One of the unsung heroes of cold-weather dressing, the best winter hats are the finishing touch of a well-layered outfit. Like a little hug on your head, a winter hat is guaranteed to keep you warm (by keeping the heat in your body) and give your look a seasonal stylish spin.
From baker boys to beanies, the best winter hats should reflect your personal style, and of course, enhance your outfit. Coordination is key and to find the perfect headgear, it helps to consider what will match your best winter coat and best winter boots, as these are the items it will be seen with most. Fabric is key - think toasty lambswool or luxurious, plush cashmere - as are the details, such as playful pom-poms. Colour is also something to consider, punchy hues will give your outfit a little boost, while sleek neutrals deliver a dose of Quiet Luxury winter wardrobe.
While some styles of hat are more casual and will work with your off-duty, jeans-and-jumper combo (we’re looking at you, beanie and bobble), other options, such as the fedora, exude elegance and will work for smarter occasions, too. Chances are, you’re going to want to snap up more than one hat for your capsule wardrobe, so the fact that most designs for daily wear won't break the budget is a welcome bonus.
The best winter hats for women as chosen by our fashion team
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RRP: £34.90 | 100% cashmere is guaranteed to keep you cosy. Regulating your body temperature, this knitted hat will lock in as much warmth as needed, without overheating your head. Under £35, this neutral design comes in lots of colourways and won't date.
RRP: £22.99 | In a wool blend, this winter white hat is just so elegant. Pair with a one of the best wool coats in a similarly neutral tone to keep this look elevated. The wool blend helps to add warmth, while the wide brim delivers extra face protection.
RRP: £40 | The bucket hat has made a return to our streets in a big way. Usually a hat most associated with the summer months, thanks to the brim offering sun protection, for winter look to designs in woolen or texture fabrics, or even quilting for added warmth.
RRP: £24 | We love the use of contrasting colours on this design. There are several iterations of this hat available so you can pick the colour clash that most suits your winter outfit ideas. The cable knit helps to lock in heat, while the fluffy pom pom adds festive fun.
RRP: £65 | A lot of the best winter hats can feel a little casual, so if you're looking for a design with extra polish that will work for the office and occasions, a textured fedora, such a felt or wool iteration is a sleek and stylish choice that ticks all the right boxes.
RRP: £19.99 | A style that is perhaps not for the faint hearted, this fun and casual design in shaggy faux fur has ear flaps to help deliver the ultimate level of warmth. With a '90s feel it's perfect for pairing with the best parkas to really hone in on the look.
RRP: £45 | Originally associated with the 1800s the Baker Boy hat is one that comes back into fashion every winter. As with the fedora, this style of hat offers a little more polish and a touch of androgynous tailoring. We love the mottled grey fabrication.
RRP: £17.99 | Available in two colourways, black or grey, this hat is pretty much perfect for the Upper East Side Grandmother style trend. Combining that classic beret vintage aesthetic with a directional textural design, it is perfect for the season ahead.
RRP: £50 | Crafted from 90% wool this balaclava will keep you super toasty. The pink hue adds brightness and fun to the quirky headpiece, while the additional 10% of cashmere in the fabric blend helps to deliver further comforting softness in the bitter weather.
RRP: £35 | For something a little sportier, look no further than this elegant woolen baseball cap. Once again this silhouette is something we generally associate with summer months, but if you like to keep it casual, but cosy, this design is an absolute winner.
RRP: £10.99 | Ombre colouring is a great way of adding a hit of dopamine to your wardrobe and this lavender and white beanie promises to add a little style to your winter ensembles. Pair with black, navy, purple or white tones for maximum style and effect.
RRP: £38 | Embrace a French capsule wardrobe with this dogtooth, neutral beret. A chic and elegant look, this is ideal for your work outfits, or for a dressy hat for nights out throughout the winter months. The fuzzy fabric adds warmth.
RRP: £39.99 | The best winter hats are all about embracing tactile fabrics that soften the harshness of the weather and help create a little more protection. This design features a cable knit top, for both stretch and warmth, before being trimmed in faux fur.
RRP: £14 | Sparkle through the winter weather with this subtly trimmed hat. The pale pink beanie is pretty neutral, but will team well with camel, navy and the best black coats in particular. The jewelled edging makes this hat feel a little more fashion forward.
RRP: £280.47 | Crafted from premium felt, made from wool, you can expect this cap to be really warming and cosy. The mottled, khaki-grey colourway is another great neutral hue that makes a wonderful alternative to black, we love the extra brand detailing.
What are the best winter hat styles?
