HOW TO CHOOSE

What humans find attractive is largely based on symmetry. The more symmetrical a face is, the more appealing it appears to others. The key to finding the hat which suits you best is to consider what works with the proportions of your face. Your hat should balance out your dimensions rather than exaggerate them.
To find out what’s your face shape, the following 4 measurements are needed:

Forehead

Run your flexible measuring tape across your forehead from hairline to hairline. Make sure the measuring tape is placed at the widest point (or, halfway between your eyebrows and hairline).

Cheekbones

Measure the distance across your upper cheeks. Start and end at the bump below the outside corner of each eye.
Make sure the tape measure runs at a straight line and rests just above your cheekbones.

Jawline

Starting at the base of your jaw (near your ear), run your measuring tape along the edge of your jaw until you reach the middle of your chin. Multiply that number by 2.

Length

Place your measuring tape at the middle of your hairline and run it down until it reaches the tip of your chin. Make sure the measuring tape runs directly over your nose.

FACE SHAPES

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, cheekbones are the widest part of the face and the jawline is curved with no sharp angles.
Read moreAdvice – Lucky you, with an oval face, you don’t need to worry about balancing out square shapes or roundness, so you can look at trying out some fashion forward styles. Pick up whatever suits your mood, as long as the hat is in harmony with your outfit.
Brim – Oval faces can wear just about anything, but if you have delicate features look for smaller-brimmed classic styles that accentuate your face.
Crown – One trick is to make sure the crown is not wider than your cheekbones.
Avoid – Hats with very round crowns and narrow brims, such as bowlers, add too much roundness and can look a bit costumey. — 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, cheekbones are the widest part of the face and the jawline is curved with no sharp angles. Read more
Advice – Lucky you, with an oval face, you don’t need to worry about balancing out square shapes or roundness, so you can look at trying out some fashion forward styles. Pick up whatever suits your mood, as long as the hat is in harmony with your outfit.
Brim – Oval faces can wear just about anything, but if you have delicate features look for smaller-brimmed classic styles that accentuate your face.
Crown – One trick is to make sure the crown is not wider than your cheekbones.
Avoid – Hats with very round crowns and narrow brims, such as bowlers, add too much roundness and can look a bit costumey.

An OBLONG face (also referred to as rectangular) 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.
Read moreGoal – add width and balance to the face
Brim – Flared or wider brim hats that sit at the center of the forehead or just above the eyebrows. The large brim of the fedora also counterbalances vertical curves.
Crown – Opt for hats with shorter crowns; tall crowns will only add height and make the face look longer.
Tilt – hats that can be pulled down to the eyebrows to diminish the vertical.
Avoid – any hats with tall crowns and narrow brims, which only elongate your face even more; hats worn high on the head. — An OBLONG face (also referred to as rectangular) 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. Read more
Goal – add width and balance to the face
Brim – Flared or wider brim hats that sit at the center of the forehead or just above the eyebrows. The large brim of the fedora also counterbalances vertical curves.
Crown – Opt for hats with shorter crowns; tall crowns will only add height and make the face look longer.
Tilt – hats that can be pulled down to the eyebrows to diminish the vertical.
Avoid – any hats with tall crowns and narrow brims, which only elongate your face even more; hats worn high on the head.

HEART-shaped faces are very common. In a heart-shaped face, the chin is the narrowest part, and the forehead is the widest. A heart-shaped face has a broad forehead and/or wide cheekbones, and pointy chin.
Read moreGoal – balance out a wider forehead and a narrow chin
Advice – Look for asymmetrical medium to small brims or bucket styles, as these narrow the face.
Brim – Go with a medium brimmed hat, such as a fedora, a boater, a cloche, a homburg, a beanie, or a beret. These are all good choices! A medium-sized brim will complement a heart-shaped face. Upturned brims draw attention to the eyes and create the illusion of length to balance a wider forehead.
Crown – Hats with a prominent crown can also help balance the width of the forehead.
Tilt – Slanting the hat to one side will slim your face and draw attention to the eyes.
Avoid – Stay away from wide brims that only accentuate your forehead and narrow your chin, and will emphasize the triangular shape of your face. Avoid berets, baseball caps and straight brims. — HEART-shaped faces are very common. In a heart-shaped face, the chin is the narrowest part, and the forehead is the widest. A heart-shaped face has a broad forehead and/or wide cheekbones, and pointy chin. Read more
Goal – balance out a wider forehead and a narrow chin
Advice – Look for asymmetrical medium to small brims or bucket styles, as these narrow the face.
Brim – Go with a medium brimmed hat, such as a fedora, a boater, a cloche, a homburg, a beanie, or a beret. These are all good choices! A medium-sized brim will complement a heart-shaped face. Upturned brims draw attention to the eyes and create the illusion of length to balance a wider forehead.
Crown – Hats with a prominent crown can also help balance the width of the forehead.
Tilt – Slanting the hat to one side will slim your face and draw attention to the eyes.
Avoid – Stay away from wide brims that only accentuate your forehead and narrow your chin, and will emphasize the triangular shape of your face. Avoid berets, baseball caps and straight brims.

TRIANGULAR faces (also known as pear-shaped faces) will be characterized by a large jawline (the widest point), slightly smaller cheekbones, with rounded chin and narrower forehead. A triangle face may be any length.
Read moreGoal – create length
Advice – Don’t hesitate to add accessories for asymmetrical effect.
Brim – small brim (short, straight or upturned)
Crown – high crown
Avoid – Never gets close to a crown that is narrower than the cheekbones. — TRIANGULAR faces (also known as pear-shaped faces) will be characterized by a large jawline (the widest point), slightly smaller cheekbones, with rounded chin and narrower forehead. A triangle face may be any length. Read more
Goal – create length
Advice – Don’t hesitate to add accessories for asymmetrical effect.
Brim – small brim (short, straight or upturned)
Crown – high crown
Avoid – Never gets close to a crown that is narrower than the cheekbones.

