8 Of The Best Summer Beach Hats That Will Help You Stay Cool and Covered
If you're anything like me—a.k.a. someone who burns as soon as they look at the midday sun—beach hats are a saving grace. Thankfully, there's no shortage of options that are both stylish and easy to pack. Whether you're a bucket hat lover or someone fond of a Western-inspired moment à la Hailey Bieber, the best beach hats will not only turn your swimwear and cover-ups into a full look, but they'll also save your nose and forehead from turning lobster red quicker than you can even check the UV index.
Regardless of your skin tone and tolerance for the sun, dermatologists are united in their belief that covering up during the hottest hours of the day is crucial. In its official sun safety guidelines, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends wearing a hat that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck—particularly one made of canvas or in a darker color for added protection—between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Whether you're heading out of the city for a sandy getaway or have a tropical vacation in mind, I pulled together the best (and chicest) sun hats to wear all season. Keep the sun out of your eyes—and off your face—in style, with these.
Los Angeles-based label Janessa Leone is a firm favorite of editors, including ELLE US's senior fashion commerce editor, Dale Arden Chong. Think minimalist-leaning, made-to-last headwear in sustainable materials. I've personally taken my Greta straw hat everywhere—from Spain and Italy to Mexico—over the years, and it's never let me down when it comes to sightseeing or sunbathing on the beach.
Sizes: S-L
Colors: Black, Dark Earth, Tan
Materials: 100% straw
There's something undeniably cool about wearing a straw cowboy hat to the beach. This delicious chocolate brown option from Australian label Lack of Color is made to be styled with a turquoise bikini, gold body chain, vintage sunglasses, and a carefree attitude.
Sizes: S-XL
Colors: Carob
Materials: 100% paper
Customer review: 'I couldn't love this hat any more! The perfect shape and shade for summer (and beyond). Love how lightweight it is —consider it my new favorite hat!'
The bestselling Lantern style from Madewell is an under £100 fan favorite for a reason. The flippable brim on this roomy bucket hat lets you wear it slightly off your face while still offering enough coverage to shield you from the sun on a hot day at the beach or park.
Sizes: S/M-M/L
Colors: 6 optionsMaterials: 100% raffia
Customer review: 'I've never really been a hat wearer, but just as I was about to wrap up my shopping, this one caught my eye. I tried it on and instantly fell in love. It's the perfect size and shape and the perfect little accessory to complete a look!'
Whether you have an adventure on the agenda or just want to kick back in the sun, this easy-to-pack wide-brim hat is a reliable companion for destination beach trips. It folds like a dream while keeping its shape. The adjustable leather tie is a chic addition—and comes in handy when the wind hits the shore.
Sizes: One size
Colors: White, Mixed Coffee, Toast, Mixed Green
Materials: 100% paper straw
Customer review: 'I'm taking a road trip to the southwest and really needed a hat that was good quality, would cover my face and neck, and that I could tighten in case it gets windy! This hat is all of those things and super cute.'
With light distressing at the edges, this bucket hat is both casual and cool. Hide underneath it for a day of reading and watching the waves. Then, style it with a colorful sarong and beaded accessories when you hit the beach bar come sundown.
Colors: Navy, Black, White
Materials: 100% cotton
With 40 years of experience, Hat Attack consistently delivers trusty accessories. Its sustainably minded, made-in-the-USA hats hold their shape for years, and there's no shortage of classic colorways and styles to elevate your vacation 'fits. Take this fully lined, frayed-edge number, for example—it will enhance even the simplest of swimsuits.
Colors: Solid Natural, Solid White
Materials: 55% linen, 45% cotton
With plenty of colorways available, there's sure to be a Bondi Bucket Hat for you. Rendered in Solbari's signature UPF 50+ Technical Performance fabric, this comfortable, breathable hat also comes dermatologist recommended.
Colors: 10 options
Materials: 100% nylon
Customer review: 'Perfect lightweight hat and coverage for Florida sun. The cinch allows a tight fit for windy days and stays in place. Quality and style are best I've found for price. Highly recommend.'
