Tips For Wearing A Hat
Guys have it easy…they can throw on a hat and instantly look decent! Wearing a hat is a little harder for us women. But, a hat is an easy way to add chicness to your outfit! You see a woman with a hat and you think, “Wow, she’s cool!” It’s called “The Hat Effect,” according to fellow YouTuber, Carly Cristman. I just love it… “The Hat Effect.” You seriously do take notice of a woman wearing a hat, right? Think about it.
A felt or wool hat is that perfect accessory to help transition your summer outfits to fall! We share some other easy tips to extend the life on your favorite summer pieces here.
HAT | FOR LESS | DRESS | FOR LESS | BLAZER (limited sizing)| FOR LESS | CLUTCH | FOR LESS | SIMILAR BOOTIES
Finding The Perfect Hat
First, I want to talk about the Rag & Bone hat I’m wearing above. I’ve tried a lot of hats and hat brands and found that Rag & Bone makes the best hats in terms of quality and fit. I know they are pricey, but you’ll have and wear them for years and years. This soft wool fedora has a wide grosgrain band, a perfectly-sized rim, and it also comes in white. I’ve also linked more options for you below! Now for my top tips…
- Avoid hats with brims that are wider than your shoulders: You don’t want the hat to be so wide that you can’t sit shoulder to shoulder with someone. Unless it’s a sun hat for the beach of course…keep that skin protected!
- Find a hat that’s neutral, casual, and therefore easy to style: As you can see above, the hat I’m wearing is a neutral color that can easily be styled with multiple colors and outfits!
- Skip earrings: Sometimes having a hat AND earrings on can be a little too much accessorizing. Wear simple studs or no earrings at all.
- Coordinate colors: I’m not saying that your hat has to exactly match your outfit. It just needs to coordinate. The neutral brown tone of my hat above matches my bag and shoes while the white band compliments the rest of the look. Be thoughtful about tying the colors together.
- Adjust the angle of your hat to decide what looks best: You may get a hat, put it on, and decide that you look ridiculous. But don’t write it off completely! Sometimes the hat just needs to be tilted to the side or adjusted a little. Play with the angle to see what works!
- Experiment with different styles: There are tons of hat styles out there…newsboy, baseball, Panama, fedora, beret, floppy, cowboy or western-inspired, sun, beanies, etc. My point is that there are so many styles out there; you can find one that works for you! If you hate the fedora, try a floppy brim hat. The Colorado moms all wear trucker hats. I love the look on other women, it just doesn’t feel like me, so I don’t wear one.
Common Questions
- Do I have to take the hat off when I go inside? And if so, how do I avoid hat hair? If your hat clearly compliments your outfit, leave it on. Meaning that if you styled an outfit to include the hat, people will realize that and won’t think it’s weird that you keep it on. And then you can avoid hat hair! If you have to take your hat off, try either running your fingers through your hair or keeping a small travel brush in your purse to fix the hat hair.
- Do I wear my hair up or down with a hat? Normally, I wear my hair down. But you can do either! Your hair might look better up with certain styles. But my fail-safe is wearing my hair down.
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But also important to note that you should always remove your hat during the national anthem, when the flag is presented, or when saying the pledge of allegiance (even if it is part of your ensemble).
Agreed!
Hi Erin,
I really loved your note to us all. It was such a warm, sweet, and WONDERFULLY wise perspEctive. I sure needed it right now too!
HUgs,
Ellen
I wear hats all the time-they’re so fun! Women are never required to remove a hat, whether in a restaUrant, church, or during national anthem. Why is this typing in all caps?? LOL
GReat post! Thank you!!!
oH! I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS POST! I LOVE HATS BUT DON’T REALLY WEAR THEM, MOSTLY BECAUSE I HAVE SHORT HAIR SO i DO TEND TO END UP WITH HAT HAIR. MAYBE KEEPING IT ON IS THE TRICK! I SOMETIMES WISH I LIVED IN ENGLAND OR EUROPE WHERE PEOPLE SEEM TO WEAR HATS MORE OFTEN, OR AT LEAST THE ROYALS DO! lOL! tHIS SUMMER i BOUGHT A FEDORA ABOUT THE SAME COLOR AS YOUR HAT FROM THREAD UP THAT i AM LOOKING FORWARD TO STYLING. i ALSO HAVE A BLACK FELT PICTURE/fLOPPY STYLE HAT THAT I BOUGHT 7 YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS IN NYC.
all the hats here are georgOus and thank you for shaRing with us. I am going yo Florida soon and i need a sun hat i can pack easily but still looks good. I saw One at nordstrom by BP and it looks cute but not sure about it. Can you recommend anT? Thanks si much for all Your hard wOrk.
Hey Erin,
I just saw your post on hats. I think hats are so cute – but is there a secret to avoiding “hat hair”???
Thank you for all your great posts!
Marcella
You look sensational in both of those hats!! Great tips! Thank you!