Happy Hat Day! Today marks the fourth annual Hat Day, an initiative of The Headwear Association. It might seem like just another day, but it could go some way towards getting your summer wardrobe sorted. Today The Headwear Association will give away free wide-brimmed hats in key cities across America, including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Los Angeles. You can visit The He…

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Tilley's created a sunhat for the sustainable set with this TH8 Hemp Hat. This model is much more feminine than the label's other hemp accessories. While you'd hardly call it girly, its contrasting black band and structured brim have an elegant female-focused appeal. You can wear that brim up like the woman in the photo, or fold it down for a different look. Hemp has a reputation for b…

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Outdoor Research puts practicality first with this Sombriolet Sunhat. Its name sounds fancy, but there's no pretention about this hat. In fact, it's very plain, with a drab color palette and pretty uninspiring aesthetic. It's certainly not for girls looking to make a fashion statement on the sand. However it's packed with the kind of features that mean we shouldn't dismiss it out…

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Tula calls this wide brimmed beauty a Gardener Hat, but I imagine it'd be just as useful away from the flower bed, don't you? After all, the Gardener Hat's wide brim would keep off sun no matter where you are, including your local break. Its styling is simple but classic, with a tightly woven finish, distinctive wide brim, and unisex feel. I'm not so sure about the leather strap though.…

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Council of Fashion Designers of America award winner Eugenia Kim looks to elevate the humble baseball cap to high end fashion statement through her new collaboration with Timo Weiland. Weiland commissioned the acclaimed milliner to create a capsule collection of wide brimmed baseball caps. The hats feature seven of Timo Weiland signature colorful patterns, which he says were…

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Jessica Simpson puts style first with this floppy hat from her fashion collection. At first glance this crochet hat looks like the ideal combination of sophistication and sun smarts. However when it comes to the latter, we're sadly let down. I love the look of the crocheted paper straw, but its distinctive holes will let in UV rays. On a cover-up or swimsuit we could simply lather on t…

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Scala serves up classic style with a healthy dose of sun smarts with this Sewn Ribbon hat. Despite its name, this hat isn't made from regular ribbon at all. Instead strips of polyester have been sewn together to create a subtle stripey look. The choice of material may not be as luxurious as a satin ribbon, but it's very smart. It ups the sun protection factor to an impressive UPF 50+, so y…

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Coolibar keeps you covered on the beach with this Sport Sun Hat. This classic baseball cap is fitted with a long flap for extra neck and ear protection. Just like the rest of the Coolibar range, the hat and its flap are rated UPF 50+ for superior protection. While the flap is smart I concede that it's not a very fashionable feature. Thankfully it's removable though, so you can leave it at…

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Jessica Simpson shows us her knowledge of headwear goes beyond her reliable cowboy hat with this summery sunhat. This multi stripe floppy hat has a fairly traditional design, but those wide rainbow stripes make it much more interesting than the average. There are four different color palettes to choose from, but this guava combo has won me. I love the way its earthy neutrals work wi…

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Roxy takes care of style and sun protection with this Kinda Shady hat. This is a rustic looking sunhat, with its woven paper straw finish and matching straw tie accent. Its pretty pink wash gives it a youthful energy. It almost seems like the natural straw has been spray painted, or perhaps even tie-dyed. If that sugary pink is a bit girly for you, you'll find the Kinda Shady with a white…

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The Headwear Association wants you to be sun smart on the beach this summer, so it's dubbed today, Friday June 17, Hat Day in the Sun. To celebrate, the organization will hand out wide-brimmed hats in a variety of American locations. These hats were chosen to offer maximum protection to the face, neck, eyes, and ears. The association suggests women should follow the "more skin, more…

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Betmar gives us a taste of the Orient with this unique Origami sunhat. This hat gets its name from its linen crown, which is pleated to resemble paper folded in the traditional Japanese style. It's very stylish, but it serves a more practical purpose. By using lightweight linen, Betmar has ensured our head will stay cool. It won't offer as much ventilation as a hat made of a meshed mate…

