Choosing a Hat for your Face Shape
Understanding your face shape is key to unlocking your personal style. It’s the foundation for finding the most flattering hairstyles, makeup and accessories.
If you’re unsure of your face shape, stand in front of a full-length mirror to identify which shapes below describe you best. Remember that the perfect hat brings harmony and balance to your proportions.
Small Face Shape
A small face shape is characterised by delicate and proportional features, with less surface area between the eyes, nose, and lips.
We recommend fedoras, bucket hats or cloches with a medium-sized brim to balance out the proportions of a small face. Short-brimmed visors are also suitable.
Avoid wide-brimmed sun hats as they can overwhelm a small frame. If styling a wider brim, we recommend flipping the brim up - try this at the front or sides of the face.
Round Face Shape
A round face is similar in length and width, with cheeks being the fullest part of the face. Other characteristics include a broad forehead and a rounded jawline and chin.
Caps, boaters and fedoras are the best hats for round faces, as their structure creates more angles to elongate the face.
Avoid loose-fitting knits or cloche hats, as a rounded crown can overly accentuate fullness in the face.
Long or Narrow Face Shape
Also known as a rectangular or oblong face shape, characteristics of a long face include a slim bone structure with elongated features from forehead to chin.
The best hats for a long face are deeper fitting styles, such as the cloche, beret, caps and baker boy, to balance out narrow proportions and add width.
Avoid hats with high crowns, such as fedoras, as they can over-elongate the face.
Heart Face Shape
Heart-shaped faces have feminine facial features, such as a broad forehead that narrows down to a pointed chin.
Hats with a slim profile are the best for heart faces as they complement delicate features. A short brim fedora is a great example, as the dented crown provides symmetry to a pointy chin. Short-brimmed boaters, berets and beanies are also great hat choices.
Avoid wide-brimmed hats as they can exaggerate the width of the forehead and distort proportions.
Square Face Shape
A square face is easy to distinguish because of how symmetrical features look. Square faces are similar in length and width, with a sharp jawline as a key feature. The jawline, cheekbones and forehead will also look similar in width.
Hats with wide brims balance out the proportions of a square face to give the illusion of a slightly longer face. Hats with round crowns, such as a cloche can also create a softer look to balance sharp features.
Avoid structured hats such as fedoras, as they can over-accentuate a square face.
Angular Face Shape
A face with sharp angles is characterised by minimal curves, prominent cheekbones, and a strong jawline.
We recommend fabric hats to soften angular features. Other less structured, wide brim hat styles can achieve the same effect due to movement on the brim.
Avoid hats with sharp edges, as this will intensify angular facial features.
Oval Face Shape
An oval face has balanced and symmetrical features; the forehead is slightly wider than the jawline, which tapers down to a rounded chin.
Most hats are suitable for oval face shapes. Take advantage of this versatility by experimenting with statement styles like wide-brim hats, which are difficult to style for most face shapes.
Avoid hats with high crowns; these styles are less flattering for oval faces as they can overly accentuate face length.
How to Choose the Best Hat for Your Body Frame?
An additional consideration is the overall proportion of the hat to your body. Your face size, hair volume, height, and body shape all play a role in finding the right hat.
Short & Petite Frames
Hats with short to medium brims will complement a petite frame. Opt for hats with a slightly taller crown to add height. Generally, ladies with a smaller frame should avoid oversized and wide-brim hats, as they can overwhelm the body and an outfit.
Tall & Full Frames
In contrast, wide-brim hats complement taller, fuller frames as they balance out proportions. Avoid short-brimmed hats, as they can sometimes look disproportionate. This is especially the case for ladies with long, voluminous hair.
Knowing what styles work best for your proportions can transform the way you look and feel. With so many fabulous hat styles available, narrowing your most suitable options is incredibly helpful. Explore Helen Kaminski’s collection of handcrafted hats and filter by style, material and brim length to find your perfect addition.