Everyone in Oslo is wearing a pillbox hat

Though you wouldn’t know it at this unusually warm Oslo Runway, winter is, indeed coming and the time to consider your headwear is nigh. Fear not, for Norwegians have a strong proposition: the pillbox hat. Yes, both on the runways and off, this brimless chapeau is ubiquitous. Rendered in shearling, faux fur and every iteration of wool, the pillbox – named quite literally for its resemblance to the cylindrical cases used to house pharmaceuticals – is having a major moment.

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Introduced by milliners in the 1930s (its shape inspired by military hats), the pillbox hat has largely been regarded as a superfluous, elegant accessory worn both indoors and out. Often balanced delicately atop the head (sometimes with a veil), leaving ears exposed, it wasn’t especially good at protecting the wearer from the elements. One of the early champions of the look was Swedish icon Greta Garbo, who donned a pillbox designed by costumer Adrian Adolph Greenburg in the 1934 film The Painted Veil (there were, in fact, a lot of hats in that film).

But in the early 1960s, the pillbox really hit its stride, adorning the famous heads of Audrey Hepburn (who can forget that leopard-print stunner in Charade) and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, arguably the first lady (nay, the president) of the pillbox hat. Her most famous hats were designed by the great Halston and costumer Oleg Cassini (credited as the mastermind behind her signature look). Pillbox hats continue to adorn the head of royals, aristocrats and first ladies (Kate Middleton certainly knows her way around a pillbox).

The pillbox hat proposed on the streets and runways in Oslo this season, however, are not simply set decoration (save for the more traditional pillboxes worn with panache by former Vogue Scandinavia cover star Nina Sandbech). Larger (both in circumference and depth) and with a bit less structure, they can be pulled down over one’s ears, making the hat a viable winter option. When fashioned in sumptuous shearling – like on the runways of Envelope1976 or Christian AKS – the piece becomes ever more practical. Luckily, some version of both designer’s covetable pillbox hats are already up for grabs. At yesterday’s Envelope show, the accessory dotted the front row, perched atop the heads of several Norwegian street style stars.

For those looking for something a little more bespoke, there are the hand-crafted hats of Norwegian brand The Modest. Founded by Katarina Petrovic, who, with the help of her mother, sews each hat by hand, the brand has become a go-to for local fashion girls. Crafted in either tufted wool or silk (a better option if you’re planning on spending a lot of time indoors) and in two heights, The Modest’s pillbox hats strike that balance between retro and current. Petrovic herself could be spotted out and about throughout Oslo Runway, wearing her own designs.

The beauty of the modern pillbox is that it looks just as good with jeans and a T-shirt as it does with a floor-sweeping evening gown (the same cannot be said for our good friend the beanie). Match your pillbox to your outerwear for maximum impact (that hourglass-shaped white shearling coat paired with a matching white shearling pillbox at Christian AKS comes to mind) or simply throw on a simple black wool option with whatever you happen to be wearing.

Regardless, if your first question is “can I pull a pillbox off?” the answer is a resounding “yes, you can”. And, once winter hits, you won’t regret it.