The Versatile Cloche
Top row: L to R: : in sinamay, with sinamay and feather trim by Gill Kittle: in felt by Emma Mitchell: in (double) straw by Ann Storm:
Bottom row: L to R: felt with silk flower by Wendy Wallace-Williams: knitted fabric & sinamay by Julie McCready: felt by Elisabeth Koch
Oval face
Hats with large brims are most flattering unless you are short, when they should be narrower
Wear your hat straight across your brow or hairline
Round face
Choose an angular, asymmetric brim and square-shaped crown
If the brim has angles, this will help to lengthen the look of your face
The crown should be as wide as your face, or fairly extravagantly trimmed
Don’t wear you hat straight – tilt it at an angle
Avoid rounded crowns and ‘flower-pot’ hats
Square face
Choose an asymmetrical brim and a striking crown to draw the eye upwards
Slant the brim or simply tilt your hat to soften the square effect
Experiment with wearing earrings with your hat
Triangular face (heart shaped)
Draw the eye upwards with a small hat high on your head
Choose an eye catching trim for your hat
Avoid large, heavy-looking shapes
Triangular face (strong jaw line)
Select a hat with a narrow, asymmetrical brim and taller than average crown
A rolled or upswept brim will also suit you, but wear it straight across your brow or hairline
Avoid hats with pointed crowns or sharp angles.
Skin tone
The colour of your hat should complement your own natural colouring, as it is going to be worn very
close to your face. There are many charts available to help you choose colours which will suit you.
Here is one example – http://www.ehow.com/how_3249_choose-colors-flatter.html
As a general rule: if you are very pale, harsh colours are best avoided. If your skin is very dark, black
is probably not for you.
You have chosen a hat to wear—now think about how to wear it and what it will do for you...
t to express
You can use a ha
way. Hats can
yourself in a new
reveal. You may
both conceal and
new you to be
find that there’s a
ly suspected
rd
ha
u
yo
t
a
th
d
e
reveal
e a way of
existed! Hats hav
ore romantic,
m
a
to
s
u
g
tin
or
transp
where doors
a,
er
us
lro
a
iv
ch
more
s and manners
are opened for u
fined.
become more re
When you wea
r a hat, your ha
irstyle become
important. This
s less
can be a great
help if you are
than pleased w
less
ith your hair! Yo
ur hat and your
are going to be
face
seen, so make
the hat complim
the face! Tuck
ent
your hair out of
the way: twist it
a ‘chignon’ (Fre
into
nch pleat) or a
simple knot at
nape of your n
the
eck. Tidy it awa
y from your fac
will make your
e. This
hat much more
visible and attra
Trying to keep
ctive.
you
is rather like we r hair visible as well as your h
at
aring two hats
and won’t work
well.
Experiment wit
h the position
of the hat on y
our head. Is it
too far back? T
his gives
rather a childis
h look – little
girls wear hats
this way, just
plonked on the
ir heads! Try
tilting your hat
forw
will suddenly lo ard - it
ok much
more attractive
. Perhaps the
hat brim now h
id
your face. This es part of
can look very
seductive and
intriguing.
Think Ingrid B
ergman or
Princess Dian
a!
.
the side
to
t
a
h
the
e
Try tilting hardly recognis
y
You ma o you look like a
!D
yourself ore glamorous
much m ’t immediately
Don
’.
person? look as ‘not you
is
reject th some admiring t
Wait for ou may find tha
and y
nd
glances
el new a a
e
f
o
t
in
you beg . Give the hat
us
glamoro can do wonders
– it
chance for you!
Wow! You
look
great!
You don’t have to
wear the hat the
way the maker
envisaged it. Try it
on ‘back to front’.
Flip soft brims up, or
up in one place and
down in another.
ra
ou wea
y
n
e
h
W
u are
hat, yo the
to
saying ok at
o
world ‘L epared
pr
me’! Be t more
for a lo an you
n th
attentio ormally
might n ome
S
expect. ay be
m
people
if they
g
n
i
r
e
wond
you on
n
e
e
s
have
r film.
o
n
io
s
i
telev
ll and
Walk ta m as if
t the
smile a e right!
they’r
When you h
ave experie
wearing ha
nced the jo
ts, begin to
yo
tr
y
some new s f
You can oft
en break th
e rules if yo tyles.
your hat wit
u wear
h c on
are conside fidence and verve. If y
ri
ou
sense to we ng selling hats, it mak
es
ar
the right me one often, as this will
g
ssage to po
tential custo ive
and increas
m
e their confi
dence. If we ers
hat makes
aring a
you look go
o
d
,
th
probably do
e
the same fo n it will
r them!