Bobble: Probably the cosiest of all the winter hat styles, the bobble's fluffy pom-pom finish makes it both fun and feminine. Bobble hats are, universally flattering and can be found in an array of colours, so there’s something for everyone. If you aren’t sure which winter hat style to go for, you’re definitely safe choosing a bobble.
Beanie: Best described as the bobble hat's bobble-less counterpart, beanies are ideal if you’re after something simple but chic. As well as coming in an array of colours and patterns (so the fun associated with a pom-pom-topped hat isn’t totally lost), beanies are also made in a variety of depths, meaning you can choose between something that sits snug to your head or allows for a little more room. If you're wondering how to wear a beanie, we recommend teaming with the warmest leggings for a cool athleisure look.
"I couldn't get through winter without my rotation of beanies," shares senior fashion & beauty writer, Amelia Yeomans. "Durable, soft, and cosy, they make such a huge difference in keeping me warm when I'm out and about - and they save me on bad hair days. A light cashmere beanie is perfect for keeping the heat in without getting a sweaty head, but I also love fluffy knit fabrics for an extra dose of style and comfort."
Baker boy: Adopted by the chicest women in the '60s and '70s, and a style statement ever since (Julia Roberts made them iconic again in the '90s in Pretty Woman), the baker hat moves in and out of fashion on rotation. Right now, it’s very much in! Where woolen knits sit close to the scalp, baker boy hats' cap-like appearance and sharp angles add definition that helps to elongate round faces. While this style might not be the warmest, it’s definitely among the sultriest.
Fashion editor and stylist, Julie Player is a big fan of the baker boy hat for winter. "My favourite hat is my grey baker boy cap. It keeps me warm and the peak is ideal for keeping the winter sun out of my eyes!" she explains.
Bucket: Arguably the most fashion-forward of all the headwear styles available right now, the bucket hat might seem scary but it’s definitely making its way into the mainstream. The bucket hat is available in a wide variety of materials, from borg and teddy textures to waterproof finishes (which are great for rainy days, worn with your waterproof jacket).
"The bucket hat made a huge impact on the runway for this season and while this hat shape does often deliver beach connotations, switching for a more wintery fabrication makes this design instantly more approachable for cooler months. The brim also adds a little bit of shading for those cold but bright mornings," says woman&home fashion editor, Rivkie Baum.
Fedora: While woven finishes might reign supreme in summer, the fabric of winter is felt; and this is where the fedora comes into its own: this style's structured shape makes it great for sophisticated outfits, adding a touch of glamour to the everyday. Some fedoras have wider brims than others, and the more rectangular your face is, the wider you may wish to go.
Beret: This French style is always in fashion, but it inevitably made a widespread comeback after Netflix aired Emily In Paris with the hugely popular show prompting a rise in beret sales and searches for how to wear a beret. While you don't have to select an outfit from a chic French clothing brand to pair it with, your outfit for a beret needs to be more stylish than your average loungewear looks to pull it off, so opt for a smart pair of jeans, or a chic midi dress and, if you want to take more classic style notes from the continent, maybe even a Breton top.
Fashion editor Jayne Cherrington Cooke is a big fan of the beret for winter. "While I often pull on a functional beanie for freezing-cold dog walks, my hat of choice this winter is a beret. I just love how they make any outfit look instantly stylish and pulled together - even if you are just in your dog walking best! A black beret is a great choice as it goes with everything, but I'll be pulling on my bejewelled version from Oliver Bonas to add a bit of glamour to those cold days.
Our experts:
With over fifteen years' experience, Rivkie is an accomplished fashion editor, writer and stylist. Covering international fashion weeks, and styling photoshoots all over the world, Rivkie loves translating the trends in an accessible way to make fashion available for all budgets.
Amelia is a senior fashion and beauty writer at woman&home with an MA in Magazine Journalism from City University. She covers everything from product reviews and nail art trends to reporting on fashion weeks and the best-dressed celebrities at red-carpet events.
With over 22 years’ experience in journalism, Jayne’s written about a variety of subjects and is just at home road-testing new season trends as she is writing about Pokémon! She spent the start of her writing career within the world of film, pinching herself while she got paid to interview Hollywood stars, attend premieres and lust after red carpet outfits. She then moved into fashion, launching websites for big magazines such as Look, Woman’s Own and Wedding and working with top fashion brands such as Westfield, LK Bennett and Hunter.
With over 30 years experience in the fashion industry, Julie is a regular contributor to Woman & Home, Woman’s Weekly and Chat magazines, creating engaging fashion and lifestyle content for woman of all ages. She also works in the wardrobe department at ITV, dressing the presenters for Good Morning Britain. In her late fifties, Julie understands what women want when it comes to figure flattering fashion.
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