The Fabulous World of Hats...Hats 101!

Since their invention hats have always been used as a status symbol. Hats have the distinct ability to make a fashion statement. A hat can instantly upgrade your sense of style! Hats are as unique as the hat wearer. There are so many different types of hats and yet many people do not know the differences between the styles of hats. So below we will take a brief moment to educate on the many many different types of hats that one can wear!

We will of course start with the infamous Fedora!

The fedora hat is a general term that can be indicative of many different crown styles and brim shapes. Typically a Fedora is characterized by a short to mid sized brim with an upturn in the back. The front can be either turned up or down and styles that let you do both are called snap-brims. Fedora hats can transform any outfit and look good on many people! Celebrities are often seen in fedoras which only adds to their appeal!


Next up is the Trilby….

The Trilby is extremely similar to the fedora in shape and style with the exception that the brim can be quite short or stingy. When talking about the styles of a Fedora or Trilby many people interchange the names for these two types of hats.

Another type of hat that is very common is a visor.

The visor is a great style to protect one’s eyes from the sun and its easy to travel with. The only real criteria for a visor is that the top of the head is uncovered, essentially a hat without a crown. Visors come in a variety of different styles some have full brims that look like donuts while others have 3/4 brims where there is a split in the back for a woman’s hair.

On to the Panama Hat…

The Panama hat is both beautiful and timeless.  Technically Panama hats come from Ecuador, not Panama, but the common use of these hats during the construction of the Panama Canal gave them the name we all use today. The term Panama hat does not refer to the shape but instead Panama hats are distinguished only by their material, Toquila Straw. A panama hat can be made into a variety of shapes or styles using this Toquila Straw. The prices of these hats are determined by the fineness of the fibers. Some Panama hats can even be thousands of dollars based on their fibers. Most commonly when people talk about the Panama hat they tend to think of the wide-brimmed plantation or fedora style that is most common style for this type of hat.

Moving on to the Bolero…

A Bolero has a flat top and a flat brim. It can also be a hat with a wide Brim a  flat brim and a flat top and is often hardened.

Cloche Hats…

The cloche hat has become a very popular style in recent years and can be produced in every material. Typically a Cloche hat is a hat which has a close-fitting bell shaped style that is round at the top and often flares a little at the bottom. Most often their is an embellishment around the crown.


Finally we will discuss the Western hat or Cowboy hat...

The cowboy hat is known around the world as distinctly American. Typically made in felt, leather, or straw with very wide brims the Cowboy hat is an American icon.  The shape can vary with the brim turned up at the sides or  they can also sometimes be flat. Also cowboy hats can possess many different crown shapes some have the pinch crown, “C” or teardrop, while others have a center dent. The distinctiveness of a cowboy hat is usually that they have taller than usual crowns and wide brim or sloping brims.

The Fabulous World of Hats...Hats 101!

Since their invention hats have always been used as a status symbol. Hats have the distinct ability to make a fashion statement. A hat can instantly upgrade your sense of style! Hats are as unique as the hat wearer. There are so many different types of hats and yet many people do not know the differences between the styles of hats. So below we will take a brief moment to educate on the many many different types of hats that one can wear!

We will of course start with the infamous Fedora!

The fedora hat is a general term that can be indicative of many different crown styles and brim shapes. Typically a Fedora is characterized by a short to mid sized brim with an upturn in the back. The front can be either turned up or down and styles that let you do both are called snap-brims. Fedora hats can transform any outfit and look good on many people! Celebrities are often seen in fedoras which only adds to their appeal!


Next up is the Trilby….

The Trilby is extremely similar to the fedora in shape and style with the exception that the brim can be quite short or stingy. When talking about the styles of a Fedora or Trilby many people interchange the names for these two types of hats.

Another type of hat that is very common is a visor.

The visor is a great style to protect one’s eyes from the sun and its easy to travel with. The only real criteria for a visor is that the top of the head is uncovered, essentially a hat without a crown. Visors come in a variety of different styles some have full brims that look like donuts while others have 3/4 brims where there is a split in the back for a woman’s hair.

On to the Panama Hat…

The Panama hat is both beautiful and timeless.  Technically Panama hats come from Ecuador, not Panama, but the common use of these hats during the construction of the Panama Canal gave them the name we all use today. The term Panama hat does not refer to the shape but instead Panama hats are distinguished only by their material, Toquila Straw. A panama hat can be made into a variety of shapes or styles using this Toquila Straw. The prices of these hats are determined by the fineness of the fibers. Some Panama hats can even be thousands of dollars based on their fibers. Most commonly when people talk about the Panama hat they tend to think of the wide-brimmed plantation or fedora style that is most common style for this type of hat.

Moving on to the Bolero…

A Bolero has a flat top and a flat brim. It can also be a hat with a wide Brim a  flat brim and a flat top and is often hardened.

Cloche Hats…

The cloche hat has become a very popular style in recent years and can be produced in every material. Typically a Cloche hat is a hat which has a close-fitting bell shaped style that is round at the top and often flares a little at the bottom. Most often their is an embellishment around the crown.


Finally we will discuss the Western hat or Cowboy hat...

The cowboy hat is known around the world as distinctly American. Typically made in felt, leather, or straw with very wide brims the Cowboy hat is an American icon.  The shape can vary with the brim turned up at the sides or  they can also sometimes be flat. Also cowboy hats can possess many different crown shapes some have the pinch crown, “C” or teardrop, while others have a center dent. The distinctiveness of a cowboy hat is usually that they have taller than usual crowns and wide brim or sloping brims.