What shape hat suits you? (2024)

Below gives you some advice of the types of hat that suit your face shape, however there are no hard and fast rules because it can depend on the colour of the hat, length and colour of your hair and the outfit you intend to wear the hat with.

Oval

An oval face will have a length that is roughly one and a half times greater than your face width. The forehead is a bit larger than the jawline, and the angle of the jaw is a bit more round. An oval face will be egg-shaped

Try:

Wear hats straight across the brow or straight across your hairline as fashion or mood demand
Wide brims and fitted crowns. (creating the illusion of width and added fullness)
Perchers with width i.e. veiling clouds, or trims extending over the actual hat base

Avoid:

Hats with round crowns and short brims (these make a face seem longer as they tend to be positioned on the top of the hair line)
Watch out that the crown is never narrower than your cheekbones. This is for all hat types

Triangle

Triangular faces will be characterized by a large jawline, slightly smaller cheekbones, and the smallest forehead. A triangle face may be any length. Triangle-shaped faces are also known as pear-shaped faces
The same rules apply to triangular faces as oval faces. Almost any hat can be worn

Try:

Round

A round face will be the same width and length. A round face has a round chin, full cheeks, and a round hairline

Try:

Hats with angles work well as they compliment the bone structure, this is too create a slimmer illusion to the face and it will distract from facial curves
Asymmetrical lines are useful
Slanting the brim often works well too
Use trims which add height to slenderize the face
Wear buttons or perchers to the side/ front to create a angle

Avoid:

Any style that will make features appear even softer or fuller or anything round
Tall, rounded, or wide crowns should be avoided
Flower pot styles
Crowns that are narrower than your face unless balanced by the trim.

Square

A square-shaped face has a length almost equal to its width. The distance from forehead to chin and from cheek to cheek are roughly the same

Try:

Styles which soften the angles of the face.
Try curling lines and round shapes
Asymmetrical and slanted brims can help as well
Tilt the hat
Consider wearing earrings

Avoid:

Hats with strong angles these can accentuate the sharpness of the jaw cheekbones and forehead
Boxy or structured hats

Oblong

An oblong face will be longer than it is wide. The forehead, cheekbones, and jawline of an oblong face will be similar in size. Oblong faces may feature high foreheads

Try:

A crown worn forwards or an upward flared brim or saucer style hat will help cover the forehead and break up the length of the face.
A pillbox worn just above the eye at a tilt will break up symmetry
Wide Brims worn straight or forwards
Mix long asymmetrical lines and brims to help reduce the distance between the forehead and the chin, this will shorten the face

Avoid:

Pointy crowns and narrow brims
Narrow and tall hats will elongate the face

Heart-Shaped

This face shape is very common. In a heart-shaped face, the chin is the narrowest part. A heart-shaped face has a broad forehead and/or wide cheekbones, and pointy chin.

Try:

Short Brims and set angles compliment a more narrow looking jaw because their width doesn’t extend beyond the cheekbones and overwhelm the face
Wear a brim at a angle

Avoid:

Wide brimmed hats can make the face look wider and amplify certain features like the jaw and cheekbones and forehead

If You Wear Glasses

Try wearing your hat with the brim turned up, as it is more flattering
Brims that swoop up on one side and asymmetrical shapes are more flattering
Avoid ‘flower-pot’ hats

Prominent Nose/Ears Etc

Hats should have a forward movement
Brims and peaks can be worn as well as front trimmings
Draw attention to the hat and away from the nose or the ears or the other little things you prefer not to highlight

Double Chin

If you have a double chin wear your hat slightly lower at the front, this will ensure you keep your head lifted thus reducing the appearance of a double chin.

Skin Tones

Because a hat is worn so closely to your face it is important that the colour of the hat flatters your skin tone.
If you have pale skin, a warm colour such as pink or rust is a good choice.
Darker skin is easier to choose for, although if it is very dark, black is best avoided.

Outfits

The colour of the outfit with which the hat is to be worn must also be considered.
If the hat matches the colour of the outfit exactly it is important to introduce at least one other colour into the outfit,
If the hat is to be a contrasting colour, it must be a colour that complements the outfit.

Your Height

Some people say that if you are tall you should not wear small hats, and if you are short you should not wear large hats.
This is true to an extent, but as mentioned before, confidence plays a large part in hat wearing and if you feel that you look good wearing a certain hat then you probably do!

Hair

Hair is a very important consideration when wearing a hat.
Hair tucked behind your ear and put up into the hat will look the most flattering.
If you like your hair to be seen, make sure you at least tuck it behind your ear. If you have a fringe and need this to be seen, choose a hat you can wear across your hairline such as a breton hat with a short back brim. Never be talked into hiding your hair under a hat if this makes you feel insecure