This wide-brimmed straw hat from Nikki Beach aces it in the boho beach glamour category—it also boasts UPF 50+ protection. I love the conversation-starting shell detailing, which turns any seaside look into a moment.
Sizes: S/M-M/L
Colors: White
Every product featured on ELLE.com is independently researched, tested, or editor-approved. We only recommend products that we stand behind, and the merchandise featured on our site is always driven by editorial and product testing standards, not by affiliate deals or advertising relationships. Any content created in partnership with advertisers is marked as such.
Freya Drohan is a fashion editor, writer, stylist, and brand consultant with over 15 years of experience. She began her career in the newsroom in her native of Dublin, Ireland. Previsouly, she was the the editor in chief of the NYFW content app, HEED and the executive fashion director at The Daily Front Row. Her writing has been published by Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, Elle, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Maxim, and more. As a copywriter and strategist, she has worked alongside fashion, beauty, tech, and hospitality brands helping them hone their editorial identity and define their voice and point of view.
Freya has appeared on Fox5, New York1, Katie Couric Media, and podcasts as a fashion expert. To date, she has interviewed hundreds of celebrities, designers, and models for print, video, and online features. Freya is currently a judge for the SUPIMA Design Competition and a member of the CFDA Fashion Awards Guild where she is passionate about nurturing new talent in the industry and creating compelling fashion content across platforms.
Follow her on Instagram @freyadro, where she documents her collection of 300+ dresses and the adventures of her dachshund, Gorgeous George.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aqua Leisure Recreation Rebrands as Helio Outdoors
Leading South Boston-based manufacturer and marketer of pool floats, marine towable rafts, snowshoes, and swimming pool parts evolves to meet growing consumer interest in outdoor recreation. 55-year history of manufacturing excellence paired with new brand-centric leadership team provides platform for new product innovation, wider product assortment. Legacy of retail channel strength, prolific new product development and global sourcing sophistication provides platform for growth. STOUGHTON, Mass., June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The company formerly known as Aqua Leisure Recreation announces it has rebranded as Helio Outdoors ( Founded in 1970 in Stoughton, Mass., Helio Outdoors is a collection of category leading brands in the outdoor recreation space, including Aqua®, Airhead®, Inyo Pools™, Purleine™ and Yukon Charlies®. The rebrand provides clarity of purpose as a house of brands serving a growing outdoor recreation category estimated at $109 billion in the U.S. in 2024.1 With a product portfolio spanning pool floats, water toys, swim gear, marine towables, snow shoes and pool parts, Helio Outdoors products are sold at mass merchandise retailers such as Walmart® and Target®, as well as sporting good retailers like Dick's®, Academy Sports & Outdoors®, and others. Additionally, Helio brands products can be purchased directly online at Amazon® as well as its own direct-to-consumer websites. 'This is an incredible opportunity for us to reorganize in a manner that provides clarity to our retail partners and to the consumers choosing our products,' said Carmen Evola, chief executive officer at Helio Outdoors. 'The Aqua Leisure moniker served us well for more than half a century, but as we introduce more rigor to product innovation and brand building, we found it prudent to define more clearly who we are as a house of brands. Helio Outdoors is the perfect identity for a platform of companies with a shared purpose to empower people to and get outside to enjoy Outdoor for Life™.' The U.S. outdoor recreation products sector is estimated to grow at a 6.95% CAGR, adding more than $70 billion in sales between 2024 – 2031.2 _______________1 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 20242 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis About Helio Outdoors (FKA: Aqua Leisure Recreation, LLC): Founded in 1970, Helio Outdoors is a leading marketer and manufacturer of consumer goods products serving the outdoor recreation category under owned brands Aqua®, Airhead®, Inyo Pools™, Pureline™ and Yukon Charlies®. Privately held and headquartered in Stoughton, Mass., with regional offices in Denver and Orlando, Helio Outdoors stands on pillars of quality, accessibility, and adventure, to provide quality products for athletes, water lovers, adventure seekers, children learning to swim, and everyone looking to enjoy the outdoors. For more information, visit Contact: Emma
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Muscle Mommies' are Out. 'Pilates Bodies' Are In. And All of This Signals Something Very Problematic
