How to Wear a Straw Fedora
Perhaps you're tempted to buy a straw fedora, but you aren't sure how to wear it. Now is the time to take the plunge. Straw fedoras are stylish, comfortable and classic. They help protect your head and neck from the sun's rays while helping you stay cool and comfortable. By following a few basic tips, you can wear a straw fedora with ease and class.
A fedora is a soft hat with pinched fabric at the front of the crown. The brim of the hat wraps all the way around, and may dip down in front. Experts will often say that fedoras are only appropriate to wear on formal occasions. Think of Frank Sinatra in his jaunty hat to get an idea of their objections. A straw fedora, however, is designed for casual wear. It's soft, pliable and earthy. Straw fedoras typically have narrow brims, but you can find hats with larger brims in some stores.
Your straw fedora must fit you properly or it will never look quite right, no matter what you wear it with. Place the hat on your head to measure. You should be able to place two fingers between your eyebrows and the bottom of the hat. When you take the hat off, you should have no marks on your forehead. While you may be tempted to get a tight hat like this so it won't blow away while you're on the beach, restrain yourself. A hat that's too tight is uncomfortable and you won't be likely to wear it for long periods of time.
You can position your straw fedora on your head in a number of ways. Tip it to one side for a jaunty, sexy look. Place it far back on your head to give you a sort of hayseed, country look. Tip it far forward on your head to seem mysterious. Avoid wearing a fedora at a straight horizontal level. The hat needs a bit of an angle to look informal. No matter what you do, don't pin the hat securely to your head. Good etiquette rules say you must remove your hat when you enter a restaurant, hotel or someone's home. You must never keep your hat on during a meal. Use the pinched fabric at the front of your fedora to pull the hat off. Don't pull by the brim or you'll put stress on the straw and cause holes.
A straw fedora is meant to be worn in the summer. You won't have protection from the rain while in a straw hat, and straw doesn't like to get wet. Put your straw hat away in the winter. During the summer, wear your hat with any casual outfit you can think of. For women, pair your straw fedora with a summer dress and wear chunky clogs. Wear your straw hat with jeans and a t-shirt for an informal night on the town. For men, straw fedoras look wonderful with seersucker suits for more formal occasions, and they work equally well with jeans and short-sleeved shirts for casual evenings.
