Choosing a fashionable hat for your next outing or special event should be a fun activity you can enjoy rather than a source of stress or worry. As with all fashion decisions, it can be helpful when selecting a fashionable hat to have an idea of what makes a hat look good on one person versus another, how to choose a hat for your face shape and height, and what types of hats go with what occasions and outfits. Here, learn from experts about how to choose a fashionable hat and the best places to buy fashionable hats.
Choosing a fashionable hat starts with knowing your face shape and size. Some people just naturally have larger or smaller heads. Some people have a heart-shaped face while others have a long narrow oval face shape. Taller people tend to look better in some hat styles than shorter people, and vice versa. Finally, there is personal preference to consider, because if you like the hat and you enjoy wearing it, it is guaranteed to look good on you. In that sense, choosing a hat is like choosing a wine. If you like it, then you can purchase it with confidence, knowing that that particular hat defines your personal sense of fashion and style.
Additionally, some styles of hat are more suitable for some occasions than others. For a day in nature at the beach or outdoors, a wide-brimmed hat or a decorative ball cap style hat is a great choice to provide shade and keep your hair in place. For sports events, try a "fascinator", the new-but-not-new look that future Queen Kate Middleton has popularized since the Royal Wedding in summer 2011. To attend a party or religious service, consider a wide brimmed hat with subtle, occasion appropriate colors and accents. For a winter outing, a cute bowler or bolero hat, or a warm fedora, will be just the right choice to keep your head warm and your outfit stylish. For hiking or an outing to the park, consider one of the cute knit ski hats that are making their way down the runway this fall. And of course, rodeo season demands a cowboy hat, and you can choose from literally hundreds of makers who specialize in custom cowboy hats for women.
One great technique when shopping for fashionable hats is to take yourself for an online shopping trip before hitting the streets to go shop in-store. This way, you can get a true sense of the many options that are available for fashionable hats for women. Hartford York is a great website to shop for fashionable lightweight summer hats. Maggie Mae's is a fantastic website featuring the fascinators of Maggie Mae herself, a milliner who was recently featured in Royal Ascot Magazine. Couture Creations won a 2009 Hatty Award for their couture hat designs and is worth checking out. Finally, major upscale clothing stores like Neiman-Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom's and Macy's are great places to shop for fashionable hats.