‘The White Lotus’: Portia’s Bucket Hat Was Handmade By Haley Lu Richardson

After Season 2 of The White Lotus, fans are only more devoted to the HBO Max series. This season introduced Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman finding her footing in the world.

Portia’s style was the subject of much discussion. Many people didn’t care for her look. But as far as Richardson is concerned, Portia’s outfits look just right for the character — and the actor even made one accessory herself.

Portia’s infamous crocheted bucket hat on ‘The White Lotus’

There’s been a lot of online chatter about Portia’s style. According to UPROXX, people love to hate her outfits. The character’s clothes are bright, quirky, and somewhat random, which doesn’t sit well with everyone. 

One accessory drew a lot of criticism: Portia’s crocheted bucket hat. When it comes to that particular piece, the insults hit especially close to home for Richardson.

“I wear that bucket hat in the show, and I think it’s so cute,” she explained. “And I thought everyone liked bucket hats. But then everyone’s been s**ting on my bucket hat on Twitter. And I actually crocheted it, so I’m a little bit sad!”

It must be hard for the actor to see her own handiwork insulted. Although the hat was a part of Richardson’s wardrobe, that doesn’t mean Portia’s look is inspired by her style. In fact, the character’s clothes were carefully selected to bring the character to life. 

Finding Portia’s style and shopping for her clothes

As New York Times reports, The White Lotus costume designer, Alex Bovaird, took great pains to craft the right look for Portia. To figure out what the character would wear, Bovaird pored over Instagram, studying influencers and popular brands. She even watched Love Island for inspiration. 

Her goal when designing the costumes for The White Lotus was to show the character’s personalities and reflect their stage of life. 

“Whereas the older characters on ‘White Lotus’ are more put together and composed, and they’ve figured out who they are, the young characters are expressing themselves in a really adventurous, chaotic way,” Bovaird explained.

For Portia, that means bright colors, lots of prints, and unique pieces that don’t always work. “Portia is a bit of a mess. She doesn’t have money, makes some bad choices, and spends all her time on TikTok. So we wanted her clothes to reflect that.”

Bovaird shopped at House of Sunny, Depop, Zara, and Urban Outfitters to capture her looks. She also used a lot of vintage pieces from the ’90s and early 2000s. And, of course, there’s that famous bucket hat. 

Haley Lu Richardson’s take on Portia’s style

Since Richardson’s handiwork fits well into Portia’s wardrobe, is it safe to assume the actor’s look is similar to her character’s? According to W Magazine, that’s not the point. Portia’s wardrobe was designed by Bovaird with Richardson’s input. The intent was to create a look that tells a story.

“I was like, you’re not getting it,” she remembers. “She’s a character. We collaborated. We made this person together.”

Of course, as a successful actor whose career was just supercharged by her role in The White Lotus, Richardson’s life is far more put together than poor Portia’s. It only makes sense that her outfits are likewise more polished.

But there is one thing they have in common, and Richardson stands by it: “I don’t know what people have against bucket hats all of a sudden,” she said. “I think they’re cute.”