How To Choose Hats for Men?

What Are the Different Styles of Men’s Hats?

The world of hats is filled to the brim with various and diverse shapes and styles that reflect the aesthetics of different eras. When you are choosing a style of men’s hats, it is important to have a good idea of when you are going to wear it, be it the types of events of the season, and to learn about as many different styles of hats for men as possible. 

Which Material Should I Choose for My Hat?

The material a hat is made of will have a great impact on its features. It will determine in which weather you can wear it, and may even make it better or less appropriate for different contexts. 

Why Should I Choose to Go for a Felt Hat?

Men’s hats made of felt shine their brightest in cold and mild weather. In the spring, fall, and during winter, felt insulates your head from the cold and acts as a shield against precipitation. Felt is made of animal textile, generally either wool or fur.

Wool felt is soft, affordable and comfortable, whereas rabbit fur felt will be denser and water-resistant. The top of the line, beaver fur felt, has a distinct plushy texture and is naturally waterproof.

chapeau Curtis de Bailey

Why Should I Choose a Straw Hat?

Straw hats are often worn in a casual, leisurely summer setting, however if you choose it right, you can pull it off in even the most formal or prestigious events. They are perfect for spring, summer and early fall, and can be split into two major categories:

  • Natural Straws, which include Panama straw, shantung straw, Milan straw, hemp braids and paper straw. They are lightweight and incredibly breathable, however they are more sensitive to water exposure, and prone to cracking or misshaping if crushed or folded.
     
  • Synthetic Straws, most often made of various blends of nylon, polyester and/or polypropylene, tend to cover a wide range of styles, from colorful to classic. They are more resistant to water and deformation, most will be crushable, and are generally much easier to clean and maintain over time.

chapeau Panama Blanc de Borsalino chapeau Mannes de Bailey

Fabric Hats

Fabric hats are generally made for casual wear and outdoors activities, hence they provide outstanding UV protection. Their composition varies greatly between natural fabrics such as cotton, hemp, or linen, and synthetic fabrics such as polyester or nylon. Some will even feature recycled fiber and upcycled marine plastics! At the Henri Henri hat store, you will find a variety of outdoors hats and bucket hats with classic to multicolor schemes to enjoy your time in the sun to the fullest!

chapeau LTM6 Airflo de Tilley

 

 

Why Should I Choose a Leather Hat? 

Leather hats are known for their sturdiness. They require expert craftsmanship to produce, and an equally careful maintenance routine in order to provide you with years of faithful service. At Henri Henri, you will find various kangaroo leather bush hats from Australia’s Outback as well as highly decorated, steampunk-friendly leather top hats.

Barmah Sundowner Kangaroo leather hat

H3 : What Are the Different Brim Shapes?

Choosing the right brim shape is essential to properly balance your natural features and to complement your face and silhouette. The general rule is to choose a brim that reaches to half your shoulder’s width. This rule is not absolute, as changing clothes may widen your shoulder profile and call for a wider brim, or circumstances such as a hot day under the summer sun may require as big a brim as possible to protect your skin, however thin or broad your shoulders are. Here are a few of the most common brim shapes:

Wide Brims

Wide-brimmed hats provide more shade, and hence shield better against the elements such as sunlight, rain, snow, and wind. They also broaden your silhouette, making them a perfect match for coats and suits. People with broad shoulders tend to favor wider brims.

Cowboy hats and summer hats will take advantage of a full brim to protect its wearer from the sun, whereas fedoras will confer a solemn look of sophistication, all the while shielding you from the cold and rain.

Borsalino Folar hat Akubra The Territory hat

 

Short Brims

Short brims, or stingy brims, usually give the hat a more dynamic allure, a festive, slick and débonnaire flair that blurs the line between formal and casual. You can find them everywhere, from casual summer hats to the most exclusive felt hats. Short-brimmed hats suit people with narrower shoulders especially well, and effortlessly add a touch of cool to formal outfits.

