A Guide to Summer Hats

Hats can be a great statement piece for the summer season, and they can also protect you from the sun’s harmful rays.

Perfect for an outing in the city or a day at the beach, this accessory can dress up or dress down an outfit. When choosing your headgear for the summer, it’s important to think about comfort and fit as well as style. After all, the hat is supposed to protect your face from the sun’s heat, not add more of it. Follow this guide to summer hats:

Flatter Your Face Shape

Hats can be hit or miss, so don’t be discouraged if the first few you try on don’t look quite right. It all depends on finding a style that flatters the shape of your face. For example, if you have a longer face (think Sarah Jessica Parker), you’ll want to widen it out. This can be done by selecting a large-brimmed hat, such as a floppy sun hat, according to Beauty Riot. Additionally, wide-band stripes can also put emphasis on the width of your face.

Woman in black chain floppy hat and black and white swimsuit

For women with a more rounded face, the hat should elongate and thin out facial features. To do this, make sure the crown of the hat is not wider than your cheek bones. A fashion-forward fedora has a small crown, and would look great on women with this face type.

A heart-shaped face falls right between round and long, so your hat choice will also have to be somewhere in the middle. Try a bucket hat. This style is smaller like a fedora but not as wide as a large sun hat.

What Are You Doing Today?

Your hat selection should also depend on what your plans are for the day. If you’re going out for a fun day at the beach, you’ll want headgear that’s going to protect you from the sun. A floppy sun hat is wide enough to shield the sun’s rays and also looks great paired with a swimsuit. Though the hat provides some shade, it can also create unwanted warmth on your head. To avoid this, Birchbox suggests going with a straw hat. The tiny holes and light weight of the material will help keep you cool. Plus, the casual look of straw is perfect for a laid-back day in the sand.

If you’ll be indoors or in the shade, you can have a little more freedom with your hat choices. You won’t have to worry so much about beating the heat, so pick a material that enhances the style of the entire outfit. For example, if you’re visiting a museum in the city, you can sport an artsy fedora with a few embellishments to go with the venue’s vibe. You can get creative with the colors, too. While a bright neon pink band on a hat works when paired with a simple swimsuit, you might want to go with neutral colors if your outfit’s hues are already bold.