Everyone can wear a hat! Contrary to what many think, there are even hats for round faces. The key is to let the hat balance your face shape. Keep reading to discover just how to achieve this.
Let’s start with hats for round faces
How do you know if you have a round face? Look in the mirror or take a selfie. Does the length from the top of your forehead to the bottom of your chin measure about the same as the width from ear to ear? Are your cheeks the fullest part of your face? Do you have a rounded jawline and chin?
If you answered yes, to these questions, you’ll want to focus on hats that you can wear at an angle. Boaters and fedoras are the perfect type of hat. Think Maurice Chevalier and his boater perched at an angle. Wearing a hat at an angle creates movement and helps to elongate your face. We recommend that you avoid loose-fitting knits and cloche hats since a rounded crown will add more fullness to your face.
What about other face shapes?
Oval Face
An oval face has balanced and symmetrical features. Your forehead is slightly wider than your jawline, which tapers down to a rounded chin. The good news is that you can wear most styles of hats although you might want to avoid a high crown as these hats can make your face look a tad long. Experiment with the different styles and find one that captures your personality.
Heart Face
A heart-shaped face has feminine features such as a broad forehead that narrows down to a pointed chin. You want to look for a hat that is wider at the bottom such as a baseball cap or a newsboy You can also wear a short-brim fedora as the dented crown can provide symmetry with your chin. Beware of wide-brim hats as they can exaggerate the width of your forehead and distort the proportions of your face.
Square Face
A square face is easy to distinguish because of how symmetrical your features look. The length from your forehead to your chin is similar to the width. A sharp jawline is a key feature of this shape. Look for hats with round crowns and soft lines, such as a cloche. This softer look can balance out your sharp features. Similarly, a bowler with a rounded crown looks marvelous. You’ll want to avoid structured hats with pointy crowns such as fedoras, as they can over-accentuate the squareness of your face.
Rectangular Face
The length from your forehead to your chin is longer than the width of your face from cheek to cheek so your face can look long and narrow. You’ll want to have a hat that shortens the length of your face. Wide-brim sun hats and fedoras work wonderfully. Just be careful that the crown of the wide-brim hat is not too tall or you’ll make your face look even longer.
Anything else?
If you have delicate features, you’ll want a hat that will not overwhelm the proportions of your face. We recommend short-brim hats. Think fedoras, bucket hats, and cloches. Avoid wide-brim sun hats which can overtake a small frame. If you have your heart set on a wider brim, flip it up and hold it in place with a hat pin or brooch.
Classically-trained Milliner
I firmly believe that everyone can wear a hat. While I started out discussing hats for round faces you can see that there is a hat for every face shape. By working with a classically-trained milliner you’ll find a hat that looks fabulous and is a reflection of your personality. We can customize the crown and brim so that it perfectly suits your face shape. What are you waiting for? Contact me and let’s discuss hats for round faces or any other face shape.