A SQUARE face has the distance from forehead to chin and from cheek to cheek roughly the same. Along with a noticeably square chin area and a pronounced jawline, this face shape also has a wide forehead and wide cheekbones that are generally the same width as the jaw.
Read moreGoal – to soften the edges of the face
Advice – Hat shapes with curving lines will be especially flattering on you. Your face requires circular features. Round crown and brim will do the trick, inducing the illusion of height and roundness. Pick a hat that will add some curvature to your face and make it appear less boxy.
Brim – large, soft, and upturned brims
Crown – Look for hats with round and curved medium height crowns
Tilt – A side tilt will break up your square face lines. Don’t push it too far back on your head. Tilting the hat off to one side breaks up the symmetry pattern of your square face.
Avoid – hats with a short brim, no brim, or a square hat because will emphasize your angular face shape; severe angles will only accentuate sharp features. — A SQUARE face has the distance from forehead to chin and from cheek to cheek roughly the same. Along with a noticeably square chin area and a pronounced jawline, this face shape also has a wide forehead and wide cheekbones that are generally the same width as the jaw. Read more
Goal – to soften the edges of the face
Advice – Hat shapes with curving lines will be especially flattering on you. Your face requires circular features. Round crown and brim will do the trick, inducing the illusion of height and roundness. Pick a hat that will add some curvature to your face and make it appear less boxy.
Brim – large, soft, and upturned brims
Crown – Look for hats with round and curved medium height crowns
Tilt – A side tilt will break up your square face lines. Don’t push it too far back on your head. Tilting the hat off to one side breaks up the symmetry pattern of your square face.
Avoid – hats with a short brim, no brim, or a square hat because will emphasize your angular face shape; severe angles will only accentuate sharp features.

A ROUND face will be the same width and length, with a wider forehead, full cheeks, and a rounded chin. It makes you look younger than other shapes.
There is no oblong length, pronounced jawline, or sharp angles.
Read moreGoal – add some height and asymmetry to your face
Advice – Balance out the soft shape of your face with structured hats, angular styles. A hat with a high crown and straight brim to give your face more angles
Brim – Moderate to wide width. Snap the brim to its full width and turn it up. Never snap it down or it will make your face appear shorter (don’t get anything under 2 inches or 5 centimeters, I’d even go to at least two and a half inches or six and a quarter cm)
Crown – Medium to high
Band – Narrow band of a contrasting color will add height
Tilt – Back from face (tilting it over your face will make the face appear shorter)
Avoid – narrow brims and round crowns, which can emphasize the roundness of your face; avoid getting hats that are too small, round shapes that mirror face, adding width; avoid anything which sits too low over your forehead as you’ll simply emphasize the round shape of your face. — A ROUND face will be the same width and length, with a wider forehead, full cheeks, and a rounded chin. It makes you look younger than other shapes. There is no oblong length, pronounced jawline, or sharp angles. Read more
Goal – add some height and asymmetry to your face
Advice – Balance out the soft shape of your face with structured hats, angular styles. A hat with a high crown and straight brim to give your face more angles
Brim – Moderate to wide width. Snap the brim to its full width and turn it up. Never snap it down or it will make your face appear shorter (don’t get anything under 2 inches or 5 centimeters, I’d even go to at least two and a half inches or six and a quarter cm)
Crown – Medium to high
Band – Narrow band of a contrasting color will add height
Tilt – Back from face (tilting it over your face will make the face appear shorter)
Avoid – narrow brims and round crowns, which can emphasize the roundness of your face; avoid getting hats that are too small, round shapes that mirror face, adding width; avoid anything which sits too low over your forehead as you’ll simply emphasize the round shape of your face.

DIAMOND face shapes are commonly classified as follows:
This shape of face is widest at the cheekbones; it has a narrow forehead and jawline that are about equal widths.
Read moreBrim – Medium to wide-brim
Crown – shorter pinched crown to provide an ideal counterpart to a diamond-shaped face
Avoid – too small brims or high crowns that will accentuate your cheekbones and chin. Avoid a disproportionate silhouette by skipping peaked hats or any crown that’s narrower than your cheekbones. — DIAMOND face shapes are commonly classified as follows: This shape of face is widest at the cheekbones; it has a narrow forehead and jawline that are about equal widths. Read more
Brim – Medium to wide-brim
Crown – shorter pinched crown to provide an ideal counterpart to a diamond-shaped face
Avoid – too small brims or high crowns that will accentuate your cheekbones and chin. Avoid a disproportionate silhouette by skipping peaked hats or any crown that’s narrower than your cheekbones.

HAT ANATOMY

Crown: The top portion of the hat that sits on your head.

Tip: The uppermost peak of the crown.

Pinch/Dent/Crease: This refers to the indentations made along the front, back, and sides of the crown.

Taper: The shape of the front side of the hat

Hatband: The decorative strip of material encircling a hat (grosgrain, ribbon, leather strip, braided cord etc), positioned above the brim.

Decoration: Any embellishment featured on the hat (feathers, tassels, beads, buckles etc).

Brim: The hat’s ledge, which protrudes from the base of the crown.

Underbrim: The underside of a hat brim.

Liner: The interior lining of the hat (soft fabrics such as satin, velvet, synthetic mesh, cotton, or silk.

Brim Binding: The optional trim around a hat’s brim (leather, fabric etc).

Sweatband: Also called the inner band, this is the hat’s interior band that helps ensure a good fit and keeps the hat shape intact; often made of leather, synthetic leather or fabric.