Fact: You Are a Hat Person, Now Here Are All the Hats You Should Wear
So you wanna do it, eh? You wanna be a Hat Person. Welcome to a whole new world of fabulousness, where every outfit is just a little bit more complete and definitely ~fancier~. For Hat People, in-your-face fashion is the name of the game. But before you can play, here's a little crash course in allllllllll the types of hats that are out there in the world.
Oh, and by the way: There are lots of 'em. This 101 class covers many you've seen before but didn't know the name of, some you never knew existed and wonder if you could pull off, and even vintage styles that will make you wish you lived in a different era. Enticed? Good. Let's begin.
Oh wait, quick thing first. There are a few terms, like "brim," "crease," and "bill" you should know. This should help:
Now, click on the style of hat that most intrigues you below to learn more. Mysterious!
Baseball Hat
Take me out to the ball game, baby. You know we had to start with one of the most recognized hat types out there: the baseball cap. And, you guessed it! It's the kind that baseball players wear!
Typically, these toppers have a rounded bill on just one side, and they're made of cotton or denim. They usually have some kind of adjustment area in the back either with a snap-style closure or a buckle, but some don't have adjusters. Go figure.
ready for the dugout
Beret
So French! So chic! Berets always add that extra element of je ne sais quoi to an ensemble. Their distinguishing factors? They don't have brims, and they typically don't have much structure, instead they're somewhat floppy and made of either wool or some kind of knit. Classic styles have the little nub at the very center of the top, which helps people take them off easily.
Berets are fun, because you can style them in so many ways and each one feels totally different and unique. Wear it dead-center for that school-girl vibe, to the side for more of a sophisticated situation, or pull it back for a bit more edge. Adding a scarf underneath = polished rich-woman-about-town mood. Genius.
oh la la! je t'aime!
Boater
Ah, yes. The boater! Let's talk about what sets these babies apart from other hats. First, they've got flat tops, and wide brims with zero curl or flop, and many of them feature a ribbon band around the crown. Historically, these types of hats are made of straw, because they were introduced in the 1800s as a formal summer hat, but nowadays you can also find them in felt or wool materials as well.
You've probably seen a hat like this in a music theater production or as part of a barbershop quartet, too. But you know where you should start to see more of them? All over the freaking place, because look how amaze they are! Adding this pink one to my life's vision board.
time for the high seas, guys
Breton Hat
Alright, so the thing about Breton hats is that they kinda look like floppy hats, except that their brims curl up a lil to reveal more of the wearer's face. Isn't that nice?
The style originates from a region of France called Brittany, and was worn by fishermen as sun protection—also nice!
Usually this type of hat is worn tilted slightly back from the visage, particularly when the bumper-style brim is shorter. When it's more exaggerated, though, it can be worn straight on top of the head.
nice curves, over here
Bucket Hat
These have also been called fisherman hats, but honestly a lot of the hats in this list originate from fishermen, so...moving on! You probably recall these hats from the '90s and early aughts, when they were rampant. Well, gird your loins, because they're definitely back en vogue! In the past, people would wear them with their brims both all the way down, or flipped up just in the front.
Nowadays, people aren't really flipping them up anymore, but they do come in all sorts of materials, including faux fur, leather, denim, and vinyl. Do your inner '90s kid a fave and try one on again, why don't ya?
get nostalgic already
Cap
A cap is essentially any hat that has a front bill, vs an all-around brim or no brim at all. Our friend the baseball cap from earlier is part of this group, but others exist that don't rep sports teams or have little buttons and eyelet holes on the crowns.
Just look at this structured orange felt one that looks awesome with a coordinating jacket and low pony!! If you ask me, more people should wear this kind of woolen style in the winter to stay warm and keep the sun out of their eyes.
bills, bills, bills
Cloche
Fun fact: "Cloche" is French for "bell." And, essentially, these vintage bbs are like sweet little bells that rest on your head and make you look like a stylish '20s film star. Back in the day, they were mostly made of wool or felt and they would often have little bows or flower details on the side for some extra *flair*.
Now, you can still find styles that harken back to those retro times, but the modern versions are more streamlined. They come in knits too! Also, they've changed slightly to basically become very sleek bucket hats. Evolution, ppl.
vintage vibes for ya
Cowboy Hat
"Cowboy" is pretty much a term used for any western-style hat. This one, with its tall, squared crown is more in the "Dakota" family of silhouettes. Brims on these range from curved all the way around to just curled on the sides, or completely flat. The main jist of these is to allow for airflow above the head so ranchers don't die of heat, and to protect the face and neck from the sun while you're out there riding all day.
yeehaw and all that
Derby
Americans call these "derbies" apparently. but they may actually be better known for their British moniker, "bowler hats." Basically, these are rounded-crown styles with short, curled brims (à la Breton, from earlier, remember?). Most often, they're black, but they don't have to be!
Typically, they come in wool and felt varieties, like this vintage one here. Because the brim is so small, this one won't help you with tons of sun protection, but it will help you look extra formal, and who doesn't want that?
well, how do you do?
