milkweed and more.
And before becoming an attractive accessory item for Instagrammers and celebrities, the straw hat began on the heads of humble farmers. Some historians believe that perhaps the first item of clothing ever invented, in fact.
According to a book on Straw Hats by Project Gutenberg, weaving materials out of vegetable fibers is likely the earliest form of textile operation. Beginning as a hobby for rural communities, it later developed into a viable industry.
Vincent van Gogh even used a straw hat in his famous self-portrait piece in the late 1800’s.
If you’re interested in learning more about how different cultures weave, check out this video of a hatmaker in a village of Sarbi creating traditional Romanian straw hats with braided poplar strips.
The Hat Stops Here
The straw hat isn’t just for scarecrows and farmers anymore. Absolutely not! This hat is for the bikini-loving, bellini-drinking, fashionista who desires a look that is timeless and chic. It’s a hat that says yacht excursion and mimosas on the beach with friends. It says, ”Summer is here!”
Used on sunny days, it’s still so much more than a shade for your noggin. It’s a symbol, a memory, and tells a story of a day, a vacation, a wedding, a love and a life worth living.
We believe Margaret George put it best when she said, “Hope is a straw hat hanging beside a window covered with frost.”
Tap into the hope that lies within you, and wear your straw hat today.
