Which Hat Suits Me Best?

While choosing a hat is always an occasion to look forward to, we know it can sometimes feel like a tricky or overwhelming task. Whether your’re looking for that perfect piece for a (long awaited) special occasion, or you simply want an everyday piece you’ll get your wear out of, shopping online for these pieces can feel like a daunting task  - especially when there are so many beautiful options out there. 

So, If you’re feeling the fedora frazzle, then have no fear – we’re here to help!

We often hear people say ‘hats just don’t suit me’. Well we would have to disagree and here’s why... When it comes to hats you have to make sure you get a few things right. 

1) The fit - A hat will not look right on you if it does not fit properly, it will either sit too high on your head or too low over your eyes, making you feel like you look silly and making you feel uncomfortable. 

2) The colour - A hat sits closely to your face and so it’s very important to ensure that the piece you go for suits your complexion and highlights all of your features. 

3) The style - from suiting your haircut, to your frame and your overall personality, there’s a lot to consider when finding your perfect style of hat. 

Not everyone will be ready for our Zelda Wings Trilby or the Lorie Feather Headdress (you can leave those to us, ladies!), but everyone can feel the absolute business in a beautiful well made trilby or a classic beret. So, read on for our complete style guide and four our trusted tricks and tips to choosing a hat that SUITS YOU! 

Suiting Shoulders

Choosing a hat to match your body type might feel difficult, but we can promise it’s easier than you may think. 

For the broad shouldered among us, a general rule of thumb is to go for a wide brimmed hat that balances your shape. The same goes for those planning to put on their fluffy, oversized, winter coats soon too. But we do always advise not to wear a brim wider than your shoulders, to avoid an unfortunate umbrella effect that shrouds your lovely features.

Jess’ pick: Why not try our Toquilla Blaze Fedora in Chequered Pink or Blue for a functional yet extraordinarily fun addition to your every outfit?

For those of you with narrow shoulders and a slimmer build, we would instead recommend short brimmed hats to accentuate your style without enveloping you under a larger than life design. 

Traditional cloches hats would look great, alongside narrow brimmed bucket hats and flat caps worn at jaunty angles. Trilbies are another excellent choice, as their shorter brim won’t make you look too tiny underneath either. 

Jess’ pick: You won’t put a step wrong in The Jackson Trilby in Emerald.

Matching Your Complexion

Those with a fair complexion will know how hard it can be to find a colour that suits you, but also how rewarding it feels when you find the one! Natural and pastel coloured hats work well all year long, complimenting paler skin by looking soft yet full of life. 

Grey, navy and pale pink tones can be wonderfully flattering If this is you. 

Of course, dark and rich colours can look good on fair skin too, but in some cases they can feel can feel harsh against the skins undertones. I would say stick to pastels if you’re unsure and always come and try things on if you can! 

Jess’ pick: For a casual yet cool look that works for every season, choose The Hometown Trilby in Petrol Blue with velvet band.

Brightly coloured hats look gorgeous on warm and darker toned skin and highlight the features of those with a warm complexion well. I would say go for our brightly coloured  jewel toned hats or pop in to have your own Jess Collett hat made to order. When  you pop in and have something made, it gives us an opportunity to go through our colours and ensure you have chosen the most flattering match for you.

Styling Hats For Haircuts

Having long hair comes with a host of different perks, but our favourite it that this hair style suits all hats. This versatile haircut is game changer when it comes to choosing hats and all styles work well with this cut. Someone with narrow shoulders generally wouldn’t suit a fedora, but long hair can make this hat flattering to this body type too. Take your pick from hairbands, fedoras, berets, trilbies and more. 

Jess’ pick: Suited beautifully to you would be our Toquilla Sunrise Hairband in Multicolour – a multifaceted beauty, just like you.

There’s something about short hair that never goes out of style but It can be harder to match this haircut with the right hat. There are a few ways of ensuring your styling never goes wrong. Length of the brim - We’d advise looking at short brimmed hats and perchers. We would say always choose a trilby over a fedora and opt for hats the frame the haircut like a beret or a hairband. Think 1920’s!

Jess’ pick: I would go for the gorgeous Bobby beret with a short haircut or the Bardot hairband for a special event!

Flattering Your Face Shape

For those with more defined features and sharper angles, you tend to suit softer shapes that balance out your sharper angles. 

Why not shop around for hats featuring round crowns and circular brims? You’ll be able to tip them backwards for a face-framing effect, especially with hats sporting a crown that measures wider than the width of your temples. Bucket hats work best during the spring and summer months, with felt fedoras for the approaching autumn-wintertime. 

Jess’ pick: We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one of our best city styles, Parisian hats – the perfectly winter weather appropriate Classic JCM Beret in Slate Grey with pom pom.

If you’re rocking somewhat softer features, with a curved jawline and full, apple-like cheeks, you’ll be pleased to hear your face shape perfectly suits the more unique hats of the world. To contrast the softness of this shape face, you’ll want to look out for hats with sharp lines to balance this.

Best Practice For Choosing The Perfect Hat

To conclude, follow these simple tips when you’re choosing or styling your next headpiece and you’ll be guaranteed to look (and feel) beautiful...

1. The darker your hair or outfit, the deeper-toned your hat can be. We love to match rich colours with dynamic, dark hair to bring their opulent undertones to life. 
2. Couture hats should almost always be worn sitting above the left eyebrow, perched at a jaunty angle. Talk about a characterful look!
3. Find the magic in choosing your millinered masterpiece. If you love the hat but it goes against every one of our rules, we encourage you to rock it with the utmost confidence anyway! Your love for the piece will shine through and suit you better than any other hat could.

We hope we’ve helped narrow down your hat search, and instilled you with more headpiece-selecting confidence than ever before!

If you’re still looking for something absolutely perfect, you can always come to us. Use our Jess Collett Milliner bespoke service to design a one-of-a-kind hat by getting in touch. Don’t forget, you can always play dress up with us at our London studio too but we do take video calls for our hat lovers further afield . Jess would be more than happy to have you!

Author: © Scarlett Hatchwell

Editor: Shannon Brown