When the England test captain, Ben Stokes, wore a bucket hat with the Three Lions crest embroidered on the front at the first day of the men’s Ashes last week, it brought almost as much attention as the Test match itself. The hat, known as a titfer, cost £25. On Twitter, he became known as “Bucket Hat Ben”.
A few days later, the sight of Pharrell Williams on the Pont Neuf over the Seine taking a bow after his debut collection for Louis Vuitton in a snug-fitting baseball cap, was a stark contrast. It speaks to a battle going on from the grass of Edgbaston to the catwalks of Paris, and in towns and cities up and down the UK – that these two styles of hat are battling it out to keep heads protected and noses in the shade this summer.
