How To Choose a Hat?
A hat can be a great styling accessory besides its main functions, it can flatter the face and dress up an outfit. How to choose a hat for yourself?
To start with, besides occasion, one key thing to look out for is the need to balance it with your face and body.
For example, the brim shouldn’t be narrower than the widest part of your face. Neither should it be wider than your shoulders.
In an earlier blog I’ve already explained that face shape and facial features play a key role in choosing accessories.
Here you will find some guidance and examples how to choose hats for you. If you have an oval face shape, you are very lucky that there is basically no shape limitations for you.
How to choose a hat for a round face?
- Characteristic:
- You have a round face shape when the length and width of your face is similar without major corners at the jaw. The widest portion of your face is the middle part.
- Guidelines:
- Choose asymmetrical designs, or wear the hat on angle
- Crown of hat wider than face
- High crown with straight brim
- Angular style
- Examples:
- Fedora, trilby, newsboy, cloches
How to choose a hat for a square face?
- Characteristic:
- You have a square face shape when your cheekbone, brow bone, and your jawline have similar length and width. Usually, the jaw line is quite strong.
- Guidelines:
- Care for circular features to soften the edges of the face
- Round or curved crown and brim
- Slant the brim / tilt the hat
- Asymmetrical lines
- Avoid very short or no brim, square and angular designs
- Examples:
- Cowboy, homburg, cloche, toque, beret, floppy hats
How to choose a hat for a heart face shape?
- Characteristic
-
- You have a heart face shape when your forehead is the widest part of your face, and you have a small jaw line and narrow and pointy chin.
- Guidelines:
- Medium-sized brim
- Slant / tilt the hat
- Avoid very large brim
- Examples:
- Bucket hat, fedora, boater, cloche, homburg, beanie
How to choose a hat for an oblong face shape?
- Characteristic
- You have a rectangular/oblong face shape when the length of your face is much longer than the width of your face.
- Guidelines:
- Flared or large brim
- Wear close to the eyebrows
- Avoid narrow & tall crowns
- Wear across forehead
- Examples:
- Large brim sun hat, cloche, fedora with wide brim, floppy, flat baseball cap.
How to choose a hat for a diamond face shape?
- Characteristic:
- You have a diamond face shape when your cheekbones are noticeably wider than your jaw line and brow bone. Usually, this means narrow forehead and jaw line and the widest part of your face is in the middle.
- Guidelines:
- Wear slightly back on your head
- Avoid cut across forehead (straight across)
- Avoid floppy brims
- Examples:
- Flat caps, fedora, beanies
How to choose a hat for a pear or triangle face shape?
- Characteristic:
- These two shapes have also quite big range of choices when it comes to hats.
- Guidelines:
- High and wide dome
- Decorative design on one side
- Wear straight across
- Asymmetrical effect
- Small brim (short, straight or upturned).
- Examples:
- Cloche, fedora, baseball caps
How to choose for an oval face shape?
- Characteristic:
- You have a oval face shape when your jaw line and forehead is narrower than your cheek bones, but with only soft curvy lines, no pointy chin.
- Guidelines:
- Lucky you! You have endless possibilities. An oval face is considered the most appealing and easy-to-style face shape.
Beside face shape, you also need to consider your facial features. Their size and lines are related to your face. It could impact whether a flat or curved dome is more suitable for you.
Other than finding relations to your face shape, colour can change the proportion too. The colour should flatter you, and should match with your outfit.
The style should fit your personality. And the material should relate well to your outfit.
I love hats personally, from Fedora hats, baker boy hats, flat caps, beret, beanie, boater, to a baseball hat, visor, or a big summer sun.
I don’t look good with a simple hair updo, so in case a bad hair day, I always prefer to put on a hat rather than do my hair up, it saves a lot of time too.
