Bonnet Girl Autumn Is Officially Upon Us
Bella Hadid, Emma Corrin, and Rosamund Pike are fans of this quirky trend. Here’s how to get the look.
Each season, a slew of fun and often entirely predictable trends appear, without fail, on fashion’s runways. Whether they’re eighties- or punk-inspired looks, Grecian column dressing or preppy ensembles, a similar handful of styles pervade the Fashion Weeks. While these references are all notable wellsprings of inspiration for designers, it’s always refreshing when an unexpected trend pops up. This year, that trend is the fashion bonnet.
One-part Handmaid’s Tale, two parts DIY knit, and a healthy scoop of babushka headscarf energy make this piece an idiosyncratic accessory for the season. We first spied balaclava-adjacent bonnets on the runway in early 2022, when Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri debuted a number of looks in her cruise collection that came with matching bonnets, evoking the cottagecore and prairie-girl fashion trends that had been brewing on TikTok for months prior. Miu Miu has long been a purveyor of the design as well—the label has been putting out its Matelassé nylon helmet since 2021.
The spring 2023 runways, in turn, were filled with riffs on bonnets. Yuhan Wang sent its models out with hats that resembled the kind of aviator cap Amelia Earhart might have worn. Elena Velez applied maritime grunge to her selection of bonnets, and S.S. Daley’s take reminded us of the Bob’s Burgers character Louise Belcher’s signature cap. Paco Rabanne outfitted its headscarves with grommets. Even Saint Laurent’s Grace Jones-esque hoods looked like a sharp take on the garment.
A look from Elena Velez spring 2023.
A look from S.S. Daley spring 2023.
A look from Paco Rabanne spring 2023.
A look from Saint Laurent spring 2023.
Soon, celebrities began donning the bonnet on red carpets. Emma Corrin’s look at the 2021 Emmy Awards featured a custom Miu Miu column gown, fingerless opera gloves and a matching cap; Rosamund Pike chose the Dior getup in gold while promoting The Wheel of Time. And in late October, Bella Hadid was spied out and about in New York City wearing a knitted red and white bonnet that very easily could have been purchased from the darkest corners of Etsy.
Now, it’s your turn to partake in what we are calling Bonnet Girl Autumn. Consider Paloma Wool’s knit balaclava, which would blend in easily on your grandmother back in the old country; Shrimps’s totally twee take or J.W. Anderson’s fuzzy hood—which will be sure to keep you warm for winter. We’re also big fans of the Black-owned sustainable brand Shahini Fakhourie, which has been making a signature black hood for two years (during London Fashion Week, Fakhourie debuted her new colorway—a chic beige). However you decide to wear it, now’s the time to embrace the truly fresh trend that offers a quirky alternative to your average stocking cap.
