How much do you know about thedifferent mens hat styles?
If youre like most modern guys, you know the basicsbut the true variety is actually staggering.
Today, we scratch the surface with descriptions of 20 types of hats for men (with pictures!)
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Practical, decorative, social, and occupational.
These are some of the reasons men have worn hats over the years.
Mens hats then evolved into important signs of social status and ones occupation.
Fortunately, men found a new reason to wear hatsfor style.
Some have fascinating histories behind their existence, and well get to that soon.
But first, lets learn the anatomy of a hat, which is crucial in understanding howhats differ.
Crown
The first part is thecrown.
This is the top-most feature on a hat covering the top of the head.
Depending on the hat style, it can be short or tall.
Crowns in different hat styles also differ by the bang out of pinch on them.
Types of creases include round, teardrop, and center.
Brim
The second part is thebrim, found below the crown.
This is a horizontal edge protruding from and encircling the base of the crown.
The brim provides shade and cover to the face, neck, and ears.
Brims on mens hats can be wide, narrow, upturned, floppy, stiff, or more.
It all depends on the jot down.
Some types of hats havebillsinstead of brims.
Band
A third crucial part of a hat is thehatband.
A hatband is a decorative strip encircling the crown, found just above the brim.
Its usually made of fabric and is a prominent feature on many different types of hats.
Some you may have seen before, and others may look new to you.
Check out this list thatll reveal all the trendy hats it’s crucial that you know about today.
Panama Hat
The name suggests it, but this hat is not from Panama.
It originated from Ecuador, where hatters still use traditional techniques to make it.
When asked where they bought their hats, they would say Panama, and hence the name was born.
Hatters make Panama hats using toquilla straw harvested from the Carludovica palmata plant grown on the Ecuadorian coast.
They manipulate the straw through weaving and blocking techniques to produce the end product.
The result is a lightweight and breathable hat ideal for tropical climates.
Panama hats have medium-height crowns creased in a variety of ways to suit the customers preferences.
They have wide brims and a fabric hatband around the crowns base making them appropriate towear with suits.
Fedora
Fedoras are some of the most popular mens fashion hats today.
They have an angled brim, which is around two and a half inches.
Hat makers typically use wool, rabbit felt, cashmere, or beavers felt to make fedora hats.
Cotton, hemp, and leather are also used.
To make the fedora, they press the felt to a metal mold in the hats shape.
Traditionally, hatters made the trilby hat using rabbit hair felt.
Today, you’re able to find one in tweed, wool, heavy cotton, or straw.
The trilby grew in popularity during the 1960s thanks to its shorter crown.
This was when men were shifting from impractical, high-crowned hats.
Its brim is narrow and tightly curled upwards.
The customer wanted a close-fitting design with a low crown that his gamekeepers could wear on horseback.
London hat makers, Thomas and William Bowler, made the hat in 1849.
The hat soon became popular among gamekeepers and the working class in the latter half of the 19th century.
Later, the middle and upper classes opted for the bowler over top hatssame as with the trilby hat.
The crown of is a tall, flat top, while the brim is medium width and curled upwards.
The top hat lost practicality in the 20th century and lost popularity to short-crowned hats such as the bowler.
They are a rare sight nowadays, only making appearances at formal prefs like weddings and the opera.
Pork Pie
This hat has a circular indentation on its crown, resembling the English pork pie.
The pork pie hat has a short, round crown and a narrow, curved brim.
Its one of the fashion hats that fit perfectly into both casual and semi-formal controls.
Its a rounded cap with a small, stiff peak at the front.
Materials used to make the flat cap include tweed, wool, cotton, and corduroy.
On the inside, it has a lining that enhances comfort and provides warmth.
Today, the flat cap is considered an old man hat that looks good on men of all ages.
Plus, its one of the mens designer hats that are popular with celebrities.
Newsboy Cap
A newsboy hat is similar to a flat cap regarding the visor design and shape.
But, its made of eight panels, making its body rounder.
It also has a button at the top, where the pieces meet.
Today, its one of the popular types of caps used toaccessorize mens outfits.
Homburg
The Homburg is among the most popular vintage hats men wear today.
It was initially a hunting headgear in Bad Homburg, Hesse, German empire.
It became popular in the 1890s after Henry VII brought one back to England after visiting Hesse.
A Homburg is a mens felt hat with a medium crown sporting a single, central lengthwise crease.
The brim is medium width and flat, but with curled edges.
It also consists of a wide silk hatband ribbon around the crown.
Boater
A boater is a mens brim hat made of sennit straw.
The Venetian canotier, worn by gondoliers in Venice, is the inspiration behind the modern boater hat.
