I have always shied away from wearing hats other than the woolly variety which I sport occasionally purely to keep warm. Much as I admire hats as a fashion statement I always feel that whatever style I try it just doesn’t suit me. I look in the mirror, laugh, remove the hat and then forget the whole idea for another season!
I am now forced to review my attitude as I would really like to wear hats to add interest and flair to my outfits. That and the fact that I am borderline obsessive about the TV series The Blacklist in which the principle character, Raymond Reddington, is rather fond of Fedoras and looks totally cool. OK I know that he is a man but there is something about that look that I would like to copy myself but can I get away with it?
Well the fashion experts say yes. Apparently all women can look great in a hat as long as they follow some golden rules. For what it is worth here is the best advice from the experts on how to choose the right hat.
Colouring
To choose the perfect hat the colour must be right for your complexion and your outfit. Ladies with olive skin and dark hair suit strong colours like deep reds, dark greens and deep yellows. Those with lighter skin tones and fair hair look better in pastels and neutrals. Be careful to ensure that your hat picks up the colours in your outfit but be wary of pairing blocks of bold colour. If you have a plain purple dress, a hat in the same colour might be too much so choose something complementary rather than matching. It helps if you have your chosen outfit with you when you look for your hat or vice versa.
Proportions
Your height, size and general shape are also factors to consider. Tall hats will elongate you whilst flat hats with wide brims will have the opposite effect. When trying on hats make sure that you stand in front of a full length mirror so you can take stock of the overall effect of your ensemble.
Face Shape
This is probably the most important factor in dictating which style of hat will best suit you. It will save you a lot of time when you are shopping if you decide what shape your face is before you start. There are five principle shapes and they are heart, oval, square, rectangular and round. If you are not sure then one helpful trick is to stand in front of a mirror and draw around your reflection with an eye pencil.
Heart shaped faces have a wide forehead and a pointed chin which is quite narrow. Most hats will suit this shape except very small styles like pillboxes because they can look out of proportion with a wide brow. If you have a heart shaped face then you should also avoid wide brims as they emphasis your pointed chin.
The most common face shape is oval and this suits most hats. Tall ladies with oval faces can carry a wide brim but shorter ladies can be swamped by them. Fedoras, berets, boaters, sun hats and baseball caps are all safe bets.
Short, square faces suit wide, low-brimmed hats as these will soften a severe jawline. Big, floppy sunhats are a great choice. Avoid hats that are rigid and very structured. Asymmetrical brims will help balance your jaw and embellishments such as flowers will further soften your look.
Rectangular faces are long with an equally wide jawline and forehead. Hats like cloches which can be pulled down over the brow are a good choice as these will shorten the appearance of your face. Avoid tall hats as these will lengthen your face. Very small hats can also look out of proportion.
Round faces look great in tall hats which elongate the features. Angular hats with long, defined lines balance the roundness. . Asymmetrical brims that slope away from the brow are very flattering for those with a round face.
Conclusions
So there you have it! There is a hat for everyone, you just have to identify the shape if your face and then experiment a little. Perhaps I feel uncomfortable in hats simply because I rarely wear them and so when I look in the mirror I feel like there is a strange creature staring back! Time to look for a new hat I think!
Article by Sally Stacey