Bianca Jagger in a Cactus Hat

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Bianca Jagger in a cactus hat on Mustique in the 70s
Bianca Jagger in a cactus hat on Mustique in the 70s

This week's Most Loved is an unconventional use for a cactus – as Bianca Jagger's summer hat

Spring and hats have something of a love-hate relationship. Occasional if unreliable sunshine means that there is great value in donning a wide brimmed chapeau to shield delicate winter eyes from the glare, but the brisk March breezes have a tendency to cause mischief, whipping hats from the heads of the unwary as they attempt to cross the road. This week’s most loved seems to offer a solution – albeit one more fitting for a Caribbean island over the dubious glamour of Old Street roundabout – in the shape of a snugly fitting Cactus Hat worn by Bianca Jagger, Loved by Head of PR at A Number of Names* Annoushka Giltsoff.

"The cactus is a survivor, known to flourish in the driest places on earth, even in the notoriously lifeless Atacama Desert"

Strange though it is to say, it seems that cacti are having something of a moment right now, with a dish of cactus cupcakes, an eerie neon cactus and a rather uncomfortable looking sofa all garnering attention on AnOther Loves. Native to the Americas, the cactus is a survivor, known to flourish in the driest places on earth, even in the notoriously lifeless Atacama Desert. They preserve water through a number of ingenious evolutionary developments, such as the replacement of leaves by spines, which not only dissuade predators but also help prevent water loss by reducing airflow close to the cactus and providing some shade. At AnOther, we love cacti for their beautiful flowers and stalwart resilience in the face of our resolutely un-green fingers, and for the way this particular one frames the face of Bianca Jagger. So, to celebrate all things green and spikey, we asked Giltsoff what made her love so unconventional a hat, and what she'd wear it with this spring.

Why did you love this cactus hat?
How could you not?!

What would you wear it with if you owned it, and where would you wear it?
Stone-washed 501s and a white vest like Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona at tequila bar where Benicio del Toro is pouring the drinks. 

What's your favourite look from Bianca Jagger?
The silky one with the prairie style church gloves and turban. Incredible.

What's your ideal holiday outfit?
A cute cotton dress for a roasting summer day in Paris that blows in the breeze. Oh and with really really great shades.

What's your favourite holiday memory?
Being a feral child running wild in the Wicklow mountains with my sisters and the dog.

What would be your ideal hat?
Perhaps an Easter bonnet if we are being seasonal?

What are you looking forward to about Spring?
Fresh air! I love being able have the windows open all day long.

What's the last thing you bought?
The Munsters box set for my father.

Text by Tish Wrigley