Having had my eye on them for a while, last week I attempted to buy one of the lovely cloche hats I’d spotted in Marks & Spencers. It was to no avail, however: the style has already sold out, at least in Small/Medium. A few days later I spotted a similar model in the window of Kling. Once again, I returned to find it too had been snatched up by a faster shopper.
So it seems cloche hats are the silent success story of this winter. The fact that so many other people have clearly jumped on the trend does put me off a little (I hate it when EVERYONE starts wearing something), but I’m still determined to get my mitts on one.* Here’s my pick of the best ones on ShopStyle (which is, may I add, dangerously addictive). Click for details of where to buy them all.
Here’s some vintage inspiration from Clara Bow:
And of course, one of the style’s more modern proponents….
*I’m taking solace in my theory that most hats are never (or seldom) worn by their purchasers, apart from warm and versatile woolies and berets, or festival hats. Fedoras and the like seem to be a big commercial hit every season, yet where are all these fedora wearing folk? It seems there are three types of people on the high street. Those that don’t buy hats; those that buy but lack the confidence to wear them; and those that parade about in them at the first opportunity. You might have guessed I fall into the latter category.
Rosa Abbott is an arts, fashion and culture obsessive originating from Yorkshire, England, and currently living in Dublin, Ireland. On top of being a student at the illustrious Trinity College, she is a freelance journalist, writing for a number of Irish publications, and also edits the visual arts section of entertainment magazine Totally Dublin.
When she’s not up to her eyeballs in writing, Rosa works as an assistant to stylist Aisling Farinella and volunteers at various art galleries. Her musings on life, style and art can also be found over at her blog, Too Gallant.
