Here are some suggestions to help you find your perfect hat. If you are new to hats this is a good starting point. 

WHAT HATS CAN DO FOR YOU

A hat can flatter the face, elevate an outfit, and virtually define (or redefine) one's wardrobe and style. A hat is functional; it can be sun-protective and keep you warm.

The golden rule is to feel comfortable and confident in your hat. You want to wear the hat not the hat wearing you.

3 points to reference when choosing your hat is your physique, face shape and colouring. 

  • The bigger the physique the more hat you can wear
  • Balance with your face shape
  • Choose a colour that works for your skin tone, hair, wardrobe and / or you just feel great in.

With all this in mind the final decision rests with you. If you love a hat and love how you look and feel than that's the best hat for you. So take these as helpful guidelines not the holy grail. 

Hats are all about balancing out with your body and face proportions. If you want to add height and width to your proportions hats are a great way to do this. You want a hat to balance rather than exaggerate proportions.

What is your face shape?

 

 

HEART SHAPED FACE

heart face shape face guide

A small or medium brim will work for you. A wide brim may amplify the jaw and cheekbones. An angled, less pronounced crown will balance with your proportions. 

Style that suits - fedora, boater, cap, cloche, beanie, beret, newsboy

Avoid - floppy brims and wide brims worn straight across the forehead - it will accentuate the width at the forehead. 

Tip - Slanting the hat to one side will slim your face and draw attention to the eyes.

ROUND FACE

You want angular hats rather than rounded styles to accentuate your bone structure. 

A straight brim, upturned brim or irregular brim would provide contrast to a symmetrical face. Avoid big floppy brims and super short brims. For the crown choose an angled crown and/or tall crown to elongate and add more angles to your shape.

Styles - fedora, beanies, newsboy, baseball, boaters

Avoid - round styles, cloches, berets, bowlers

Tip - Try wearing the hat slanted forward to play with proportion.

LONG FACE

long face shape guidelines

A wide, medium brim that sits across the centre of your forehead will add width and balance. Avoid any hats with tall crowns, which only elongate your face even more. 

Styles - sunhats, cowboy hats, beanies, berets, hats, cloche

Avoid - short brims, tall crowns

DIAMOND FACE

square face shape guidelines

To know if you have a diamond face the widest part of the face is at the cheekbones. 

You want to add more shape around the face and a medium/ wide upturned brim can do this. A hat with a pinched crown will add balance to the face.

Styles - shallow crown, boater, pork pie, fedora 

Avoid - floppy hats, narrow brims, hats worn across your forehead

Tip - A diamond face suits wearing the hat further back above the forehead.

SQUARE FACE

square face shape guidelines

You want to soften your angles so wide and floppy brims will work for you. Soft and round crowns will help to balance your features also. 

Styles - sun hats, cloches, bowlers, berets, buckets, beanies, fedoras

Avoid - sharp angled crowns

OVAL FACE

oval face shape face shape guidelines

An oval face shape can go with pretty much all hats. So enjoy and try as many as you can.