Three Cheers for the Bucket Hat

It started in the early 1900s, with fishermen in Ireland wearing the head accessory for protection against the rain and wind, as they cast their fishing lines into the sea. They were made of heavy fabric: denim, canvas, or tweed, very utilitarian. The bucket hat, with its downward slanting brim and fitting crown, lacked sophistication, and even so, it continues to charm hat wearers.

By midcentury, a redesigned bucket hat was used in the US military for soldiers serving in Vietnam; it was called the boonie hat. Its design, even though similar to the bucket hat, has a stiffer and wider brim. It was functional, it protected against sun and rain in the tropical jungles of Vietnam. Pictures of special forces soldiers, patrolling rivers, usually wore an army issued bucket/boonies hat. The wide brim and shapeless form camouflaged the shape of their heads. The Australian military don a similar headwear called the giggle hat.

Although the hat lacks aesthetics, its style remains. In the 1980s prominent rap groups wore the bucket hat. Run-DMC and LL Cool J were famous for wearing signature bucket hats. The podcast, Death Taxes and Hats, presents an engaging conversation on bucket hats and rappers.

Viewed as a serviceable item, high fashion designers dismissed it until recently, as celebrities and fashionistas started wearing them in different textiles, colors, and plastic. Rihanna, Gigi Hadid and Billie Eilish, as well as my own niece, Curly AB, don the functional hat to look cool and stay cool.

Even though the bucket hat comes from humble origins, its functionality continues to have a strong appeal and people are not signing off on it. In this time of Covid-19, wearing a hat, sunglasses and a mask looks quite spiffy. Cheers to the bucket hat, it should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Notes

https://ufpro.com/blog/article/history-boonie-hats

https://www.wmagazine.com/gallery/bucket-hat-trend-celebrity-instagrams