What once signified ‘90s stoner couture is now a hot accessory for hypebeasts across the nation. Surely the recontextualization of bucket hats as a "sleazecore" staple was predictable, as cycles in retro-wear are often quite foreseeable—but just because it’s obvious doesn’t make it any less chic.
The bucket hat trend specifically seeped into the mainstream culture from smartly dressed normcore LGBTQ people often spotted in hip urban areas like Bushwick, New York, or Berlin. Suddenly, the bucket hat is everywhere—and although those less in touch with the fashion zeitgeist may scoff, it’s obvious this trend isn’t going away quite yet.
What used to be a marker of a period’s tacky style inevitably becomes that decade’s defining feature, and bucket hats are no exception. But if you’re going for nostalgic anti-fashion, you’ve got to be smart with your choices, or you’ll miss the mark and look just plain gauche. With that in mind: We’ve collected ten on-trend bucket hats that’ll strike the perfect balance between intentionally ugly and fashion-forward.