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I am thinking of adding some hats to the wardrobe. I am looking for advice on how and with what you match the colors ( the top, the bottoms, or the shoes). I wear baseball caps in drab and believe a hat (not a bb cap en femme) could add a positive touch.

Olivia

Hi Olivia,
I share your love of hats, the wearing of which sadly seem to have gone out of fashion, except on special occasions like weddings or horse racing. I think a hat turns a woman into an elegant lady.

My favourite hats have a net veil on them, which I think adds an aura of mystery to the wearer.

The wearing of a hat certainly draws attention to the wearer, IMHO, if that is what you want ,that's fine, but if you want to try and pass, outside wearing a hat to protect you from the sun, I would say you would be better to avoid wearing one .

Gina L.

Finding the right hat definitely requires a hands-on shopping trip.

However, searching under Google Images, for "womens hats, provides some good examples.

I have a few hats, none fancy. I have big wide rimmed straw type hats to wear in the summer. I have a floppy cloth hat that helps with keeping the snow off my glasses.

Color? Do they match anything? They match my personality and that's all a hat like the ones I wear have to do.

What advice can I give when shopping for a hat? You need to try the hat on with your fullest hair. It doesn't do you very good to get the cutest, prettiest hat if it won't stay on your head.

I like hats. They make you feel so elegant!

Gee do GG wear hats anymore?

^ Not this GG . . . but Virginia loves to wear hats and looks beautiful in them!


- SL

Yes we do, Carol Ann!

I know the big straw gardening hat is not what was in mind. A nice hat to keep the sun off your face during backyard parties is essential. Those are more for function than style and should look nice but don't have to match anything, just please don't clash.
Easter is coming up. As a little girl, I loved wearing the new dress, bonnet, and white gloves to Church. Formal outfits for grown ups match tops, bottoms, and shoes. Elegant hat wear should match the entire ensemble.

My Mother was a Red Hat Society member till she tired of it. I think I'm old enough to join now, drat. Members all wear pretty hats on outings.

A question though. Most ladies hats run small for a male head wearing a wig. If you can't shop while dressed for try ons, are there on-line sites for CD hat wear?

Eileen

Good question Eileen! I just did a Google and of course the question has already been asked. Big girl that I am, I shop Full Beauty (a.k.a. One Stop Plus) and Google pointed to http://www.onestopplus.com/plus-size-ha ... ptid=11708. It wasn't the top site which means there are presumably better options above it. The search that yielded results was "hats for large heads ladies".

Now another question would be is there a comparison chart for men and women hat sizes. Best I tell is don't bother looking. I did find lots of sites that tell you how to measure your head for a hat. To be perfectly honest, size conversion charts for anything in clothing is less reliable than knowing your actual measurements to use for determining your size. So with hats, it's the same rule. Measure and use that to decide your hat size from the seller.

Happy hunting ladies and the season is now!

Thanks Davita! There was a time when men and women knew their hat size. Now days, most stores have hats in small, medium, or large, etc. The few I wear are multi-colored to go with just about anything, and fit was by trying on in store.

My dear dressing husband is too timid to shop femme. That may be a hurdle we are going to cross together some time soon, as long as we are away from the home area.

Since Olivia started this thread, we should ask her how she intends to wear a hat. Only for formal is too limited. As mentioned, I'll wear a hat for outdoor events or backyard gatherings. Not for shopping trips or errands, but there is no reason not to, merely my own habit.
However casual, a ladies hat should not be frayed or show sweat stains. Excluding of course, a yard work sun hat.

Eileen

In my avatar I am wearing what is called an Ivy cap. It gets its name from its popularity at the Ivy League colleges in the early to mid twentieth century. I had several friends who had them from their college days and always wanted one. I later was in the clothing business and was able to find a supplier and ended up being the first merchant to have them in the Midwest in the twenty-first century. A close relative to it is the newsboy hat and it is a better choice (I think) than the baseball cap for women for casual wear.

Rhanda

First rule: No baseball caps!! Unless you are under 30 y.o or really ARE a farmer.

Well I also like hats and have several. Like anything else, you need different styles for different occasions. In the winter you will need a knit cap, preferably with matching mittens. During summer you will need a light colored wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off. I prefer white, because white will never clash with anything and so Eileen will not have you yell at you I have several white, wide brimmed hats in a range of formality from very casual to semi-formal. It really needs to match the outfit and the occasion, but a white wide brimmed hat and sundress are perfect for summer.
I also have a few wide-brimmed straw (or fake straw) hats that are good for everyday, working around the yard. These work well with denim skirts or jeans and t-shirt. The floppy hats Davita was talking about work well for this also, but they are not my style.
If you are the bohemian poet type, a beret with a turtleneck can work, but I personally wouldn't do that.
One look that I do really like is a cute derby with a small jacket or vest. It's a sharp look but not too formal looking.
I would tend to avoid the overly fancy hats, since they severely limit the occasions during which you could wear them.
But there are a lot of cute options, you can even find fishing hats. My first rule of thumb is always to know what you will wear it with and where you will wear it before you buy it. And my second rule of thumb is, if you really like it, ignore the first rule, buy it anyway and figure that out later


I completely agree with the observations that stated sizes mean nothing, you have to actually try it on. I would only add that you should try it on with the outfit which you intend to wear with it.

Tough choice. As with any style, it must be appropriate to the clothing that is being worn.
It must fit properly and you must enjoy the style.

I have a couple of lovely berets that I love to wear - one black and one red.

Be a French lady for the day!

Sorry about delayed response and thanks for all the comments and advice. So Eileen, Part of the goal is for the hat to hide or take focus off the face. And think I would like a style for the casual outings and one for note formal wear. But don' think I would wear one everyday. Also think I will follow Ralista's rules of thumb. Thanks again everyone talk soon.

Olivia