A Guide to Buying the Right Hat

Heads, like fingerprints, are unique to each person. When you buy a hat, it should be suited to your face, personality, and body type. Unfortunately, when you go into a hat store, the employees don’t always remind you about these key considerations.

Before deciding on the kind of hat to buy, it is important that you know the various types of hat.

Ball Caps: A ball cap has panel construction with a brim that faces the front. There are various types of ball caps:

• Snapbacks – A snapback is a ball cap that has a plastic snap at the back to adjust its diameter. This type of ball cap started in the 1950s but eventually became less popular until the ‘80s and ‘90s when it popped back into style.
• Fitted hats – A fitted hat is the standard baseball cap that is made from six cloth triangles and topped with a fabric-covered button called a squatchee. (Bet you never heard that one before!) As the name implies, these hats are fitted to your head, so you need to make sure that you know the circumference of your head before buying one.
• Strapbacks – A strapback is either a 5-panel or 6-panel hat that uses a polyester or leather strap so that you can adjust the hat to accommodate the size of your head.
• Flexfits – A flexfit hat is made of poly-weave spandex that stretches to fit the circumference of your head. It is a one-size-fits-all deal.
• Trucker hats – You may have seen customer trucker hats given out by companies that want to promote their business. It’s typically made of mesh and foam and is usually a snapback. Truckers and people who work in the agriculture industry traditionally wear this kind of hat.

Beanies: These hats are specifically worn to keep your head warm, especially during winter, and to keep your hair out of your face. There are various types of beanies, including skullcaps as well as slouch, roll up, and pom pom beanies.

Fashion Hats: Fashion hats are worn to match your clothes. There are various types of fashion hats, including bucket hat, bowler hat, fedora, ascot, beret, and more.

Choosing the Right Hat

When selecting the right hat, you have to consider the shape of your face. There are specific hat styles that fit every shape of the face.

Square: If your face is square, you’ve most likely got a wide forehead, cheeks, and a strong jawline. Look for hats that soften all of your angles such as floppy hats or hats that have a curvy profile.

Diamond-shaped: A diamond-shaped face’s most prominent feature is its angles. It comes with a narrow forehead, wide cheekbones, and a pointed chin. If you have a diamond-shaped face, look for something with a medium to wide brim.

Round: A round face has almost the same dimensions from side to side as top to bottom, so you want to shop for something that will break up the symmetry. Look for hats that can be tilted forward or to the side or that have a slanted or peaked brim.

Oblong: If you have an oblong face, your face is significantly less wide than it is long. Your face is all about the long, parallel lines between your forehead and chin and the left side to the right side of your face. Look for hats that even out these lines and draw attention away from the long lines. Wide brim or newsboy hats should do the trick.

It is also important to consider the size of your head. Your hat needs to fit the circumference of your head because an overly large hat will look sloppy and won’t stay in place, while a too-small hat will feel tight and may appear disproportionate to the rest of your body.