Available in an endless array of colors, Carhartt’s Knit Cuffed Beanie — aka the A18 Watch Hat — represents the quintessential one-and-a-half-season accessory. When fall turns brisk, it goes from nice out to suddenly cold, and you put on a beanie. It’s as simple as that. Some of you reading this might be wondering what else there is it to know. Carhartt makes a cool beanie, I get it. Maybe you muttered something like this to yourself: “Beanies are basically all the same, no?”
You’re half right. Just as T-shirts are generally the same shape, save for different necklines, sleeve lengths and hem shapes, beanies are all, well, head-shaped. There are cuffed beanies — which Carhartt’s is — ribbed ones, bobble ones, slouchy ones, and even ultra-small ones (aka Fisherman beanies). Further, for some, mostly a stubborn few from streetwear circles, the beanie’s become a year-round accessory, marked by an embellished cuff that sits just above the ears. You can wear this Carhartt one like that, if you adjust the standard cuff to fold more like those, but the workwear brand’s iteration is most commonly worn the way it was intended: pulled down over the ears with the logo out front.
Everyone from David Beckham, ASAP Rocky, and Harry Styles to Jonah Hill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Frank Ocean have been spotted wearing one. It’s one of those rare products that balances being both high and low, acclaimed yet for the masses, cultish in its success and yet still accessible.
The Good
The numbers: At just $17 (sometimes $45 on Amazon depending on the color), the Carhartt Knit Cuffed beanie is an accessorial must-have almost everyone can afford. Plus, my notes aside, 88-percent of its online reviews include five-star ratings.
The fit and feel: Even for those with unarguably large heads (like me), the beanie’s big enough to slide all the way down over the ears without making the crown of your head feel like it’s caught in a finger trap. However, at the cuff, the second layer of fabric (and its embedded elastic) acts as an anchor, not only securing it on your head but ensuring your ears stay warm, too.
