The author and her beloved red bonnet.
Photo: Mya Gelber

I will say that I did give beanies a shot. I really did. No matter how chunky, finely knit, soft or long or short, the beanie always ended up swallowing my head and my personal style with it. For years, I gazed longingly at girls wearing their slouchy cashmere beanies, their long hair somehow tucked underneath just so. Perfectly messy, impossible to achieve.

Then began my journey to find an alternative. I ventured to the land of earmuffs, then fur headbands, fuzzy bucket hats, and there was even a brief stint with a sheepskin trapper hat in 2017. Earmuffs I really thought might work. They achieved my aesthetic goals but became a problem anytime I tried to listen to music or a podcast on my daily commute. The earmuffs jabbing the AirPods into my eardrums. This would not work. Luckily, I did not have to look too far. Frankly, I did not have to look farther than outside my front door, where suddenly the “It” girls of Brooklyn were all wearing bonnets. I had to have one.

But which one?

There are bonnets with scalloped edges, interwoven with ribbon, and patchwork designs. From Paloma Wool to Acne Studios, lots of designers began making them over the past few years. I even found a New York TikToker who hand-knits bonnets for her and her baby, including one she made to match her Wales Bonner Adidas Sambas. (If you are so inclined, a search on the popular fiber-arts website Ravelry will show you thousands of patterns so you can knit your own bonnet.)

I thought about getting this white bonnet from Sandy Liang, but it just felt too expensive. And while I did consider this bonnet from the Vermont Country Store, I ultimately wanted a bonnet with longer, more exaggerated front ties. I soon realized Etsy was a hub for reasonably priced knit bonnets, and there were thousands of options for me to choose from. I decided to narrow my search by material and color options. I wanted a wool bonnet, for practicality, and bold color options, for fun.

Photo: Etsy

This is the one I went with. It has been my prized possession this winter and I will rave about it to anyone who will listen. It doesn’t slip off my head, it doesn’t make my forehead itch, and I can listen to a podcast. I have discovered that a bonnet is sort of a “statement,” and it’s better not to go overboard with other loud pieces. I usually pair it with these sunglasses and an oversize thrifted coat.

These days, the most frequently asked question I get on social media is: “Where is your bonnet from?” The link to the bonnet now lives in my Instagram bio, and I’m frequently getting tagged in photos of people wearing their beloved new red bonnets.

I am so in love with my new hat that I’m considering incorporating a cotton version into my rotation once it starts to get warmer (and rainier). I’m eying this one and this one from COS.

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