9 best women’s sun hats you’ll love wearing all summer long

With a design to suit every taste, whatever you have planned this summer, make sure you’re prepared (iStock/The Independent)

Whether you’re opting for a staycation, a last-minute trip abroad or heading to any outdoor space near you, you’re going to need a sun hat to see you through the sunnier months – and once you find the perfect style, it’ll become your go-to.

Depending on your preference, you may want to embrace the current wave of Nineties nostalgia in fashion by investing in a cap or bucket hat.

Alternatively, we’ve got Italian fashion house Etro to thank for sending raffia style hats down this season’s catwalks – meaning there’s plenty of choice if you’re after something a little more timeless and elegant.

All of these styles can be found on the high street, with Asos, Urban Outfitters and & Other Stories offering hats for a fraction of the price of designer counterparts.

Here are some of the most colourful and practical hats around, in a range of designs, from bucket hats to caps. With a design to suit every taste, whatever you have planned this summer, make sure you’re prepared.

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You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

The best women’s sun hats for summer 2021 are:

• Best overall – Reserved wide brim hat: £25.99, Reserved.com

• Best novelty cap – Novel Mart rosé cap: £35, Novel-mart.com

• Best straw bucket hat – Accessorize Sally straw bucket hat: £18, Accessorize.com

• Best floppy summer hat – New Look tan woven floppy hat: £9.99, Newlook.com

• Best designer cap – Christopher Kane More Joy cap: £80, Christopherkane.com

• Best bucket hat – New Look black gingham hat: £7.99, Newlook.com

• Best affordable bucket hat – Accessorize utility bucket hat: £10, Accessorize.com

• Best for summer wedding – Toast Clara wide brim straw hat: £69, Toa.st

• Best crochet hat – Mango crochet straw hat: £19.99, Mango.com

Reserved wide brim hat

Best: Overall

There’s something particularly timeless about this 100 per cent raffia hat, which is the perfect choice for days spent by the pool or at the beach. Owing to its large size, it added instant glamour and kept our face shielded from the sun perfectly. An affordable find that will see you through many a holiday and summer wedding.

Buy now £25.99, Reserved.com

Novel Mart rosé cap

Best: Novelty cap

If you thought the Nineties headgear trend was reserved to bucket hats think again, because the humble baseball cap is quickly hurtling its way to your accessories wardrobe. We love this cap by Novel Mart – a brand that has given our favourite food and drinks the Ivy League treatment. Emblazoned with our favourite tipple – rosé – this pink number is fun, colourful and different. Looking for a different motif? You could opt for everything from “croissant“ to “negroni”.

Buy now £35.00, Novel-mart.com

Accessorize sally straw bucket hat

Best: Straw bucket hat

If you want the best of both worlds – raffia in a bucket hat design – this is the one to choose. It fits securely onto your head, and includes an adjustable ribbon inside, allowing you to tighten or loosen it accordingly. Giving off real summer holiday vibes, we were transported to the Amalfi Coast from the moment we put this on, all you need now is an Aperol Spritz in hand.

Buy now £18.00, Accessorize.com

New Look tan woven floppy hat

Best: Floppy summer hat

If it is the raffia style you want to tap into, enter this pick from affordable high-street brand New Look. The perfect balance between glamorous and understated, it really does tick all the boxes and can certainly be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. A great buy if you’re jetting off for a poolside holiday; this hat will keep the sun off your face while you get stuck into your reading pile.

Buy now £9.99, Newlook.com

Christopher Kane more joy cap

Best: For designer cap

Where Christopher Kane goes, success follows – a case in point is his multi-category lifestyle range More Joy, which launched in 2018. Lending its signature motifs – “More Joy”, “Sex” and “Special” to everything from T-shirts to home accessories, it’s a force to be reckoned with. This cap is the perfect choice following a turbulent, joyless year, and best of all it shields the eyes from the sun, making it a great choice for a day spent in the park with pals.

Buy now £80.00, Christopherkane.com

New Look black gingham hat

Best: Bucket hat

Thanks to its simple design and comfortable fit, this bucket hat is a great choice to wear at home or away – it’s easy to pack, making it ideal for taking on holiday. Unsure how to style it? It really will go with anything in your wardrobe, but we wore ours with this linen-blend short dress (£27.99, Zara.com).

Buy now £7.99, Newlook.com

Accessorize utility bucket hat

Best: Affordable bucket hat

Another Nineties-inspired piece is this casual bucket hat, which features a floppy brim. Made from 100 per cent cotton, it’s soft against the skin. If it gets wet, reshape it while damp so it doesn’t lose its nice fit. The neutral colour means it’ll go with absolutely everything in your wardrobe – a real summer essential.

Buy now £10.00, Accessorize.com

Toast clara wide brim straw hat

Best for: Summer wedding

Toast does a great range of sun hats that are made to last. Handwoven from palm leaf in Mexico, this wide, floppy brimmed hat is as elegant and glamorous as it gets. While slightly more expensive than the usual raffia sun hats, the palm is sourced from farm collectives who grow it to subsidise their earnings, meaning your investment will also be helping communities in Mexico. If you’ve got a wedding abroad, this is a great choice.

Buy now £69.00, Toa.st

Mango crochet straw hat

Best: Crochet hat

Crochet bucket hats are big on TikTok and Instagram and we love this rusty coloured number by Mango. The adjustable cord means you can tie it in place on blustery days at the beach. You can’t go wrong.

Buy now £19.99, Mango.com

The verdict: Women’s summer hats

Thankfully there’s plenty of choice when it comes to women’s sun hats – for something timeless, it’s got to be Reserved wide brim hat, which can be dressed up or down. But if you’re looking to tap into the Nineties baseball-cap trend, we absolutely loved the fun Novel Mart rosé cap.

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