Bailey Wynn hat Henri Henri Porkpie hat

 

The Classic Brim

The classic brim is without a doubt the most widespread. Featuring an upward curl in the outer edge of the brim, a classic brim can make its wearer seem slightly taller. They confer a more laid-back look when the hat is worn tilted on the back of the head.

A key feature of the classic brim is that it can be easily modified by its wearer. While they are stored and molded with an upward curve all around, many hat wearers like to fold down the front half, which has multiple benefits: it provides more shade over the eyes, adds a sense of dynamism to your outfit, and adds a touch of mysterious charm.

Bailey Tino Hat Mayser Bogart City Fanal Hat

 

The Safari Brim

The power of the safari brim resides in the elegant simplicity of its design. Featuring a downward slope in the front and back, and flat sides, the safari brim provides more shade relative to its width, offering its wearer increased uv protection and shelter against rain and snow. This makes safari-brimmed hats especially suited for weather exposure. Think of Indiana Jones’ hat. Considering all the different trials he put himself and his hat through, doesn’t it make sense that his signature hat featured a textbook safari brim?

Borsalino Traveller hat Indiana Jones Fur Felt hat

 

Flat Brims

Flat-brimmed hats are making a big comeback in men’s and women’s fashion. Both elegant and stylish, they are ideal to sit at the top of your most cherished outfits! In order to keep their crisp, flat shape, flat brims need to be rigidified. This makes the hat stiff as a whole, and may have a big impact on the fit. As a general rule, we strongly recommend our customers come in-store to try a flat-brimmed hat before purchase. If this is not possible for you, we recommend you choose a hat that is one size above your usual size. A hat that is too small will never fit properly, whereas a hat that is a bit too big can easily be adjusted. 

Henri Henri Jay Flat Brim Hat

 

Which Crown Should I Go For?

The crown of a hat is the part your upper head fits in. They come in all sorts of shapes, each with their particular appeal.

The Pinchfront, or Centerdent Crown

Without a doubt the most widespread crown shape in the hat world, also sometimes referred to as the classic crown. Pinchfront crowns, or Centerdent crowns, feature a long horizontal crease at the top and two depressions up front and center. The first fedoras did not feature the pinch at the front, however hat wearers would so often grab their hats by the front of the crown that almost everyone would end up with a pinch, and what was at first a bug became an unexpected feature. Furthermore, a pinch in the front and center mirrors the chin, giving a symmetric, visual harmony that is pleasing to the human eye.

Stetson Saxon hat Stetson Temple Hat

 

The Teardrop Crown

The teardrop crown is back in style! A symbol of post-war America, the art-deco teardrop crown features an acute pinch in the front and a convex top sculpted in the shape of a teardrop. Elegant, sharp, and comfortable, it features a lot of space inside, which gives the hat a lower, leaner profile.

Stetson Stratoliner hat Henri Henri Alexis hat

 

The Bowler Crown

The bowler crown, also referred to as the round crown, is typically associated with bowler hats and derby hats, and a few niche western hats. The bowler crown is shaped like a melon, being oblong and entirely convex.

Bailey Derby hat

The Top Hat Crown

Usually straight or slightly concave on the sides, top hat crowns are nowadays only found on top hats, and on some period-accurate puritan hats. It is the source of all the prestance and prestige associated with this iconic Victorian hat.

Christys' Top Hat

The Cattleman Crown

If you picture a cowboy hat in your mind, there’s a 99.9% chance it features the iconic cattleman crown. This emblematic crown shape of the Far West is high and imposing, and features a long central crease, accentuated by two side creases that elevate its profile. This iconic style has crossed deserts and eras, and is still one of the most emblematic visual symbols of America.

Stetson Open Road 6X hat

 

Porkpie Crowns and Telescope Crowns

Porkpie crowns take their name from their shape. Flat and shallow, the porkpie crown features a peripheral ridge all around the top that looks as if it was molded using a meat pie mold. Associated with the world of show business, the porkpie has been a staple of jazz and ska music for decades.

Bailey Walsh Hat

Francis Bissonnette-Gilker
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