A few years ago, I spent a week wearing a beanie wherever I went. I was attempting to get into the minds of the guys who wear beanies year round. For some, it was the perfect way to cover up their bald heads. For others, it was so that they didn’t have to deal with fixing their hair. For all of them, I figured black was surely the most versatile beanie color.
I figured wrong — at least according to the men of r/MaleFashionAdvice. “A deep yellow is probably my favourite colour for a beanie,” one wrote. “Just as bright and versatile as a red one, but less expected and less ‘cliché’/commandant Cousteau cosplay.”
“Yeah, a sort of mustard yellow is pretty great,” another chimed in. “Nice place to go if you already have a basic navy or gray cap.” Speaking of navy, a third was sure to add, “We wear navy so often that you want a contrasting beanie or one that pops out.”
Meanwhile, per an article about what your beanie color says about you in Put This On, the yellow beanie signifies that the wearer is forward-thinking. “You recognize that yellow is an underrated colour (you also spell things the English way because it seems more sophisticated),” writes Bang Tran. “It matches very well with most things and gives a beautiful contrast to big dark blue coats. This particular shade of yellow reminds you of a flower you saw at the botanical garden. You refer to this shade as ‘dandelion.’ You’re on your fifth fiddle leaf fern because all your plants keep dying.”
All jokes aside, Stan, a devoted “deep yellow beanie” wearer tells me that there’s nothing worse than grabbing an accessory — scarf, belt, beanie, watch, etc. — only to find that it brings his entire outfit into disarray. But this, of course, never happens with the yellow beanie, which he says strikes the perfect balance of versatility and contrast. “It’s an accessory that pairs with a black peacoat, a navy blue puff jacket and brown cashmere sweater with ease,” he explains.
But most of all, for him, the “dandelion” color beanie is a beacon, a ray of light, an outward sign of confidence that says he’s neither afraid of darkness at 4 p.m. nor salt/snow on his leather boots. “There’s no single color choice that’s universal, save perhaps gray,” he rhapsodizes. “But who wants a gray beanie when the weather outside is already the same color? A deep yellow beanie is a signal of brightness on a dark, pallid day.”
Andrew Fiouzi
Andrew Fiouzi is a staff writer at MEL.