I came of age in the mid 2000s—a time of low-rise jeans and hip bone worship, of tabloids using their front pages to criticize any change in a celebrity's body. While I'd like to think that, as a society, we've come a long way since then, there's no doubt that the obsession has returned, repackaged for the age of social media. This time, more pervasively—and more problematically—through the guise of 'health.' The rise of the weight-loss shot Ozempic—a drug originally developed for those with type 2 diabetes—has undeniably been co-opted to usher in a new era of the 'thin is in' mentality, but that's not the only culprit. In the digital wellness spaces I frequent online, I have noticed an overwhelming shift in the approach to women's fitness. After the past decade or so of singing the praises of CrossFit and weight training—encouraging the idea of 'strong over skinny'—trainers and fitness influencers are suddenly posting videos about why they stopped lifting heavy to get a 'leaner' look, namely through Pilates. Whether via Ladder's Maia Henry or TikTok's Sivan Tayer, both of whom have begun touting paid workout programs promoting "leanness," my fitness feeds on TikTok and Instagram have gone from bench press workouts to videos about achieving '11 lines' on a reformer; about lifting lighter to prevent 'bulkiness.' The desire for strength has given way to a desire for sinews. In a nutshell, 'muscle mommies' are out, 'Pilates princesses' are in. And I hate it. I'm a Tween Girl Mom and Ozempic Is Bringing Back My '90s Trauma My issue is not that I believe one type of workout is better than the other (quite the opposite—I think we should celebrate all forms of movement that make people feel good). The issue, I think, is that it narrows the idea of what a 'fit' body should look like. Ironically enough, that ideology can prevent people from working out in the first place—or cause them to develop an obsessive approach to exercise—and that's no way to promote health. Indeed, about a month ago, a San Antonio-based TikToker went viral for her rant about seeing larger people in her Pilates class, saying that they 'shouldn't be there,' simply because they didn't align with her idea of a "Pilates aesthetic.' While I won't name and shame (she has since deleted it and posted an apology video), this is exactly the type of negative rhetoric that results from exalting a certain body type while excluding (or shaming) the ones that don't fit a preconceived mold. @heloomelloo/@abkpilates/@maiahenryfit Dr. Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, is an NYC-based licensed clinical psychologist, and the founder and Clinical Director of Comphrehend the Mind, a neuropsychological, developmental and educational center in Manhattan and Queens. Dr. Hafeez applies her 20 years of experience connecting psychological implications to address some of today's common issues such as body image, social media addiction, relationships, workplace stress, parenting and psychopathology. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not condemnation of Pilates as a workout, or the folks who enjoy it (heck, I do, too!), but rather of the popularized perception of the 'Pilates body,' and its evolution towards exclusion, divorced from its own origins. After all, the father of the method, Joseph Pilates, developed it in a World War I internment camp as a way to aid in the physical and mental well-being of his fellow prisoners (a far cry from the sunny, perfectly curated studios it's taught in today). But that's what I think we're losing when we tie this—or any other form of exercise—to a purely aesthetic end goal: well-being! And it has real repercussions. I spoke to Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist based in New York City, for her insights into the negative effects of the Pilates body obsession. 'Seeing the same body type repeatedly on social media can make people feel like they have to look that way to be accepted,' she explains. 'It can cause people to feel unhappy with their bodies, even if they are healthy and strong. Some might start comparing themselves all the time, which can lead to low self-esteem. It can also make people feel like their worth depends on how they look, instead of who they are. This pressure can lead to harmful habits.' I won't lie, being bombarded with images of this idealized figure had begun to give me pause before booking my next class; I recently found myself thinking, 'I don't look like the Pilates girls on my feed. Maybe I don't belong there?' But then I thought of all the time and effort I had put into unlearning the negative body talk of my adolescence, and said, 'Screw that!' I wasn't about to hold myself back from doing something I enjoy, and that makes me feel good, just because I don't have '11 abs.' Dr. Hafeez agrees. 'It's important to remember that exercise is about feeling strong and healthy, not fitting a certain look. Enjoying Pilates or any workout doesn't mean you have to look like the people you see online.' But if you find yourself in a body image spiral like I did, take her professional advice: 'Focus on how movement makes you feel, such as being more energized, less stressed and proud of what your body can do. Celebrate small progress and personal goals instead of comparing yourself to others. You don't need to look a certain way to belong in any fitness space.' Bottom line? You can be a Pilates princess—or a muscle mommy, boxing baddie, walking wonderwoman—without being defined by your body or how you move it. 5 Wellness Trends That Will Dominate 2025, from Filter-Free Dating to Mindful Digital Consumption
