Choose a hat to suit your face shape

Hats are dead accessory items for some as the act of choosing a hat to suit your face shape can be too difficult.

For me, I love hats and I always find myself looking at them thinking "Why can't there be more reasons to wear hats?" I'm not sure if anyone else feels the same way, but with the occasional hat lover who comes my way I'd like to think I am not alone.

Hats are a traditional fashion form that seem to have been forgotten in modern silhouettes and styles. It is a shame really that such a fashion statement; a true expression of art, personality and craftsmanship is reserved for either the race carnival season or a high-brow wedding.

Hats have become much more about sun protection than style. We choose large-brimmed raffia numbers in favour of pill-boxes or cloches. Traditional hat styles don’t offer much of a barrier to the harsh sunlight, so I can appreciate the choice is almost taken out of our hands. But, what about special occasions: dinners, birthdays, parties and cocktail hour?

I guess the biggest issue is how do you wear them? It’s not as though you can add a turban to a jeans and tee look and pull it off without some serious turned heads and starring. You really need to build a look around a chosen hat. The trick is not to let the hat wear you, but that it is a natural extension of your outfit and your personality. I think the goal with hats is to be amusing.

Long Face

Hat Style: Medium crowns, medium-to-wide brims. Crisp, clean lines worn straight forward.

Hair: Full, wide looks teased or soft.

Icon e.g: Sigrid Thornton, Julia Roberts, Marg Downey, Rowena Wallace. 

Oval Face

Hat Style: Low insert crowns with medium sharp line brims, either with turned-up backs or swept-up side or sides.

Hair: Swept-back style such as the French roll.

Icon e.g: Princess Caroline, Jeanne Little, Jane Turner, Rebecca Gibney and Madonna.

Square Face 

Hat Style: Large line brim framing the hair and face, worn on an angle or straight forward.

Hair: Full and soft, pulled around to the cheeks.

Icon: Bette Midler, Kate Fitzpatrick, Gina Riley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Noni Hazelhurst.

Wide Face

Hat Style: Only off-the-face styles, worn towards the back: for example, Bretons, sombreros and pillboxes.

Hair: Fringes with sculptured hair to middle of neck.

Icon e.g: Kate Cebrano, Barbara Streisand, Louise Anton.

Round Face 

Hat Style: Medium to small crowns and brims won stylishly forward or slanted.

Hair: Straight, sharp lines cut to cheek level. If longer, worn in front of ears.

Icon e.g: Jenny Kee, Alyssa-Jane Cook, Magda Szubanski, Joan Sydney.

Heart Face

Hat Style: Small brims, low crowns, one-sided hat or decor hair combs.

Hair: One side straight, swept to full other side.

Icon e.g: Marcia Hines, Annie Jones, Elizabeth Taylor.

Enjoy the fun!

Love La Rubia

www.garbedge.com.au