What Beanies To Wear This Winter
Time to level up your accessories game with a range of new beanie styles
Happy Sunday everyone! The cold weather is finally hitting and that means it’s time to dust off the beanie collection for the season. It’s an item that I feel can get overlooked at times, but accessories are an important way to add a little bit of steeze to your fit. Although the current rotation is fine, I feel like I need a little refresher because the truth is, you can never have too many beanies to choose from. That said though, if you’re someone who rocks the same option for the entire winter, then it’s important that you lock in something nice enough without needing to buy other options midway through the season.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll look at what the current world of headwear has to offer for us this season, some budget options because beanies are randomly expensive(?), hand-knitted heat you need to know about, and more!
1 OF 1 HEAT
Beanies are an interesting topic because while there are so many styles to choose from, it really comes down to the individual to make the call on what really works for them — different head shapes, hairstyles, overall needs, etc., are all factors that you need to consider when making your decision. I’m currently a big fan of the skullcap style, but I also enjoy a good classic folded-over knitted beanie as well, and lucky for us there is a lot of variety to pick from.
Bexhill Court is a brand out of Toronto that was started by Pat O’Rourke of Rental Magazine. The brand is relatively new, focusing on delivering handmade 1 of 1 headwear, which is already making a splash with an instant sellout that happened during the last drop. Hand knit using fine merino wool, these beanies are ideal for folks who don’t want a hat that fits snug to their head — leaving a little bit of slack at the top for swag purposes of course.
Although the recent drop is already sold out, another one is coming very soon so make sure to follow Bexhill Court on Instagram here, and stay tuned for the next drop!
AFFORDABLE KNITWEAR
Keeping us in the realm of affordable headwear, Howlin’ Knitwear has a bunch of good beanies under $100 worth checking out. Fit is definitely a bit more snug on these, but the various styles and colors make them a really great option if you want something straightforward for the winter.
Some louder versions are also available if you’re looking to make a bit of a splash with your outfit coordination — headwear is an easy way to add a little bit of color to your fit without having to go out of your comfort zone too much. The choices shown above are from END, but if you want even more, I suggest visiting the official Howlin’ store here.
MULTI-COLOR GOODNESS
If you’re willing to drop just a little over $100 on a beanie — in most cases, it really is worth it, trust me — then you should consider the Space Dye Beanie from Norse Projects. Created using a cotton, alpaca and mohair blend, giving it a unique multi-color thanks to the individual fabrics. Really enjoying the fit on this one too which you can see below:
If you rock a black jacket or just darker colors in general, then a brighter hat is honestly going to be a lot of fun to pair with your fit. No tags is also the move, although having a little branding never hurt anyone, especially for hats…
Norse Projects is known for its knit game, and it definitely translates to its headwear. So I highly recommend checking out their full headwear selection because there is way more to choose from aside from the the one shown above.
The Space Dye Beanie is available directly at the Norse Projects website.
HANDMADE BEANIES
Bailey Goldberg is a New York based designer who is killing the handmade beanie game right now. Each one is knitted by hand in Brooklyn, the designs vary based by drop and are available in various shops. The standout here, and this is something I’ve actually not seen anyone else do, is the way the yarn is used to imitate a fold over on the beanie, when it fact there isn’t one — a really cool detail.
You can purchase one of these directly from Selfridges here, but if you follow his instagram here you’ll be able to remain up-to-date on all of his upcoming drops!
LET’S TALK SKULLCAPS
Secret sauce to a successful winter is having multiple hats in the rotation. The thing is, if you’re someone who experiences actual snow during the winter season then you need something other than wool sometimes. You ever try to rock a 100% wool hat during rain or heavy snowfall? It is somewhat water repellent, but you still risk of damaging it by stretching out its fibers due to the water absorption.
If it’s raining or snowing heavily then I usually wear a skullcap that has some polyester or acrylic in it. They are way more budget friendly, durable, dry really quickly, just as comfortable as a pure wool options, and have a really solid level of quality. Below are some of my favorite skullcaps you can purchase right now:
Dime - Spiral Skullcap
Simple beanies with a fun design. Comes with a small Dime tag on the side. Currently available directly on the Dime website. More beanies are expected to drop in the next drop that is coming November 25th, so be on the lookout for that.
Ostrya - Swirl Beanie
Another heavy hitter from Canada. Comes in a polyester and marino wool blend, giving it that softness and durability factor all packaged into one. Available on the Ostrya website.
Engineered Garments - Beanie
The good folks over at Engineered Garments have delivered three wool blend skullcaps, designed to withstand the colder days. Available on Pilgrim Surf Supply shop here.
FOR THE BIG SPENDERS
If money isn’t an issue for you then I highly recommend peeping the Sacai x Carhartt beanies — I mean, they are $200 which is kind of crazy but when I saw these in person I was like damn — this is definitely not your normal Carhartt beanie with a logo slap. Extremely soft, really high quality knit. Seems like a type of hat that will look just like new even after years of wear.
Ok on the real though… would I actually ever buy this myself? Hell no. $270 CAD for this is crazy… BUT, if I did have that type of money to drop on a beanie I’d do it. It’s big baller status and that quality is definitely there, especially for that baby blue colorway.
For those who don’t have a concept about financial responsibility can purchase this at Haven.
ON A BUDGET
Stussy is probably one of the best places to shop at for design variety that’s on a budget. Colorful and uniquely designed beanies drop pretty often across their various seasons and for the price you really can’t go wrong with adding a few to your rotation. There’s always a design or two that seems to fly under the radar, and maybe that’s for the best.
From my personal experience, their skullcaps specifically tend to run longer in length than usual — so depending on your dome, you might not be able to wear this completely flush with your head, or else the hat will just cover your eyes. Usually I’d wear the skullcap in a way where the top just sits above the head, creating this kind of bunched up look to the fit, if that makes sense?
Check out the full beanie range directly on the Stussy website here.
A MORE UNIQUE APPROACH
Ok, so we went through our classic headwear variety, and now it’s time to close it off with something slightly different above the rest. The Trilogy Tapes recently dropped this fleece-moss beanie that hasn’t left my mind. 100% cotton fleece might not be ideal for some, but if you’re living in a really cold climate then this will definitely do the trick.
Currently available directly at The Trilogy Tapes website here.