Choosing the Right Hat

I’ve had many women tell me that while they like hats, and would really like to wear them, they ‘just don’t suit them’. I’ve never considered that possibility myself – probably because I love them so much it never entered my head (pardon the pun) that they might not suit me. I say: you’ve just not tried on the right one. And, since spring is the season of the hat, it might be time to reconsider!

Need convincing?

This great story is from one of the supplements of a Melbourne paper, (apologies, I have misplaced the details of the source). Click for a larger image to read. As Melbourne milliner Peter Jago says, “The art of millinery is based on creating headwear that flatters every female form and face. There’s no such thing as a face hats don’t suit.” Spring Racing season is certainly the time to invest, as lots of millinery pop-up shops open up around town. And though it may be ‘the year of the hat’ (thanks mostly to the Royal Wedding), you need not stop at new hats – particularly if your tastes run to more unique, and therefore expensive – fare than the offerings from Myer or David Jones. Consider vintage, in boutiques or online (eBay is a fantastic source).

Vintage Shopping

But how do you find the right size shopping online for vintage? Most online sellers will stipulate a size – don’t buy without knowing the measurement. There’s nothing worse than trying to fit one’s ‘fat head’ into a too-small hat – believe me, I know. Ouch! (My friend Sapphire was the lucky recipient of a vintage cloche that fit her far better than me.)

53–57cm, or 21–22.5”, measured around the crown, is the average size range for women today. Nearly every vintage hat I have seen on eBay has been sized at 22” – luckily for me that’s my size – but that doesn’t mean a 40s style hat won’t work on you since it sits on the top of the head, or a 50s bandeau that will fit most. Look at the vintage diagram below to learn just how to measure your head for the right hat. (Apologies, I have lost the url links for these images.)

The Right Shape For You

So you’re still certain hats don’t look good on you? Finding the right shape to suit your face is a simple matter of proportion; a similar process to how you choose clothing to flatter your figure. Elongate round faces with wide brims or tall crowns, soften angular features with floppy or asymmetrical shapes, shorten long faces with a cloche that has a deep crown, etc. If you need more particular detail I couldn’t do better than direct you to Already Pretty for a thorough look at what types of hats suit which face shapes.

It certainly helps to try on different hats in shops on the high street until you are confident with what suits you before you take the plunge in shopping online. Good luck, and enjoy yourself, because hats should be as fun to shop for as frivolous shoes!