Fisherman Cap
We've covered this, but obviously a lot of hat styles originated in various fishing communities because being out in the middle of the ocean all day long begs the question of shielding eyes and skin from the sun. That's how this type of hat was born too! But it's also known as a biker boy or a fiddler's cap. Essentially, it features a tiny little brim and a bit of a beret-influenced crown.
This design has come back with a vengeance in the past couple years, especially with the fashion set, and I get why. Covers day-3 hair nicely and looks more polished than a baseball hat, which is obviously what the fishermen of yore intended! Wear it to your next concert and watch the compliments roll in.
get hooked on these styles
Floppy Hat
You obviously already know what a floppy hat is, but just in case, it's a hat...with a floppy brim. These are often made from straw for summer beach/pool times, but they work just as well in felt or wool for snowy winter days. Most of the time the crown of the hat is rounded, not creased or pitched, but pretty much any hat with a non-structured brim qualifies in this category. The more you know!
loosen up, friend
Gambler
OK, so Gamblers are a version of western or cowboy-style hats that usually have an oval-shaped crown with a crease. The brim of these can curl up on the sides or be totally flat, like a Panama hat.
Not all Gamblers are gold, but...shouldn't they be? Jkjk, but they typically come in leather, wool, or straw and this sparkly one is only for the bold.
i've got a gambling problem
Hatband
Not to be confused with the literal band that goes around the crown of many hats, a Hatband is a term coined by royals enthusiast Elizabeth Holmes to describe a voluminous, padded headband.
These can come in all types of fabric, ranging from velvet and leather to silk and sequins. A ton of street style stars have recently been spotted wearing them, and of course Kate Middleton is a fan too!
the higher the headband, the closer to God
Panama Hat
Alright, friends, time for a mini history lesson. Panama hats are not, in fact, from Panama! They were actually first made in Ecuador and shipped up to the Panama Canal region to be sold. Workers who created the canal wore them frequently to protect from the sun and when President Theodore Roosevelt went down to check on the progress of the canal in 1906, he was photographed wearing one, which increased the popularity of the hat immensely in the USA.
But enough about that, let's get to talkin' specifics. Panama hats sure do look a lot like fedoras, and indeed, nowadays a lot of retailers get the two confused or use the terms interchangeably. The biggest difference between the two, other than the fact that the Panamas were originally made of woven palm-like leaves, is that the brim of the Panama is usually wider than the brim of a fedora. And, while these typically come in straw varieties, they are now also available in wool and felt too. The back of these hats can be curled up or worn flat, depending on the design, or the wearer's preference, just like fedoras.
so sleek, right?
Straw Hat
This one is more a species of hat than a singular type of hat, but it is worth including because straw hats are such A Thing for summer and vacations. Obviously any hat made of straw falls in this category, be it Panama style, floppy style, or something entirely different. This one has an extra-wide brim for sun protection, which I think we can all get on board with, in the name of cancer prevention.
*buys hat, books vacation*
Sun Hat
Technically, any hat that shields you from harmful UV rays falls under the "sun hat" umbrella, but there is a specific type of hat that more exclusively holds the title. It's one that sort of looks like a bucket hat, but with a wider brim and attached strings to keep it secure.
Anyone who is a gardening enthusiast will know this type of hat well. This one here is mesh, so it's not going to protect from the sun suuuuper well on its own, but you get the point!
...should I become a green thumb?
Toque
Yas to this vintage design! I wish we saw more of this hat creativity on a daily basis, but alas, the days of yore were more out there. Anyway a toque is a hat without a brim. This red one has a wrap-around scarf feature to keep its wearer warm in the winter, but not all designs have that. The one shown is closest to a Bellhop style hat (you know, like the traditional hat worn by a doorman at a fancy hotel), but the word "toque" in this context could also apply to the pillbox-style hats Jackie O. was known for, and any other brimless cap out there.
maybe we should all go brimless
Trilby
Here's another fun retro style! The trilby is essentially a smol fedora, aka it looks just like the fedora or the Panama, but with a smaller brim that curls up in the back. Here, the hat is designed and worn backwards for some extra ~edge~ but traditional trilbies would normally be put on the other way around.
Like many other kinds of hats that work both in the summer and in the winter, this one can be made of felt, wool, or straw, depending on the season.
it's def time to trilby
Vagabond
If Carmen San Diego could tell you the style of hat she liked the most, it would be this one. "Vagabond" applies to any wide-brim hat that sort of molds to one's head and brim-tilt preferences. I think of it as it is typically portrayed in vintage portraits of women wearing hats with brims that cover the face slightly and/or rakishly tilt up on one side, but not another. This kind of hat just adds an air of mystery, and as someone who loves to be mysterious, I really appreciate that about it!
This one in a Panama style looks amazing—and even more enigmatic—with a scarf underneath. Who is she?!?!?!
ohhh, such mystery!
Visor
You either love 'em or you hate 'em, but there's no denying that visors—baseball hats without the crown—are back, and ready to protect your face, but not your scalp, from the sun.
Why are visors like this? Well, the sporty style is made for folks who want their eyes to be shaded but also want heat to be able to easily escape through the top of their head while playing something like...idk, tennis. Another '90s darling, you're sure to see these guys on tons of celebs' and bloggers' grid photos this summer.
cap in the front, headband in the back
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