There are accessories we pull out only for a wedding, the beach, or a photo - then put back in the box for a whole year. This summer one such item has returned to everyday wear: the raffia hat, and in its most relaxed form too - the „bob" or bucket model. Comfortable, light, and easy to toss in a bag, it gives character to almost any outfit with no effort at all.

Raffia isn't new - it's a light, pliable natural fibre from palm leaves, mostly from Madagascar, that has been used for baskets and hats for centuries. Fashion took it up naturally, through its artisanal connection. From an ordinary functional object, raffia became synonymous with a relaxed Mediterranean style, and names like Jane Birkin and royals like Grace Kelly, Princess Diana, and Queen Elizabeth II proved it can look thoroughly elegant too.

The magic of the bob is that it asks for nothing to be added. Stylists wear it with relaxed jeans and a white shirt, with flat sandals and a big woven bag - a look equally good for the beach and the city. Some pair it with linen shirts in beige and red, others with a gingham-check bottom and a little basket in hand for a more bucolic, rustic impression. There's no wrong way, which is exactly the point.

Behind the trend is something more sensible than ordinary fashion: an item that costs little, lasts for years, and goes with everything. At a time when every season sells us a new „must-have," the raffia hat is a reminder that the best fashion solutions are often the oldest. The Balkan grandmother with a straw hat in the garden knew that long before the runways discovered it.