Top Tips for a Hot Hat
Last time around, we spoke about my recent discovery of the wonders of the humble hat. Make bad-hair days a thing of the past, and step up a rung on the style ladder - just add hat.
Follow
these simple guidelines to make sure you’re more Katharine Hepburn than Kerry
Katona.
Find a color that complements your skin. Hats are closer to your face than anything else you wear. Hence, if the color isn’t flattering, it will be especially noticeable. Even if it’s the cutest hat in the world, try it in a natural light and if it makes you look sallow, put it back.
Wear your hair
differently. Many people just plonk
a hat on top of their everyday hairstyle. If you have a long or wide face, the
effects could be unflattering. If you really like a particular hat, but don’t
think it works on you, try pulling your hair back, or to the side, or pinning
the front sections back. Simply tucking hair behind the ears can make a
dramatic improvement.
Choose a hat that works with your face shape. If you have an oval or
triangular face, you’re lucky! You can wear almost any hat, as far forward or
back as you please. You can also pick any kind of brim without looking like
you’re wearing a lifebelt on your head. The crown (the part that fits down over
your head) shouldn’t be narrower than your cheekbones.
If you have a round or square face, wear your brims on an angle when possible.
You’ll want the crown of the hat to be at least as wide as your face. Hats with
a wide, high crown will work especially well. You might also consider wearing
earrings to add interest.
If you have an oblong face, stay away from tall hats. Wide brims will
counterbalance the vertical stretch. You might also try pulling the brim down
to your eyebrows to shorten your face and to hide excess forehead.
Work out the shape of your
face by standing in front of your steamed-up bathroom mirror, and drawing the
outline of your face on the glass with your finger.
Make sure the hat is angled to its best advantage. If a hat doesn’t look
good at first, you may not be wearing it far enough forward or back. Many hats,
especially stiffer hats made of felt or straw will look better when you tilt
them slightly. Try angling your hat to the right or left, and look at it from
every direction in the mirror. It may look good from the front, but terrible
from the side. Keep fiddling until you find a position that works. If you
can’t, keep looking.
Be sure you’re wearing the correct size. Average head sizes are 22” for ladies, 23” for men. If the hat comes down over your ears, or falls off easily, you’ll want a smaller size. If you keep fiddling with it, or if it makes your forehead itch, go up a size or two.
