But this yearning isn’t just reserved to apparitions of physical romance past. Mine came in the form of a furry leopard bucket hat that graced my crown nearly two decades ago. I still remember the day I got it. I was splayed out on the terracotta in front of a friend’s mother’s shop when her uncle stopped by, toting three trash bags full of furry accessories—hats, muffs, mittens, and scarves in a myriad of prints and colors. It was black market Santa. Looking back, there were certainly some seedy elements that I didn’t pick up on as a nine-year-old, like the fact that the furs were very questionably faux and arrived in trash bags carried by an “uncle” I had never heard of, despite having known this family my entire childhood. But that’s another story for another time.
My enthusiasm for all things free and fuzzy took over and I dove right in. A fuschia muff here, some mink gloves there, and could it be? A leopard bucket hat lined in coffee-colored satin that fit perfectly on my tiny head? It was stunning, my Cinderella moment in all its Y2K glory. I wore the shit out of that hat, rocking it with my rainbow-framed glasses, southern California weather be damned. It was fashion, not function.
It’s been nearly 18 years since I’ve seen that hat or anything like it. But fashion’s got a funny way of rehashing the past, and noughties nostalgia is rampant. Cue barbed wire decals, non-ironic FUBU, the cult resurgence of Buffalo sneakers, and—oh my god, yes!—furry bucket hats. These modern iterations won’t come from a trash bag in the trunk of a creepy uncle’s car but they will pack the same stylish punch, no question. Here are some of the best picks on the market RN.
