When you think of summer hats, the usual candidates—floppy buckets and straw flat-brims to wear while lounging at the seaside—come to mind. But Mary-Kate Olsen thinks slightly outside the box. Ever the fashion iconoclast, The Row's co-founder accessorized with a giant knit beanie on a late-spring, almost-summer evening, despite Los Angeles's uncompromising heat.
On Monday, June 3, Olsen dined with Canadian hockey player Sean Avery at the Beverly Hills restaurant E Baldi. (The meal was reportedly not a date night: a source confirmed to Us Weekly last week that the two are just friends.) She wore a maroon velvet top coat over black split-hem trousers with dark slip-on mules, with a plaid scarf wrapped around her neck.
The pièce de résistance was a towering hat fit more for a ski weekend in Aspen than dinner in Los Angeles. The sand-colored knit beanie towered almost a foot into the air, adding significant height to her humble five feet and two inches. Clearly, Olsen will wear whatever she wants, when she wants—weather be damned.
As for her other accessories, Olsen went incognito mode in rectangular black sunglasses. A chunky gold signet ring added a metallic pop to her finger. Exact credits for her look weren't available at press time.
There are a few explanations for Olsen's topper of choice on the warm June night. Maybe Olsen is getting a jumpstart on the upcoming fall 2024 hat trend, as seen on recent runways and largely influenced by The Row's eclectic headwear. Or, perhaps the air conditioning inside the restaurant was too frigid, and the accessory helped her stay cozy.
There's also the fact that beanies have long been a staple in Olsen's style file. Her affinity for the casual hat dates back decades, from walking '00s red carpets and city sidewalks with slouchy crochet caps hanging off the back of her head.
Olsen's position as a powerful trendsetter has long been documented. She and her sister Ashley epitomized the "boho chic" archetype during the aughts with their billowing maxi dresses, flower-print caftans, and feathered accessories. Most recently, the twins ignited the far-reaching quiet luxury movement through their pared-back fashion brand, The Row.
So, the question remains: Can Olsen launch a summer 2024 accessory trend of wooly beanies? It wouldn't be the first time she started an unexpected fashion moment and it certainly won't be the last. She and her sister are responsible for today's jelly sandal revival, after all.
