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Hats Buying Guide

Ever since people crawled out of their caves and got their first scalp sunburns, they've been wearing hats. Hats originally showed one's social status. Currently, hats are used for fashion, warmth, protection from the sun, religious reasons, and as part of an uniform. Fashion has started making even the most traditional hats out of funky materials.  Whatever you want to wear, you can find it in chenille, metallic, and plaid with leather trim. Definitely. And don't worry about men's and women's hats anymore; those conventions are out the window.

Hat Size

Usually more expensive hats require you to know your hat size. In the United States, your hat size is the circumference of your head (measured half an inch above your ears) divided by pi. The equivalent hat size in the U.K. is an eighth of an inch smaller than the U.S. size.

Parts of a Hat

Check out some of the most popular styles below.

Hat Styles

Baseball Cap 

  • Great for everyday wear.
  • Stylish.
  • Can be customized.

Visor 

  • Great for men and women.
  • Blocks out the sun.
  • Nice in the summer.

Beanie  or Stocking Hat 

  • Keep that head warm and snug.
  • Great for winter.
  • Stylish.

Bucket Hat 

  • Hip and cool.
  • Great for college.
  • Keeps the sun out.

Polo Hat 

  • Stylish but not loud.
  • A good all around hat.
  • Very durable.

Classic Hats

Berets 

  • French, American, Canadian, and other militaries wear these.
  • Essential for proper pretension, masculine or feminine.
  • Tight around the head with flat, floppy material that you can slouch any way you choose.

Fedoras 

  • Felt,  straw,  or twill,  these hats have a circumferential brim, and a crown with a V-shaped pinch in the front.
  • Often the front brim curves down and the back curves up.
  • Popularized in the 1920s, but particularly cool people can still wear them.

Straw Hats 

  • To keep the sun out of your eyes and your head cool.
  • Really woven out of straw.
  • Panama Hats  are circular, white, and with an indented crown. Very chic.

Cowboy Hats 

  • Keeps your eyes safe while toiling in the Wild West.
  • Brims can point down or up in the front and down in the back and curl up on the sides.
  • Traditionally leather, but can be made of felt,  straw,  or fuzzy, glittery, and silly. 

Lesser-Worn Hats

Bowler Hats 

  • A middle-class adaptation of the Fedora. 
  • Very "Unbearable Lightness of Being"-esque.

Deerstalker Hats 

  • A plaid hat with brims in the front and back and tie-up flaps on the sides.
  • Like Sherlock Holmes.

Porkpie Hats 

  • Like a Fedora,  but with a circular top surrounded by a groove all the way around.
  • Very Buster Keaton.

Top Hats 

  • Often silk, nowadays fancy, varying heights, and sometimes hinged for collapsing.
  • Essential if impersonating Abe Lincoln or housing a bunny rabbit.

Tricornered Hats 

  • Wear it with a point in front.
  • For the classic, Puritan look, get one in black with white and gold trim.

Less Formal Caps

Baseball Caps 

  • Support your teams, schools, and favorite ironic causes.
  • If the back panels are mesh, it's a trucker hat. 
  • Can be fitted or adjustable.

Pageboy Caps 

  • With a little brim in the front and fitted all around.
  • Can be worn facing any direction.
  • If you plan on being Samuel L. Jackson, you must wear a Kangol hat  backwards. And you must be awesome.

Bucket Hats 

  • Cotton, collapsible hats with eyelets for cooling.
  • Downward-facing brim protects your face from the sun and rain.
  • These days, they can be made out of anything and you can even fold the brim up.

Knit Caps 

  • For winter warmth, cover yourself in some knit wool, cotton, or other fun fabrics.
  • Want a pompom? Want earflaps? Want a logo? Go for it!
  • The latest trends say you can wear these babies indoors, and on warm days.

Visors 

  • Like a baseball cap without the top.
  • Big in golf, poker, and cheerleading.
  • The ponytail goes out the top, not under the bottom.

Specialty Hats

Baby Hats 

  • Smaller sizes, cuter styles.
  • Make sure Junior is warm.

Religious Hats

  • Looking for a head-covering to suit your religious needs?
  • Better to search it independently or go to our Ritual Gifts gift guide.

Scarves 

  • Not quite hats, but still cover your head.
  • Want a Do Rag?  A Bandanna? 

Toupees 

  • Losing your hair? Think no one knows? Try these.
  • Or go all out with a wig. 

Ladies' Dress Hats 

  • Dressing up for church, synagogue, or the Kentucky Derby?
  • These can be any style, fabric, or material, but they look best with lots of feathers, bows, ribbons, and fake flowers.

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