Vandre Hat Guide: Helping You Find The Perfect Hat
I make hats and only hats, and I organize Vandre the way you build the rest of your wardrobe: by fabric, and by the season and occasion each one is made for. The idea is simple. The right hat is a matter of the weather you are dressing for and the fabric that handles it best. Every Vandre hat shares the same refined, structured silhouette and the same considered details, a leather strap, a metal or brass closure, the signature lining, and a single embroidered V. What changes is the fabric, and the fabric is the whole point.
Here is how I think about the four that carry you through the year, from the year-round cotton to the warm-weather linen, the cool-weather wool, and the cashmere for the cold. Use it to find the one that fits your life, and your head.
Year-round: Made in USA 100% Organic Cotton
If you want one hat that does everything, this is it. Designed in Chicago and made in New York, it is pure inside and out: a 100% organic cotton shell over a 100% Egyptian cotton lining on the two front panels, where the hat meets your forehead. At a lightweight 7 oz, it is breathable and easy to wear year round, dressed up for dinner or kept by the door for anytime you are heading out. It carries the refined profile of a luxury cap, unlike the flat-brim, vintage look of most American-made hats, and it is the line that took me eight years to bring home to the USA.
The details: 100% organic cotton shell, 100% Egyptian cotton lining on the front panels, curved brim, leather strap, brass closures. Best for every season and just about any setting. In black and white. Spot clean as needed, rinse in cool water with a mild detergent, and hang dry. Shop the Made in USA cotton hat.
Warm weather: 100% Irish Linen
When it warms up, reach for linen. This is 100% Irish linen, woven by the 220-year-old Baird McNutt mill in Northern Ireland and handcrafted overseas to my exact specification. Linen is one of the most breathable fabrics there is, which is what makes this hat feel genuinely cool on a warm day, and it softens a little more with every wear. A Baird McNutt fabric label is sewn into the sweatband, the way a mill label sits inside a fine suit, and inside it is fully lined in our signature Maui blue.
The details: 100% Irish linen exterior, fully lined in 100% polyester, leather strap, metal press closure, single embroidered V on the back. Best for spring through summer. In a range of colors. Spot clean with cool water and a mild detergent, then reshape and air dry. A light misting relaxes any natural creasing. Never machine wash, use hot water, or wring the fabric. Shop the Irish linen hats.
Cool weather: 100% Wool Flannel
The wool flannel is the original Vandre hat, and it is your nice hat for when the temperature drops. It is a substantial 100% wool flannel woven at over 400 grams, heavier than the wool in a blazer but lighter than a peacoat, tailored like fine suiting and built to take on the elements. It gives you the warmth of a wool hat with the styling of a baseball cap, comfortable enough to keep on indoors, and it molds to your head the more you wear it. Designed in Chicago and handcrafted overseas to my exact specification.
The details: 400+ gram 100% wool flannel exterior, fully lined in 100% polyester in our signature Maui blue, leather strap, metal press closure, single embroidered V on the back. Best for fall and winter. In charcoal gray, black, and navy. Spot clean with cool water and a mild detergent, then reshape and air dry. Avoid hot water, the washing machine, and the dryer. Shop the wool flannel hat.
Cold weather: 100% Cashmere Beanie
For the cold, the cashmere beanie is the refined way to keep your head and ears warm. It is knit from Grade A Mongolian cashmere, one of the finest fibers there is, in a thick, ribbed knit that is soft against the skin and breathable at the same time. This is warmth without weight, refined rather than extreme, the beanie you reach for when a hat is not quite enough. It wears the same minimalist branding as the hats, a single embroidered V on the cuff.
The details: 100% cashmere, thick ribbed knit, single embroidered V on the cuff. Best for the cold months. In Granite Gray, Navy Blue, Onyx Black, and White. Dry clean only. Shop the cashmere beanies.
How to choose
If you are starting with one hat, start with the Made in USA cotton. It is the do-it-all that works in any season and with almost anything you own. From there, most people build by the weather they live in: linen for the warm stretch, wool flannel for the cold, and the cashmere beanie for the days a hat cannot cover. Each one is finished to the same standard, so it comes down to the fabric and the season you are dressing for.
If you are deciding between two of them and want a hand, email me directly at Ben@VandreBrand.com. Vandre is a team of one, so the person who answers is me.
