Hat

For other uses, see Hat (disambiguation).

Queen Elizabeth wearing a hat

A hat is a headcovering. It may be worn for protection against the elements, for religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status.

There are hats for men and hats for women, as well as hats worn by both sexes. Purveyors of men's hats are called hatters and purveyors of ladies' hats are called milliners.

Hat sizes

Hats come in different sizes. Hat size is determined by measuring the circumference of a person's head about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) above the ears and dividing by pi. In the UK, an equivalent hat size is an eighth inch smaller than in the US. Inches or centemetre may be used depending on the manufacturer, in addition to size hats may be round or oval shaped which can further determine fit. Felt hats (wool, beaver) can be stretched allowing a custom fit.

The Liam allen hat, as modelled by Liam Allen, is a hat of such disdain he is turning into a hatted piece of S

Cheaper hats are often sold as small, medium, large; "one size fits most" refers to hats which are adjustable such as baseball caps.

Parts of a hat

• Crown - the portion of a hat covering the top of the head.
• Brim - a projection of stiff material from the bottom of the hat's crown horizontally all around the circumference of the hat
• Peak - a stiff projection at the front, to shade or shield the eyes from sun and rain
• Sweatband - a ribbon or band the runs around the bottom edge of the hat. The sweatband may be adjustable with a cord at the top.
• Hatband - a leather strip, ribbon, or string on the outside of the hat, at the intersection of the crown and brim, usually decorative.

Cleaning

Soft cotton hats can be cleaned like any other clothing. Leather must be cleaned with special leather cleaning compounds. Some straw hats can be cleaned with a mild detergent and water. Others will be irreparably damaged by water. Felt hats can be cleaned with a soft hat brush for dust, a damp towel for dirt, or gentle use of very fine sandpaper for persistent stains. The shape may be restored by steaming.

Hat styles

• Akubra: Australian hat with similarities to fedoras and cowboy hats
• Bearskin: The tall, fur, full dress uniform hat of the Brigade of Guards designed to protect the footguards against sword-cuts, commonly seen at Buckingham Palace
• Beaver hat: Hats made of felted beaver fur
• Beret: Soft round cap, usually of wool felt, with a flat crown, which is worn by both men and women and traditionally associated with France.
• Baseball cap: A type of soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved peak
• Boater: Flat-brimmed and flat-topped straw hat, formally worn by seamen, and now mostly at summer regattas or garden parties, often with a ribbon in club or college colours
• Bowler: The bowler hat is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown created in 1850 by Lock's of St James's, the hatters to Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester, for his servants. In the United States, this hat is also known as a derby hat
• Bucket hat: A soft cotton hat with a wide and downwards sloping brim
• Busby: A small fur military hat, not to be confused with the taller bearskin
• Cowboy: Though thought of as a consistent style, cowboy hats are simply highly rugged and utilitarian hats. Made of felt or straw, they feature large brims (as wide as four inches or more) to protect against rain and sun and some are even designed to hold water in the crown. Common styles include a safari style brim (with the brim turned down in the front and back) or a brim sharply curved up on either side. The last style has the effect of lowering the front of the brim to better protect the wearers' eyes from the sun
• Derby: Another name for a Bowler
• Deerstalker: warm close-fitting tweed cap designed for shooting in the wet and windy Scottish climate, with brims in front and behind, and ear flaps which can be tied together either over the crown or under the chin; forever, but anachronistically, associated with Sherlock Holmes.
• Fedora: A soft felt hat with a lengthwise crease
• Fez: Red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone
• Flat cap: A rounded soft men's cap with a small brim in front and a somewhat stiff peak in the back
• Gatsby: A New York hat popular after the turn of the century; it has eight quarter panels
• Homburg: German designed hat
• Mortarboard: Educational hat worn usually to graduation
• Porkpie: Circular shaped blocked inner tip
• Panama: Straw hat made in Ecuador
• Santa Hat: A red hat with white fur traditionally associated with Christmas
• Shtreimel: A fur hat worn by many married Haredi Jewish men
• Kippa: A small close-fitting cap, generally worn in the West to comply with Jewish religious law
• Slouch: Generic term covering wide-brimmed felt-crowned hats like those worn by the military and ranchers
• Snood: A close-fitting hood worn over the back of the head
• Sombrero: A Mexican hat, usually with an unusually wide brim to provide additional shade
• Top hat: A tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat worn by men throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, now usually worn only with morning dress or evening dress
• Trilby: A soft felt men's hat with a narrow brim and a deeply indented crown
• Tricorne: A soft hat with a broad brim, pinned up on either side of the head and at the back, producing a triangular shape
• Tudor bonnet: A soft round black academic cap, with a tassel hanging from a cord attached to the centre of the top of the hat
• Toque: A Canadian hat worn in winter. It is usually knitted of wool
• Ushanka: Russian fur hat with fold down ear flaps

External links

• The Council of Textile & Fashion Industries of Australia
• Different Sizing Schemes
• Hats UK has a Hat Bible and other resources.
• Hat and head sizing
• The History of Felt Hats and Hat Making
• Early (1995) web hat article - pre-wiki, pre-blog, etc.
• The History of Hats from antiquity to the 20th century
• A history of hatmaking in Ceredigion, Wales