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
The 7 worst home design trends for anyone over 60 (and what to do instead)
Trendy isn't always timeless when it comes to home decor, especially when your joints disagree. While your younger self might have loved the idea of sleek, handle-free cabinets or a dramatic floating staircase, your knees, hips and peace of mind will all thank you for choosing function over fleeting fashion. 'Many of the most beautiful modern design features aren't built for long-term practicality," says Gemma Hobb, a Calgary-based Sotheby's International Sales Representative. "A home's functionality must evolve with its occupants.' If you're over 60 and planning to stay in your house for the long haul, consider avoiding these 7 home decor trends as part of any renovations. Picture this: you're trying to grab your coffee mug from the upper cabinet, but your arthritis is flaring up. Those handle-free cabinets suddenly become your worst enemy. Push-to-open mechanisms demand precise pressure and dexterity, which is precisely the kind of motion that becomes more difficult with age. Traditional handles and knobs? They're not just reliable workhorses; they provide better leverage and are gentler on aging joints. Deep base cabinets might maximize storage, but they also maximize frustration when you're crawling around on the kitchen floor, searching for the one pot you need. Items disappear into cabinet black holes. Your knees will protest. Smart solution? Pull-out drawers and lazy Susans that bring everything within easy reach. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. Admit it — these are stunning. But are they safe? Not even close. Open treads become foot traps, and those barely-there railings offer about as much support as a gentle suggestion. 'Comfort, safety and ease of daily living become top priorities for aging homeowners,' Hobb notes. Your staircase should support you, not be an obstacle course. Smart homes promise convenience, but what happens when the technology outsmarts you? Wifi crashes, apps freeze, and suddenly, you can't turn on a simple light. Touch-activated faucets become maddening when dealing with tremors or reduced dexterity. Sometimes, the most sophisticated solution is the simplest. A regular light switch never needs a software update. High-gloss floors, countertops and cabinet doors gleam like mirrors in design magazines — and they can turn your home into an ice rink. They're slip hazards waiting to happen and also show every fingerprint, water spot and dust particle. Matte finishes aren't just safer; they're significantly more forgiving for daily life. Remember when sunken living rooms — also called conversation pits — were the height of sophistication? Today's version includes random decorative steps scattered throughout open-concept spaces. These unexpected level changes are trip hazards disguised as design elements. Your peripheral vision may not be what it used to be, and these subtle elevation changes can catch off guard. If you're stuck with them, contrasting tape on step edges and excellent lighting are non-negotiable. The minimalist bathroom aesthetic has banished grab bars as 'institutional' and eliminated tubs as 'outdated.' Big mistake. 'A poorly-designed bathroom can quickly become one of the most dangerous rooms in the home,' warns Hobb. 'Fortunately, most issues can be addressed proactively through smart design.' Modern grab bars come in sleek finishes that complement any design scheme. They're safety features, not eyesores. As for tubs, soaking can be therapeutic for aging joints, not to mention some people can't stand for long showers. 'In my experience, simplicity, safety, and low maintenance are what aging buyers value most,' Hobb explains. However, here's the thing: this doesn't mean your home has to look like a medical facility or sacrifice style for function. It's about making wise choices that will serve you beautifully for decades to come. For those ready to take a comprehensive approach to aging-in-place design, consider following a safety checklist for aging-in-place. The Government of Canada Guidelines provide an excellent framework covering everything from exterior lighting and secure railings to proper bathroom safety features and fire safety considerations. It's a room-by-room assessment that can help you identify potential issues before they become problems. Your future self will thank you for thinking ahead. After all, the most enduring design trend of all is one that lets you live comfortably, safely, and independently in your own home for as long as possible. Because the best kind of home design isn't just stylish; it's livable for life.