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We're all told to don a T-shirt, cover-up or wide brimmed hat if we want to avoid sunburn on the beach, or more serious skin damage. While these items of apparel and accessories will repel UVB rays, they aren't effective at keeping out those powerful UVA rays. These are the rays responsible for wrinkles and other signs of premature aging, and most importantly, skin cancer. You could s…

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Kangol's hats have just gotten a lot greener with the label opting for renewable bamboo and eco-friendly yarns for its spring/summer knit line. Knit hats don't sound like they'd be very beach friendly, but I'd love to wear the retro bamboo Cloche pictured above, or the bamboo Mowbray pictured below on the sand. Bamboo is much lighter than other traditionally knitted materials lik…

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British Panama hat label Pachacuti is proud to be considered the United Kingdom's only fair trade hat specialist. The production of Panama hats has traditionally been overseen by unscrupulous middlemen known as perros, the Spanish word for dogs. They typically shortchange weavers, who work hard for very little financial reward. Pachacuti bucks that trend by working directly…

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What Coolibar lacks in fashion forward style, it always makes up for in sun protection. If you care more about staying safe on the beach than following trends, accessories like this Coolibar wide brim sun hat will serve you well. This simple hat is made from tightly knit polyester, which is lightweight, breathable, and sun smart with a UPF 50+ protection rating. The broad four-inch…

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Coolibar tends to be a label that puts sun smart over style, so I was pleasantly surprised by the vintage appeal of this woven City Stroll hat. It might have been designed with the urban jungle in mind, but I imagine this hat would be just as appropriate for days spent lolling about the beach. Its design really lends itself to those summer vacations. It can roll up to fit inside a beach bag…

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Coolibar embraces tropical island style with this colorful Carribean bag. Coolibar has always been a brand that's put sun protection first and style second. So it's refreshing to see this pretty sunhat which manages to combine the two. It's not the most fashion forward hat, but its colorful braided macramé band and tassel of beads gives it some real personality. These vibrant em…

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With a chill setting over the Northern Hemisphere, it seems that you've got two choices if you want to enjoy that early morning surf. You could venture to the other side of the world to catch waves off the coast of Australia or Fiji, or you could shiver through the current wintery conditions. But Billabong's thought of another option with its Furnace Surf Cap. It might not be the most st…

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Olive N Figs packs a whole lot of value in this Crazy Circle beach set. However, given its name this set certainly won't appeal to every beachgoer. The name Crazy Circle is quite apt, because the vivid colored print with its abstract spots is pretty outrageous, whether you choose pink or lime green. I think the key though is not to pair all the items together as the mannequin does, but ap…

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Coolibar adds a little pizzazz to the popular wide-brimmed sunhat style with this striking Tucson hat. This hat is just the thing for coping with the oppressive sun in Arizona, or at your local beach. It's made from a unique blend of natural straw and nylon which is certified to offer the same protection as a UPF 50+ sunscreen. Its wide four-inch brim helps to shade your neck and face to…

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Caps may look cute and sporty, but if you really want to be sun smart on the beach you'll need a wide brimmed hat like this straw one from Spiegel. While caps keep the sun from your face, this floppy straw hat will protect your ears and shoulders from harmful UVA and UVB rays. On a more superficial level, it also looks gorgeous with its natural toned woven straw and stylish leather band. It…

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We all know it's important to take our sun hats along to the beach, but they're just so difficult to pack! Caps can fit inside a tote, but they don't offer the sun protection we crave. The wide brimmed variety is a much better alternative, but good luck fitting one inside your beach bag! Hat.A.Girl has come to the rescue with this striped travel hat. The polyester sunhat claims to be crus…

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"Well, excuse me, my fashion-impaired friends. I am here to tell you that hats are back." "And this time they've ganged up to form one giant, super hat!" Let's just get the Friends reference out of the way now, because if you choose to wear an oversize hat like this, you're going to be hearing it a lot. Yes, this Bop Basics Toya Braid Sunhat from ShopBop is indeed reminiscent of Rachel's f…

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