The brim on this hat is stiff, wide, and flat, protecting from the sun.
The crown is medium height and has a grosgrain ribbon around its base.
That was in the 1860s.
The hat had a long peak forsun protectionand a button at the top of the crown.
The front of the cap displays the initials, logo, or mascot of the team involved.
Others are fitting and dont include the fastenings.
When it comes to mens summer hats, the baseball cap is a common sight.
Its visor protects the eyes from the sun, and it goes well with casualsummer outfits.
Dad Hat
Dont let the name fool you.
The dad hat is like a more relaxed, subtle baseball cap.
Usually made with cotton or canvas, it has a slightly curved peak.
It is less structured than a baseball cap, meaning it fits more snuggly on the head.
Dad hats usually have fastenings at the back, making them a one-size-fits-all cap.
Related Reading:Why Are Dad Hats Coming Back?
Bucket Hat
A bucket hat has a short-height crown and a narrow, downward-sloping brim.
Its made with heavy-duty fabric like tweed or denim.
It appeared around the beginning of the 20th century as a mens outdoor hat.
Back then, Irish fishermen and farmers widely wore bucket hats.
It has maintained its stylish appeal since the 1980s when it became popular with rappers.
Boonie Hat
Boonies are lightweight mens wide brim hats, commonly worn by military forces in tropical climates.
Their design is like a bucket hat, but the brim is stiffer.
It also has a practical fabric band sewn around the crownused by military forces to hold camouflage material.
Most Boonie hats have eyelets in the crown for ventilation, while others have breathable mesh panels.
Boonies come with a string you could tie under the chin or drape around the neck for stability.
These durable hats are ideal foroutdoor hobbiessuch as hiking, fishing, and camping.
Beanie
The beanie is a mans winter essential.
Its a brimless hat made to fit snuggly to the head and provide warmth.
Materials commonly used to make beanies are cloth and felt.
Fortunately, there are manystyles of cool beanies for menthat fit well with many casual outfits.
FAQs
What Kind of Hat Should I Wear?
Long gone are the days when social status dictated which hat a man could wear.
Your outfit, the season, and the occasion are factors that will point you in the right direction.
So will styles such as the flat cap and trilby that can suit both formal and non-formal parameters.
When heading for formal events, choose from dress hats like fedoras, Panama hats, and bowlers.
Beanies are a winter staple, while baseball-style caps and wide-brimmed hats are great for summer.
How Do I Look Good in a Hat?
Hats are awardrobe essentialanybody can rock, but not every bang out looks good on everyone.
Many people shy away from hats because they tried them once and didnt like how they looked.
Or, they believe they are not hat people.
If you are wondering how to look good in a hat, know that theres a trick.
Hats with low crowns and a large brim will look great if you have a long, thin face.
Such headwear will shorten your face without being overbearing.
Round crowned hats will suit you if you have a square face.
The soft edges will take away from the sharpness of your features, giving you a more harmonized appearance.
A simple rule to rememberwhichever your face shape, go for hat types with opposing qualities.
Round for square, short for long, and vice versa.
But, if you have an oval face, youll look good in just about any throw in!
When Did Men Stop Wearing Hats?
Between the late 18th and mid-twentieth centuries, mens hats were standard daily headwear.
A look at photos or videos from this era will rarely reveal a man without a hat.
When did this change?
The tradition of men wearing a hat as a staple in western society disappeared following the Second World War.
Why Did Men Stop Wearing Hats?
There were several reasons men stopped wearing hats in the 20th century.
The first reason relates to the reluctance of former soldiers to wear hats after the world wars.
Hats were a part of their military uniforms, and they were a stark reminder of the war.
Hence, many men didnt want to wear them with their civilian clothes.
Hats losing their social significance was another reason the popularity of mens hats waned.
Their flat caps could identify the working class, while the upper class and nobility sported high-crowned hats.
The increasing popularity of private cars in the 1960s was another reason men stopped wearing hats.
Manufacturers began making covered cars, different from their roofless predecessors.
With car roofing, men no longer needed to wear hats for protection from the elements while traveling.
Secondly, the closed cars had low roofs without enough headroom for a hat.
How Do I Know My Hat Size?
Mens hat sizes are available from small to extra large.
The correct hat size for you corresponds with your heads circumference, so thats what you should measure.
Ensure it goes midways around the back.
Stick a finger under the tape, then record the resulting length in centimeters for accuracy.
Thats your head circumference, and itll determine your hat size.
you could also use a string in place of a tape measure.
After taking the measurement, compare the string against a ruler to discover the length.
Plus, itll give you more ideas for spicing up your wardrobe.
