Casquettes & Berets

Getting Ready for Autumn with Just Your Hat, Even in the Late-Summer Heat: Choosing Corduroy and Tweed

2026.08.23

We are into late August, yet there are still days when short sleeves are enough. Honestly, it still feels a little early to buy autumn knits or coats. A hat, though, is another matter. The wales of corduroy, the heathered flecks of tweed, the brushed nap of wool: just adding one hat with texture on the surface of the fabric lets you feel as if your fingertips have touched autumn, even while your clothes stay the same. Today we introduce a way of enjoying hats that suits this time of year: choosing a hat by "the character of the material" rather than by "shape."

QUICK ANSWER

The key to choosing a hat this autumn is not shape or brand but the "character" of the fabric. The texture and surface relief of fabrics, such as the wales of corduroy, the heathered look of tweed and the brushed nap of wool, add an early touch of autumn to late-summer outfits. Switching only your hat to an autumn material, without changing your clothes, is the way to bring it in that suits this time of year.

TREND SUMMARY

"The character of the material": what is happening now

In overseas fashion media, hats are once again drawing attention as the focal point around the face. A feature article published on August 19, 2026 lined up hats whose materials themselves have personality, such as wide-brim raffia hats, pillboxes in shirred fabric, crochet skullcaps and pointelle-knit bucket hats. It was striking that a corduroy newsboy cap was also included, suggesting that choosing by fabric texture rather than silhouette is becoming central to hat trends.

Media covering the Japanese fashion industry also described a similar direction from June to July 2026. Even in this season of lingering late-summer heat, Japanese brands' autumn/winter proposals are said to actively feature calm tones based on brown and gray, Nordic and check patterns, and autumn/winter materials such as tweed and suede. The themes mentioned were a return to "classic" and "elegance." Rather than dramatic change, you can sense a shift toward expressing the season through the refined quality of the materials themselves.

FASHION GUIDE

An explanation for first-timers

Put simply

Many people may not quite get what "the character of the material" means, so to break it down: it is about whether the surface of the fabric has relief or a woven pattern. Summer hats were mainly made of fabrics with a flat, smooth surface, such as cotton and linen. Corduroy, tweed and wool, on the other hand, have dimension in the fabric itself: wales, heathered flecks and a brushed nap. The point is that even a hat in the same black or beige looks completely different in seasonal feel just because the character of the fabric changes.

While the late-summer heat continues, wearing autumn/winter knits and coats is not realistic. But with a hat, the item closest to your face, you can get ahead on materials regardless of the temperature. Whether you pair a corduroy casquette with a short-sleeved shirt or a tweed bucket hat with a T-shirt, your outfit itself stays midsummer and nothing looks out of place. Going out to meet autumn inside your hat before your clothes do: this kind of time-lagged enjoyment is unique to this time of year.

HAT STYLE

If you want to bring this trend in with a hat

Corduroy, tweed and wool tend to be lumped together as "autumn materials," but the character of each fabric is different. The direction of the wales, the way the heathered yarns are mixed, the density of the nap: even from the standpoint of drafting hat patterns, these three feel and look completely different. If you can, try choosing with those differences in mind.

Corduroy is a fabric with wales running vertically, so light and shadow appear on the surface of the hat depending on how the light hits it. It goes well with shapes that have large surfaces, such as a casquette, and even with a plain T-shirt or hoodie, the shading of the wales alone gives the impression of a carefully put-together look.
Tweed is a fabric woven with heathered yarns; from a distance it looks plain, but up close you can see fine flecks of color mixed in. On a simple shape such as a work cap, the fabric alone creates character, and on a shape with soft, rounded surfaces such as a bucket hat, the heathered shading looks soft as it follows the curves.
Wool is a fabric whose brushed nap makes the surface look soft and fluffy, and of the three it gives the strongest autumn/winter feel. On a shape with a low, compact crown such as a hunting cap, the softness of the nap creates shadow around the face, adding just the right calm touch to a smart jacket or to your usual denim.

We post updates on autumn-material hats arriving at the Fab store on our official Instagram as they come in.

WORDS / Fab RECOMMEND

Hats to wear with this trend

CORDUROY

Corduroy Casquette

WS-50152

A design that turns vertical-wale corduroy straight into a casquette. Because the shape has large surfaces, it is the type where the shading of the wales shows most. The beige is soft, and the black creates character with the shading of the wales alone. Even worn with a short-sleeved shirt or a T-shirt, it gives a sense that only your hat has gotten a head start on autumn.

T-shirt
Hoodie

¥4,290 (tax incl.)

*Please check the product page for price and stock.

View product Try it on in store

TWEED

Harris Tweed Wool Work Cap

WS-9940

A work cap using Harris Tweed, woven on the Isle of Harris in Scotland. Flecks of heathered yarn peek through the denim-blue tones, giving a depth that a plain cap does not have. It goes easily with work-style outerwear and with a white shirt.

Denim
Blouson

¥8,800 (tax incl.)

*Please check the product page for price and stock.

View product Try it on in store

TWEED

Tweed Bucket Hat

WS-50457

A rounded bucket hat paired with tweed. Because the shape has soft surfaces, the heathered shading also looks gentle, without sharp edges. It comes in a choice of pink, brown and black, with a balance that is easy to pair with a smart dress or casual knitwear.

Dress
Knitwear

¥3,960 (tax incl.)

*Please check the product page for price and stock.

View product Try it on in store

WOOL

Wool Hunting Cap

WS-50191

Wool with a brushed feel, matched to a compact hunting cap pattern with a low crown. Because the softness of the nap sits close to your face, it adds just the right calm touch to a smart jacket or to denim.

Jacket
Denim

¥4,950 (tax incl.)

*Please check the product page for price and stock.

View product Try it on in store

TRY IT ON

You can try hats on in Kawaramachi, Kyoto. The fit and silhouette, which are hard to judge from photos alone, can be checked by actually trying hats on in the store.

Store information Visit the ONLINE SHOP

REFERENCES

Sources for this article

Who What Wear

How to Spot an It Girl In 2026—She'll Be Wearing This Viral Accessory

Published: August 19, 2026

A feature article on hats becoming the focal point around the face. It introduces 5 hat types, including wide-brim raffia hats, pillboxes in shirred fabric, crochet skullcaps, pointelle-knit bucket hats and corduroy newsboy caps, together with the character of their materials.

Read the original article

WWDJAPAN

2026-27 autumn/winter real trends are a return to "classic" and "elegance": clothes that build an autumn/winter mood even in the late-summer heat

Published: June 26, 2026 (updated July 1)

An article reporting that even during the lingering late-summer heat, Japanese brands are actively proposing calm colors such as brown and gray, Nordic and check patterns, and autumn/winter materials such as tweed and suede. The theme is a return to "classic" and "elegance."

Read the original article

TREND SUMMARY

FASHION GUIDE

HAT STYLE

WORDS / Fab RECOMMEND

REFERENCES

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