Hats & Face Shape - Which Hats Look Best on You?

We know that shopping for your next perfect hat may be overwhelming. Which of the many hat styles suits you best - a fedora, a sun hat, a beret? And which brim length looks best? Should you angle the hat on your head? The options may seem endless, but your search doesn't need to be!

Although no one face fits perfectly into any pre-determined shape, knowing your general face shape can be extremely helpful when it comes to narrowing down your hat choices and learning how to best complement your features. 

*Exact measurements for these factors are not required so long as you can "eyeball" your proportions.

Tip: Using a printed front-facing photograph is an easier way to measure and arrive at the relative proportions of your face. 

Once you have your answers, use the guide below to find your general face shape.

Round & Square

These two face shapes are characterized by their overall symmetry as they are roughly equal in length and width. The name of the game with these two face shapes is to try to break up the symmetry by selecting hats that add height to your face. Fedoras, Western/Cowboy Hats, and Sun Hats are great hat styles for these two face shapes. Look for medium to high crowns (4-inch +) and medium to wide brims (2-inch +). 

When opting for Flat Caps, Berets, or Baseball Caps ensure you selecting fuller-bodied styles such as Newsboy Caps, Big Apple Caps, ample Berets, and high-profile crown Baseball Caps with wider, flat bills. These will help balance the width of your face when compared to slimmer-fitting styles such as Duckbill and Ivy style Flat Caps, Skullcap style Beanies, and low-profile "dad hat" style Baseball Caps. 

Note for Round-Shaped Faces: Wearing your hat tilted to either side adds an asymmetric effect and touch of flair. Avoid hats with round crowns like Bowlers, Homburgs, Open Crown Hats, and Cloches as these will emphasize the roundness of your face.

Note for Square-Shaped Faces: Rounded styles help balance your angled features so styles such as Bowlers, Homburgs, Open Crown Hats, and Cloches work well on Square-shaped faces.

Oblong & Rectangle

These two face shapes are characterized by their overall length combined with generally equal widths across their foreheads, cheekbones, and jaws. With these two shapes the goal is to select hat styles that help "shorten" and balance the face. To this end, hats with short crowns (less than 4 inches) help de-emphasize the length of your face while wide brims (2.5-inch +) provide the necessary balance. Look for Sun Hats, Fedoras, Boleros/Gauchos, Gambler Hats, Planter Hats, Western/Cowboy Hats etc. with wide brims and relatively short crowns.

Note for women: Cloches, despite their short brims, are a great choice for oblong and rectangle shaped faces as they are designed to be worn low on the forehead similarly achieving a "shortened" effect.

Heart & Inverted Triangle

These two face shapes are widest at the forehead and tend to have small chins and/or jawlines. Here, hats are usually relied upon to help de-emphasize the forehead width while balancing out the jawline. To achieve this, go with medium width (about 2 to 2.5 inches) brimmed styles such as Fedoras, Boaters & Skimmers, Cloches, or Homburg Hats. Beanies and Berets are another great choice as long as they are worn slightly across the forehead - again, to help de-emphasize this area.

Avoid wide-brimmed (2.5-inch +) hats as these will tend to emphasize the forehead's width while further minimizing the smaller chin/jawline.

Oval & Diamond

Oval and Diamond shapes are the most versatile in terms of hats. These two shapes can wear pretty much any hat style - it all depends on your personal taste. Unlike other face shapes, small-brimmed (less than 2 inches) styles (aka "Stingy Brim") work well with oval and diamond shaped faces as do medium-brimmed (2-2.5 inches) and wide-brimmed (2.5-inch +). Try a variety of styles and brim widths and see what you like best, taking into consideration your own personal style and/or planned activities. For example, wider brims are always recommended when spending extended periods of time outdoors. Browse our Hats by Style page for crash-course on the many hat styles available.

Triangle aka "Pear"

Similar to oval and diamond-shaped faces, triangle-shaped (aka "pear") faces are also quite versatile when it comes to hats. The only thing to keep in mind here is to avoid small-brimmed aka "Stingy Brim" styles (less than 2 inches) or slim-fitting styles which will emphasize the narrowness of the forehead compared with the jawline. Other than that, medium (2-2.5 inches) and wide brimmed (2.5-inch +) styles are all quite flattering. Try on different varieties of Sun Hats, Fedoras, Western/Cowboy Hats, and other hat styles, keeping in mind your own personal style and planned activities. For example, wider brims are always recommended when spending extended periods of time outdoors. Browse our Hats by Style page for crash-course on the many hat styles available.

Note for Pear and Triangle-Shaped Faces: Avoid Stingy Brimmed and slim-fitting hat styles including Trilbys, Duckbill and Ivy style Flat Caps, and Skullcap style Beanies as these will emphasize the narrowness of the forehead. 

Final Remarks

Finally, remember that these "rules of thumb" should all be taken with a grain of salt. Everyone's face is unique and will rarely fit into a single standardized face shape perfectly. Not only this, but personal style and other factors such as height all contribute to one's overall look. At the end of the day, a hat in which you feel the most confident will look the best, period. We hope this encourages our readers to have fun and experiment with hats and fashion to arrive at their own personal "best" look. 

As always, we look forward to your questions and comments! Already purchased a hat you love? Don't forget to post unboxing videos, photos, and connect with the rest of our community at www.facebook.com/VillageHatShop or tag us on Instagram with @villagehatshop.

By: G.R., Copywriter